Of possible interest...pigeon poop

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AZ Brittany Guy
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Of possible interest...pigeon poop

Post by AZ Brittany Guy » Fri May 01, 2015 11:52 am

The past several weeks I have devoted much of my time to spring chores. I started taking an interest in growing vegetables last year by building a simple 4X8 raised garden. I kept the neighbors in ample supply of cucumbers, patty pan squash and hot peppers. One of my projects this spring was to build 3 more raised bed which I just completed. One of the less desirable chores I have several times a year is cleaning my pigeon lofts. Boy they sure produce a lot of crap! While cleaning them out, I had an epiphany. I Googled "pigeon manure" and this is what I got.

"Bird manure is premium stuff
Of all the animals on my farm, birds produce the most valuable manure of all. Pigeon guano, for instance, has been prized in Europe as a super-manure since the Middle Ages when folks kept dovecotes and pigeon lofts atop their houses, growing the squabs for food and using the manure to fertilize gardens and fields. Pigeon manure rates higher than other fowl at 4.2% nitrogen, 3% phosphorus, and 1.4% potassium. It is harder to find and gather than other manures, and is best if composted thoroughly before using".


I am sure we have some birddog guys that knew this but I thought is might be interesting.

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ezzy333
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Re: Of possible interest...pigeon poop

Post by ezzy333 » Fri May 01, 2015 12:11 pm

The main reason is the urine is expelled in pretty much solid form. Hence, more is retained which means the nitrogen level goes up.

aulrich
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Re: Of possible interest...pigeon poop

Post by aulrich » Fri May 01, 2015 12:16 pm

Big emphasis on "composted before use" I had lots of seed in my first few usages and I am still paying the price weed wise.

I switched to straight pellets for feed so it's less of an issue now. but even as small as my loft is I get way too much of it.

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Re: Of possible interest...pigeon poop

Post by V-John » Fri May 01, 2015 1:37 pm

My dad has a graduate degree in horticulture from KSU... I once asked him about the usage of pigeon poop for fertilizer and he also stressed the importance of composting it first. Said it was "too hot" to put straight on the garden etc. "Too hot" meaning having too high of nitrogen levels.

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AZ Brittany Guy
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Re: Of possible interest...pigeon poop

Post by AZ Brittany Guy » Fri May 01, 2015 3:20 pm

ezzy333 wrote:The main reason is the urine is expelled in pretty much solid form. Hence, more is retained which means the nitrogen level goes up.
Is that specific to all birds or just pigeons?

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ezzy333
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Re: Of possible interest...pigeon poop

Post by ezzy333 » Fri May 01, 2015 5:00 pm

AZ Brittany Guy wrote:
ezzy333 wrote:The main reason is the urine is expelled in pretty much solid form. Hence, more is retained which means the nitrogen level goes up.
Is that specific to all birds or just pigeons?
All birds. The white part is urine and it will burn crops if applied direct. I compost some but also apply it direct to certain crops such as asparagus. and spread it thinly over the garden and yard in the winter. But it will burn most plants if applied direct while they are growing.

Ezzy

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luvthemud
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Re: Of possible interest...pigeon poop

Post by luvthemud » Fri May 01, 2015 8:40 pm

Learn something new everyday! Good info guys!

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AZ Brittany Guy
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Re: Of possible interest...pigeon poop

Post by AZ Brittany Guy » Fri May 01, 2015 9:08 pm

luvthemud wrote:Learn something new everyday! Good info guys!
I agree. We make a lot of pigeon stuff around here and its nice to know there is a use for it.

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Re: Of possible interest...pigeon poop

Post by DonF » Sat May 02, 2015 7:56 am

I clean my pigeon loft's at least every other day and have two different compost piles for it. Add grass trimming's when I can. The grass around the area is super thick and green. Been composting chicken poop for a long time. I mix it with saw dust and planner chips from my shop. Last year I got into the chicken and horse manure that had been down a couple years and sifted it threw a screen and saved the screening's. Scattering that on the lawn and around some fruit tree's. Probably have to wait a bit to see how it does. But the area around the chicken pile is really thick and green, best growing grass on the place. I've heard that fresh chicken poop is to hot so have never put it on anything before now.

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Re: Of possible interest...pigeon poop

Post by Trekmoor » Sun May 03, 2015 3:07 am

In Europe another use has been found for pigeon poo. Some commercially made fishing groundbaits have it added to the mix . It is said to attract some species of fish into the swim you are fishing. Competition anglers are it's main users I think as that kind of groundbait is quite expensive.
I have no idea why it would attract fish but it supposedly does.

Bill T.

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