Jegs

Member
Hey guys, we've got chickens and pigs, we put pig poop in the garden during the winter months when we clean out the barn. We just dump it on top of the snow then come spring we till it in and away we go with planting. We've got a good sized garden that we plant pumpkins, gourds, squash and zucchini to feed the pigs during the winter.

We harvest in Oct. and the stuff will keep 'til January in the basement, cuts down on having to buy feed. The question is ... I don't see anybody ever posting about fertilizing with pig poop.

Should we switch to just chicken poop for fertilizer or is pig poop o.k.? Anybody else use it? We've been putting it on the garden for about the last 5 years with no issues, just curious what others think, we have had some premature yellowing and some blight during August on the vines but the fruit and the yield has been good.
 
My Dad used to put a load of raw cow manure on our garden every year just before plowing it and we never had any issues. I would think chicken manure would be a bit too high in nitrogen for many garden plants. Too much nitrogen on plants like tomatoes and peppers gives you a huge plant and no fruit. If pig manure has been working for you I would stay with it.
 
I buy 15 acres worth of pig poo a year from the neighbor who has 5000 hogs. This year I think Im getting an additional 90 acres worth. About 6000 gallons of liquid hog manure an acre.

So, its good stuff.

Some concerns. Putting it on top of snow is illegal in many areas. It can run away with the snow melt. Not so good.

We soil test, and try to apply what is needed where needed. I test my fields every 2.5 acres, and then apply commercial fertilizer the coop can change the fertilizer rates as they drive so the right amounts of the big fertilizers can change to match what is needed by that piece of ground. Without soil testing you dont know what you need, so you might be over applying or under applying some P or K.

We dont like to apply every year, we like to apply every 2nd or 3rd year, and then use commercial fertilizer the other years, to balance things out properly.

Poultry manure is even more concentrated in some nutrients so you typically use less per acre.

Both are very good fertilizers with many complex things that help your soil grow and get better.

But it is very easy to get too much of a good thing, and make your soil worse at growing a healthy crop. As well as leaking nutrients into the environment.

Everything in moderation. And testing helps you know what you have and what you need. Otherwise you are just guessing.

I know on a small scale it is difficult to want to do much of the testing. But it would really help,to get one good soil test of your garden, should cost much less then $50. Then you know what you have to start with, and can go from there.

Many soils are low in ph, and that is the first thing that should be addressed. Manure wont help much until you bring the ph up with lime. In my case my ph is really high, 7.4 average, some parts of my farm are over 8. Then I have different problems and have to think about fertilizer differently.

A complicated answer. But you want to know what is best.

1. Take a soil test.

2. Apply a lot or a little of either manure to bring your soil into balance. You dont want your soil too poor or too rich in anything, either is a poor way to grow a crop.

3. Consider applying so you can work in the manure right away, not leave it sit on the surface or on snow for days and days.

Paul
 

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