Selfsufficientish.com

...composting of chicken manure before application or application as fresh manure, has its advantages and disadvantages. Fresh manure has a higher fertilizing efficiency. However, its N content can burn some sensitive plants. High N content is not necessarily a problem, once one avoid direct contact between the plant and manure. Weeds and pathogens that can be in the manure can be a concern. In fact this concern of spreading weeds and pathogens has led many countries to impose regulations prohibiting application of fresh manure. Smell can be another nuisance associated with fresh manure. Mixing manure with black soil (I assume what was meant is organic matter rich clay soil), as suggested by a colleague could be a good way to dilute chicken manure, fix ammonium in the soil, and thus avoid its loss through volatilization or through leaching, once ammonium has converted to nitrate.

Composting is known to cause some loss of N, K (the latter through leaching, when too much water is applied when watering the pile. Losses mentioned in the literature can be considerable - sometime reaching 70% of the initial N content. Controlling the heat - avoiding temperature above 75C, co-composting with material high in Carbon content like wood chips, or adding materials that acidify the compost pile such as oranges peels, or adding up to 1% (per volume) of clay in the compost pile, or covering the compost pile, are all measures that can help retain N in the compost pile. Some have indicated up to 90 % N retention through the use of straw mixed with compost.

Though compost might have less N than its fresh counterpart, when well done, risks associated with odor, weeds and pathogens are eliminated. When a stable and mature compost is achieved, another desirable property such as soil borne disease suppression are reported in the literature.

Now, how to compost? You might need to experiment with different ratios of fresh chicken manure and a source of Carbon, which will also be a bulking agent that ease the aeration of the compost pile. It is desirable to havet the pile heat up between 55 and 65 degrees celcius for at least two weeks, turning the pile each time the temperature goes beyond that. Turning will also serve to homogenize the pile, ensuring that all the material is subjected to the pasteurizing heat (55-65 C) for at least two weeks thus killing weeds or pathogen.

The compost obtained after two weeks is not mature, nor is it stable. It will still be having strong odor. However, it will have a good fertilizing quality with NO WEEDS OR PATHOGENS that might have been in the fresh product.

ina wrote:My father used to buy guano - it was called Peru Guano, so I assume it was from Peru... ;)

In fact, it was the only fertiliser he ever bought and used, apart from our own compost. (We lived in a fairly urban setting; no chickens or other livestock anywhere nearby.) He just used a little straight onto the soil when he was planting; say, a teaspoon full into each hole for the potatoes etc. I don't know whether the stuff was treated in any way before it was sold, but definitely ground up somehow.

DNA testing has suggested that new potato varieties imported alongside Peruvian seabird guano in 1842 brought a virulent strain of potato blight that began the Irish Potato Famine.

doofaloofa wrote:

DNA testing has suggested that new potato varieties imported alongside Peruvian seabird guano in 1842 brought a virulent strain of potato blight that began the Irish Potato Famine.

Dun, dun DUUUUUUUN!