Turkey manure/sh*t, What's in it? How does it help the soil?

Question

I'm planning to raise some White Turkeys in the spring.

Is it high in nytrogen?...what is in it that could help particular plants grow well?

Answer 1

Cowboy is right.  High nitrogen content especially.  Turkey manure is very rich, as is chicken manure.

Make sure you compost this manure before you apply it to the land, and even then do not apply it too heavily otherwise you can 'burn' the organic material in the soil.

Answer 2

High in Ammonia, Nitrogen to you and me. If your in the UK, in many places there are laws requiring it to be ploughed in the same day it is spread due to the strong odour it gives off.

Answer 3

wow! Stony,

Cowboy really knows his stuff, doesn't he? I was going to say it's a lot like chicken manure and so could be very "hot." That means it has a lot of nitrogen, and could burn plants. Let it compost with grass cuttings, leaves, and food waste that has no fat in it,  above ground for about a year, then dig it in. I used to be an organic farmer (just for my husband and myself, not for sale.)

Here's a funny piece of trivia: cricket manure is just about perfect for planting. There is a company in the US called "Cricket c**p." Yukky name, but it sells well.

Is my hat pink on your computer? It's lavender on mine. I have a real hat that shape, but with sunflower fabric. It's my look. Couldn't find purple sunglasses though. I had to settle for zebra shades. Alas...

Answer 4

Chicken/turkey litter applied in considerable quantities will include sizable amounts of the major nutrients. For example, a 10 ton/A application of chicken litter will supply over 300 lbs/A of N, P2O5 and K2O. Heavy applications or repeated applications can be detrimental if the quantity of major nutrients exceeds the nutrient requirement of the crop on which the litter is applied.

Large applications of chicken litter will add considerable amounts of iron, manganese and zinc. Repeated applications of large tonnages of litter could result in the build up of these micro-nutrients in the soil to excessive levels.

Chicken/turkey manure can be very beneficial to the soil, just be careful not to over do it.