Chicken poop Tea

The chicken is lauded for many wonderful qualities. Fresh eggs, natural pest control, entertainment and of course being able to create wonderful all natural fertilizer for your garden.

Until now I haven't even really ventured to try to use the chicken droppings that have been accumulating. After a little research an alternative popped up.
Chicken Poop Tea. First I thought oh no that sounds like it would taste terrible. No silly me-- it's for fertilizing your plants.

 
While my research is limited to the time it limited to the length of time it takes for my children to be engrossed in a Spongbob Squarepants episode-- I think the idea is solid.

I'm going to give it a try. Here is the excerpt I found from a website on the matter.

  Chicken Tea

"To make fertilizer tea, scoop the chicken manure into a burlap bag. 

Then, throw a rock into the bag to weigh it down and place the whole thing into a 35-gallon garbage can.

Fill the garbage can with water and let it sit for about three weeks. Once the three weeks are over, you will have nutrient-rich chicken manure fertilizer tea as the water becomes infused with the nutrients from the chicken manure. You can use this fertilizer tea to water your plants to give them a vitamin boost." 

I read later on a website that I shouldn't pour the tea directly onto the plants. It should be around the area of the plants to soak into the roots. Ok. Will do. 

Update on Winnie and her chicks: Winnie had her chicks-- all five eggs hatched. Three of the died at the hands of other chickens in the yard who wanted chicks of their own. Even after separating Winne and her chicks from the other chickens 3 chicks died when Lola and Clara snatched three of the chicks away.

Poor Winnie-- this is her first try at momma-hood and the bigger chickens are too big for her tiny banty silkie size or her quarter sized chicks.
Two of the chicks remain and will be set in a brooder.  

baby chicks in infant sock

My new silkies are all doing well-- as you can see.

Huckleberry

Hatching Eggs?! Sweet Fancy Moses!

Taking care of older chickens (even pullets) is easy.
Clean water daily- Check
Clean food daily- Check
Open door for chickens to free range in yard- Check

Then.. then the unspeakable happened.
On a lark- I entered the "Egg Auction" section at the BYC forum.
It went something like this.
Oh hey- this auction is ending soon, and there are bids. Wonder how this works.. hmm.. oh I loved ebay, and am fully recovered from my ebay addiction days. And this isn't ebay- so lets make a super low bid for these dozen plus gorgeous silkie eggs.. there is no way I'm going to win.. so lets say hmm.. $8.00
Minutes wind down-- seven minutes the bid was entered. By minute 1 I was panicking-- with excitement and disbelief.
And loving every moment.
On their way with in the post are a dozen plus silkie eggs from Kentucky Silkies Breeders.


There you have it.

Ok. Ok. So I went the one place I had vowed was just entirely too much trouble and worry.

After pricing out Incubators and finding the cheapest place on the internet I did the math to find out it was cheaper to buy it locally from Dunlap Hatchery in Caldwell. The Hova-bator 1620N prices for about $57 and seems to fit my needs. I'm opting out of getting an auto egg turner, since I'm at home most of the time.

I purchased a Timex digital thermometer/hygrometer from Amazon.com (by far cheaper than buying it retail in store).

Then I realized the incubator has room for more.. and well the dozen or so eggs might be lonely... two auctions later. I called it good.

Silkies @ 12 + eggs from KentuckySilkies.com - Non standard colors

Cochins @ 12 + eggs from OzarkBantams.com- black and white

Silkie Cochins @ 6+ eggs from the BantamBarn.com- Barred and; Black silkie

I'm warming up the Hova-Bator today.

Already I am getting that chicken-high... ahh ..

Ohh-- and to top it off.. Ruby our new Easter Egger laid a gorgeous blue egg today.

Ahh-- I can feel the seratonin and endorphins just having a love-fest in my head...