your opinions please

What areyour opinions on using chicken litter from the chicken houses. folks who raise birds for commercial ?

I try my best to organic garden, but there are times I need to resort to the heavy stuff. (7 dust in particular) but am concerned about what's left over in the chicken litter we'll be getting from the chicken house down theroad, they raise broilers.

kathy_ann

I am traditional, but I would use chicken litter plowed down in the fall or if it is available in the spring I would compost it. It can burn plants if you use it fresh.

WE are going to get a trailer load the first week in october, and let it sit in a pile since we are going to plant greens as a cover crop in the garden this winter, we'll put it on the garden in the beginning of February probably and disk it in. You know all that stuff they put in the chickens tomake them grow faster, well, do you think it's in the litter?

Maybe, but I doubt that chicken hormones are transferable to plants. If you want plant hormones you would need to invest in something like Messenger.

nO I was just wondering how harmful it was to use chicken litter that had all the hormones in it. LOL guess I was worrying for nothing LOL

kathy

Composted chicken manure is the best! If you use it, you will definitely see your plants take off. I never worried about the hormones but since Farmer Dill says they won't transfer, I say, your plants will look like they are on steroids! But it is only all those nutrients.

No chicken houses nearby, but we buy "Cock-a-doodle-doo" at Ahway or Ace.

For thirty years I have had it broadcaste on my garden in the winter and disked in.What ever you do,do not stack in a pile in the open.I did this one year and had one goey stinking mess.It stuck to the shovel and was impossible to move by hand.I had to put a load of dirt on top of it.
It makes the largest and best vegies you could ever buy.

I too have discovered that I can't leave it out in the open, even bagged up. One of my dogs has decided he loves to EAT it and will gladly rip open the bag to do so. Since it can't be good for him I am adding it all to the compost bins. Still smells of Urea so I am sure its not composted enough anyway.

Well, that's what we were planning on doing with it since we've already planted our winter greens, we decided to pile it up by the garden. wonder if we covered it would that help some?

kathy

Well, late to this thread. IMHO, I would not use it. Look what the e coli in spinach has done AND they are still not sure if it got in from manure/fertilizer, or what. Too much stuff goes into commercial chickens to the point that I will no longer eat chicken unless it's local, organic, and geass fed.

The lesson from the whole spinach debacle is wash your veggies, no matter where it comes from. Hopefully people that prepare food will learn that despite the fact that the bagged salad greens say "pre-washed", it really needs to be washed again.

I eat very little meat but that's all I feed my dogs. Obviously you buy the best you can afford. Still with e-coli, salmanila, mad cow....the whole idea of eating anything I haven't grown or raised myself could become quite scary.

Darius - my daddy is from Appalachia. Beautiful country! Fall color happening yet?
justfurkids carol

E. Coli ( sounds like computer diarrhea doesn't it..) is caused by human excrement. Either in the processing ~ hands not washed after trips to the bathroom or in the fields which reach for great distances with no pit stops available. Should the need have risen, I am sure the field workers don't hesitate. Washing all fruits and vegetables goes a long way to prevention.

On the other hand, I have to agree with Darius. In our area, Tyson and Pilgrims Pride fight over who is king. We are a large poultry production area. They are able to grow huge chickens in just a few weeks by using intense hormones and potent chemicals. An acquaintance is a usda inspector and states that they will only eat homegrown chicken at their house. Also says if you must buy chicken from the store, buy whole chicken rather than parts. Apparently, parts are what's left of the questionable chickens? I have to admit I am not much of a carnivore and the stories I hear and things I see affirm that.

justfurkids, the e.coli that caused the spinach problem was bovine, although goats can produce the same deadly strain. No amount of washing can lessen the effects, only thorough cooking can kill it.

It is true that all humans have e. coli and coliform in our intestines, some of which is necessary to process and absorb things like vitamin B12. There's a detailed thread with library references somewhere on DG, maybe the Parking Lot forum.