chicken litter

[City Guy]

how much chicken litter per acre can be safely applied? What % is actually manure, roughly?

 

[arkie1]

Just when I was beginning to worry something had happened to you.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I've put 2 tons to the acre without any problems.

 

[M-5]

that would work out to be 9.2 # per 100 sq ft for your garden or lawn.

 

[Rajela]

4 ton to the acre is the average for just starting out. If you have been using for several years you might get by with 2 ton per acre.

 

[ga.prime]

I've been thinking of getting 25 tons dumped in one spot and spread with a box blade on a half acre or so and plant a garden on it. I don't see why that wouldn't work. When I've gotten it before and spread on my hayfield at the two ton/acre rate, where it was dumped was two or three inches deep after loading all I could on the spreader and in those spots the grass just grew better and greener than anywhere else. Sure didn't kill any of it.

 

[aaroninga]

I'm not sure what percentage is actually litter but would guess 50-60??? By weight it would also depend on moisture content.
My garden area does best when after turning it under again 2-3 weeks later and you can smell it's been fermenting.

Rule of thumb around here is a ton per acre on hay fields.
I'll put a ton an acre on pastures in October. Maybe again in spring.
I wasn't all that happy with commercial 21-7-14 this spring.
I can get 10 tons litter, $60 ton spread for the price of 1 ton commercial fertilizer.

Wow 4 tons an acre would get pricey.

 

[shaz]

2 tons per acre here. Keep in mind that the N release is really slow. You won't see the effect for 4-5 months.

 

[City Guy]

Thankx

 

[dun]

Also remember to order your herbicides so you have them on hand to get rid of the weeds that the litter brings in.

 

[Dave]

2 tons per acre here. Keep in mind that the N release is really slow. You won't see the effect for 4-5 months.

Some of the N is organic and will release slowly. I have tested lots of it. It generally runs about 3-2-2 with about 60% of the N being in the form of ammonium. That 60% is available right away to either convert to nitrate and become plant available or to volatilize off into the air. How that occurs is really influenced by the weather. A few years ago we weighed and measured a lot of it too. It averaged out about 2.2 cubic yards per ton. The local guy says it is hard to get an even spread with much less than 5 yards per acre.

 

[Cucumber35]

We did about 2 tons per acre for several years, twice a year a couple times. Had to back off for the last few years, ran the Phosphorus up quite a bit. Sure does make the grass grow though.

 

[dave_shelby]

Makes the weeds grow too. If you hay it the P stays down, otherwise over time P and the weeds just increase.

Spread it before a good soaking rain to keep the N.

 

[Jogeephus]

I've been thinking of getting 25 tons dumped in one spot and spread with a box blade on a half acre or so and plant a garden on it. I don't see why that wouldn't work. When I've gotten it before and spread on my hayfield at the two ton/acre rate, where it was dumped was two or three inches deep after loading all I could on the spreader and in those spots the grass just grew better and greener than anywhere else. Sure didn't kill any of it.

I know from experience that if you dump 24 tons of green cow manure in your garden you can't grow anything for at least four months but after this time you can grow turnips and mustard that will rival mature tobacco plants. I'm sure cow and chicken shyt share similar differences.

 

[ga.prime]

I've been thinking of getting 25 tons dumped in one spot and spread with a box blade on a half acre or so and plant a garden on it. I don't see why that wouldn't work. When I've gotten it before and spread on my hayfield at the two ton/acre rate, where it was dumped was two or three inches deep after loading all I could on the spreader and in those spots the grass just grew better and greener than anywhere else. Sure didn't kill any of it.

I know from experience that if you dump 24 tons of green cow manure in your garden you can't grow anything for at least four months but after this time you can grow turnips and mustard that will rival mature tobacco plants. I'm sure cow and chicken shyt share similar differences.

Perfect. Spread in fall, plant in spring.

 

[City Guy]

I'll let my pretend goats eat the pretend weeds, ala Joel Salatin.

 

[arkie1]

Just my :2cents:. It depends on the litter. Believe it or not you can have litter tested, usually your major ag universities can handle this. Some of it is actually good litter and some of it just chicken shyt. What I've found as a rule of thumb is that layer houses have almost the perfect levels for the ideal fertilizer. Broiler houses it seems can be a toss up.

 

[TexasBred]

Just my :2cents:. It depends on the litter. Believe it or not you can have litter tested, usually your major ag universities can handle this. Some of it is actually good litter and some of it just chicken shyt. What I've found as a rule of thumb is that layer houses have almost the perfect levels for the ideal fertilizer. Broiler houses it seems can be a toss up.

Most research says just the opposite. Broiler is the best.

 

[arkie1]

I "think" it all depends on what they are fed. Just my personal opinion. In my area broiler usually tests out to be the lesser.

 

[Jogeephus]

I've been thinking of getting 25 tons dumped in one spot and spread with a box blade on a half acre or so and plant a garden on it. I don't see why that wouldn't work. When I've gotten it before and spread on my hayfield at the two ton/acre rate, where it was dumped was two or three inches deep after loading all I could on the spreader and in those spots the grass just grew better and greener than anywhere else. Sure didn't kill any of it.

I know from experience that if you dump 24 tons of green cow manure in your garden you can't grow anything for at least four months but after this time you can grow turnips and mustard that will rival mature tobacco plants. I'm sure cow and chicken shyt share similar differences.

Perfect. Spread in fall, plant in spring.

it was one of the prettiest gardens I ever grew and when people were having trouble with drought all the organic matter I added sure helped my garden out. And turnips, i had some the size of soccer balls.