Well over the weekend my daughter, son and I worked on the garden some more. This weekend was time to clean out the chicken coop and get that sorted out.. I think there was around 10 bales of pine shavings in the coop, all of which went to the garden..
I figure a few more years of amending like this and that garden plot will go nuts.. Also considering buying some scoops of horse manure.
Anyway.. While my daughter occupied my sons attention I spent time making the cleanout door for the coop. Best darn idea I’d ever had.. Worked flawlessly.
Picture from outside. Still have yet to get the coop windows done, thus the plastic. 
Picture from inside. The bottom is level with the floor, allowing all shavings to be easily scooped up from outside and the inside swept clean. 
And to start out, two bales of fresh pine shavings down.. Need at least two more though before the week is up.
Now, everything out in the garden plot and ready to till under.. Have a conglomeration of 10 bales of straw, a large pile of compost and the 10 bales of pine shavings FULL of chicken poo.. 
If only I had three times this much stuff… Ah well.. Building good soil takes time. 
Also time for the birds to migrate again.. They’ve been frequenting the tree tops and sleeping in our arborvitae at night. 
Also spent some time working on the shade garden area.. I’m hoping to get that done so I don’t have to worry about anything more than general upkeep.. Cardboard has been down for ages and Donovan and I spent time scooping and spreading mulch.
On the down side, I managed to sprain my ankle while taking some furniture pads out of the chicken coop storage.. Happens from time to time.
-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b
10 comments so far
jroot
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3123 posts in 744 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 146 days ago
Ah, the straw with the chicken poo. .... great for the garden. How I remember those days when I raised chickens in Fergus ( against the bylaws, but I didn’t know … honest. :( )
-- jroot
rramos50361
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58 posts in 224 days
hardiness zone 9
posted 145 days ago
I can’t wait to use my straw with chicken poo.
-- Robert-Monica
MsDebbieP
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7956 posts in 1114 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 145 days ago
excellent. How wonderful to be making things happen for the season!
re: horse manure, my brother says you might as well just put straw down (not enough nutrients ) . cow manure is much, much better.
-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan
Bon
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4999 posts in 894 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 145 days ago
Looks like your gardens are off to a good healthy start Scott.I agree with Debbie on the horse manure.Not worth the time to put it in the garden IMHO.Sheep manure is also good to use.
-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more
Scott Hildenbrand
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1657 posts in 885 days
hardiness zone 6b
posted 145 days ago
Mmmm.. True enough about the horse manure.. I’d forgot that it ranks LAST in terms of usefulness and nutrients.
If I can source out some other manure cheap I may do that. But that won’t be till end of season reset.
Fully intend to have it tilled under at the end of season and to plant a cover crop this time to build the soil tilth up further.
-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b
Iris43
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2068 posts in 744 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 145 days ago
Horse manure may not be the highest in nutrients, but If it’s what is available to you (at the right price:-)) it works. Especially when you consider everything else you have in there already. My DD used well rotted HM to amend her gardens when she had a horse and her gardens are spectacular.
-- 'To plant a Garden is to believe in Tomorrow'
MsDebbieP
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7956 posts in 1114 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 145 days ago
there’s a reason we put straight “straw” on our gardens and till it in .. and if horse manure is about the same as straight straw then it has to be beneficial at some level
-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan
Scott Hildenbrand
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1657 posts in 885 days
hardiness zone 6b
posted 145 days ago
My only issue is transportation though, since I don’t have a truck..
Ah well.. Time to let the chickens out. ;)
-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b
MsDebbieP
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7956 posts in 1114 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 145 days ago
many of the farms around here sell their manure by the bag. (A nice sturdy un-leak-able bag that you can pop into the trunk – on a tarp, I’d advise.)
-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan
Robin
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2146 posts in 377 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 145 days ago
Great way to make cleaning out the chicken coop easier. I have been putting down chicken bedding and goat bedding for several years now and I am amazed how rich and black the dirt in my garden is now. Good luck with your gardens this year, Scott.
-- Robin, Massachusetts - "Live simply so others can simply live." M. Gandhi