Bird Poop

[Bryemye]

So I have a couple of parrots who live in the same room as my grow tent (they are little, a cockatiel and a green cheek conure, and I love them to bits). The room is basically their aviary and, obviously, they poop a lot, including on me when I hang out with them. I know bird poop has a lot of phosphorous...would it be good to fertilize an organic soil grow? Is this just getting a little too creative? I'm doing my first grow and going down an at least mostly organic route, and one of the plants I am growing says it needs more phosphorous during flowering than the average plant in the growing notes, so it got me thinking. I would be super appreciative of any thoughts even if people don't have a firm answer.

 

[stoneyluv]

i use my chickens droppings in my ganja and veggie gardens. nothing but positive results.

you can use just about any poop though, you just want to avoid animals with a heavy meat diet such as cats or dogs... not saying they won't work you just can't overdue it with a heavy meat diet.

 

[Bryemye]

i use my chickens droppings in my ganja and veggie gardens. nothing but positive results.

How much do you use?

 

[Jimster]

Bird poop is great as a fertilizer but it usually helps for it to be broken down or composted first. Fresh droppings are pretty caustic and can release a lot of ammonia as it decays. In outdoor soils, there are a lot of microorganisms that break it down quickly... indoors that isn't usually the case. It's difficult to maintain a living biome inside of your bucket indoors, so it might be better to let it season for a little before using it indoors. There are a ton of nitrates in it as well, so it makes things grow nicely!

 

[Bryemye]

Bird poop is great as a fertilizer but it usually helps for it to be broken down or composted first. Fresh droppings are pretty caustic and can release a lot of ammonia as it decays. In outdoor soils, there are a lot of microorganisms that break it down quickly... indoors that isn't usually the case. It's difficult to maintain a living biome inside of your bucket indoors, so it might be better to let it season for a little before using it indoors. There are a ton of nitrates in it as well, so it makes things grow nicely!

Interesting....so does it just need to age for the ammonia to... evaporate, or does it need to be transformed by composting? I definitely understand the danger of burning the plants, but also want to keep as much good stuff as possible.

Morrrrreeeee researchhhhhhhh.......but expertise also appreciated

 

[stoneyluv]

How much do you use?

about two cups per five gallons of soil. my poly tunnel has two 4 foot x 20 foot grow beds and i spread about fifteen gallons of poop in there!!

and Jimster is spot on about the ageing. my chickens shit a lot so there is always a few buckets full and they normally sit out there for six months or so till i get to using them. but i don't add anything to it for it to break down, just time.

 

[Bryemye]

about two cups per five gallons of soil. my poly tunnel has two 4 foot x 20 foot grow beds and i spread about fifteen gallons of poop in there!!

and Jimster is spot on about the ageing. my chickens shit a lot so there is always a few buckets full and they normally sit out there for six months or so till i get to using them. but i don't add anything to it for it to break down, just time.

This is awesome info. Thank you very much.

 

[weedtech]

Damn. I feel Eco-friendly just reading the thread. Now if only I could do something with all that crow shit that ends up on my truck.

 

[DawGroomer]

Do you just dump the whole dropping pan in or just grab the cluster bits they stick to perches? Or wherever they can hide it...