Increasing numbers of Shropshire folk are keeping hens at home these days which is great but as you can imagine this produces one heck of a lot of muck!
Each chicken produces about 40 kg of muck a year - to visualise this that’s a pile about the size of a large sack of potatoes - and that’s just the muck - so you can probably double that amount if you factor in the bedding materials that will be mixed in with it.
So if you are going to keep even a small flock of chickens you are going to have to think about waste management. But don’t let this put you off, because actually far from being a problem this "waste" is a fantastic resource for your garden. Chicken muck is loaded with Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorous - all essential for plant growth
That said you cant just add chicken muck direct to the garden because in its "raw" form it will actually scorch the soil and burn the plants as it is so high in Ammonia. Also it contains harmful bugs such as salmonella and parasites - it also stinks! A lot!
So before you can work with it, you need to "mature" the muck in a heap for at least 6 months if not longer. This process helps to stabilise the material into a less odourous compost like output plus it reduces the physical size of your pile significantly and helps attenuate pathogens.
For most back yard chicken keepers you are going to produce muck mixed with typical bedding materials such as straw, shredded paper or sawdust. The good news is that these materials also make a great addition to your compost and help keep balance the Nitrogen-rich chicken muck with carbon-rich material to ensure a good balanced compost like output.
If you wish you can then add the well rotted manure onto your compost heap for further maturation.
Once ready you can then dig it into your flower beds to get all that goodness into your soil.
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