Cleaning the coop means getting up close and personal with coop waste. But when your bedding does double duty as nutrient-rich garden mulch, it makes the process a little more tolerable. Making your waste work for you means participating in an earth-friendly cycle that benefits your garden and makes waste management efforts easier.
One reason to re-use coop bedding is because of chicken manure. Manure is a secret gardening weapon, referred to by gardeners as “black gold” for its nutrient-rich properties. Droppings contain calcium, magnesium and sulfur, desirable ingredients for balanced soil that isn’t included in popular fertilizers. Besides adding organic matter to the garden, used bedding increases water retention and presents beneficial bacteria, too.
Tips for Using Chicken Bedding in the Garden
Go natural. When bedding is grown and processed without chemicals or dyes, it’s a natural for the garden and for composting. Organically grown bedding imparts benefits for chickens in the coop, humans around the coop, and flowers and veggies in the garden.
Better breakdown. Bedding that is made up of natural hay and straw is highly decomposable. Using hay-based bedding means it goes easily from coop to garden without the concerns of imparting excess nitrogen that can harm plants when wood chips and shavings are used.
Forget the wait. Bedding that uses Sweet PDZ as an odor eliminator, such as Lucerne Farms KOOP Clean Chicken Bedding, does double duty as a fertilizer. Says Hannah James, Managing Partner of Lucerne Farms, “Sweet PDZ absorbs the nitrogen out of the chickens’ manure and then slowly releases the nitrogen and moisture at a more favorable rate for the soil and plants.” Because the nitrogen is absorbed by the soil over time, there’s no waiting to mulch or compost.
Prefer to use your coop waste immediately without waiting? Look for all-natural bedding made from the pristine hay fields of Northern Maine! Learn more about Lucerne Farms Chicken Bedding.
