Can You Compost Chicken Manure?
Yes, with care. Chicken manure is very high in nitrogen, roughly 7–10:1 C:N, and too 'hot' to use fresh. It can carry Salmonella and other pathogens, so hot-compost or age it, and wait before using it on food crops.
At a glance
| Home compost pile | With care |
|---|---|
| Green or brown | Green (nitrogen-rich) |
| Carbon to nitrogen | about 7–10:1 (approximate) |
| Moisture | Wet |
| Prep | None needed |
| Worm bin | No |
| Bokashi | No |
How to compost chicken manure
Mix manure and its bedding with plenty of browns, at least 2–3 parts leaves, straw or wood shavings to 1 part droppings. Aim for a hot pile that holds about 131°F (55°C) or more for several days, turned so everything passes through the core. Wear gloves and wash your hands afterward.
If you're not sure the pile got hot, apply the compost well ahead of harvest. For reference, the USDA organic standard requires raw manure to go on at least 120 days before harvesting crops that touch the soil, and 90 days for others.
What goes wrong
Too much manure and not enough carbon smells strongly of ammonia and loses nitrogen to the air; add browns and turn. Fresh or poorly composted manure can burn plants and carry pathogens onto vegetables. If you're unsure your pile got hot, give it longer.
Worm bins and bokashi
Worm bin: Keep fresh chicken manure out of worm bins; it's too high in ammonia and salts for red wigglers.
Bokashi: Chicken manure doesn't belong in bokashi.
This counts as a green. Adding a lot of it? Check the balance with the compost mix calculator.
From hopcompost.com/can-you-compost/chicken-manure/ · General guidance, not professional advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can you put chicken manure directly on the garden?
Not fresh. It can burn plants and carry pathogens. Compost or age it first.
How long does chicken manure take to compost?
A hot, turned pile can finish in a few months. A cold pile needs much longer, often 6–12 months or more, and may not kill all pathogens.
Is chicken coop bedding compostable?
Yes. Pine shavings or straw mixed with droppings make a good start. Add greens if it's mostly shavings, and browns if it's mostly droppings.