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Having got my 5 chickens last month, I am coming to the realisation that I am going to be innundated with the stuff mixed with both straw and paper shreddings.

Have already filled my compost heap and have plans to construct another, however, I still have a few beds to clear which are quite heavy clay. Once dug over, could i feasibily mulch the beds with the chicken manure, straw and paper as not planning on using those beds until next spring? Do you think that the straw will rot down enough?

Ta

Straw wont usually rot down that quick, or at least it didnt on my plot, but what I did was chop the straw up ( I used shears) into smaller pieces then it doent matter about them not rotting down so quick they will just mix in as you dig.

we dug bean trenches(2 spits) and buried it in them, plus squash pits..eveything seems to be doing ok so we must've done something right, plus we have a dalek full of the stuff, and layer in between the compost, helps speed it up  ;D

Excellent thank you,

Did plan for bean trenches, but hadn't thought of squash pits, seems I am going to have to be a bit inventive....

Don't relish the thought of chopping up mucky straw though, but can see it will have to be done ;D

forgot, we also made a hot bed in january this yr, buried loads under some leaves then compost on top, planted very early crops in it, on a third crop now , this time of silverskin onions, long radish and little gem lettuce , had it covered january/feb then took the top off  :)

Didn't realise you could make a hot bed with chicken manure/straw, thought that the manure would have to be a bit more substantial.... :-X

How deep did you make the bed? Did you put sides on it?  Sorry for the many questions....

ours is a fixed 18 deep" bed, 4'x4',  first 6" chicken shed stuff, then 6" leaves, then 6" compost..this was all done last autumn, apart from the compost, that's put on just before sowing starts, covered with a plastic tent for early sowings , taken off when the weather warms up  ;D

You're a star.....  thanks ;D