Amount of fertilizer

[Oliver Buckle]

Wood ash will give you phosphorus and some trace elements, it's a bit alkaline.
Do you have a local facebook page where you could ask for anyone with chicken manure?
I have very clay soil, when I hoe I collect those balls of clay that accumulate , dry them in the greenhouse, then when I have a fire in the incinerator drop them in bit by bit. Because they are impure clay they fire to a sort of very fragile terracotta which is really good for the soil, and it is not just adding stuff, it is taking the clay out at the same time. Someone else here said he added charcoal, also good because, like the terracotta, it doesn't decay. Sand I find is heavy and doesn't work well, it sinks in the clay and holds no air or moisture.

 

[redback]

If you only use chicken manure, you will need 57 lbs to raise 50 lbs/acre of N per 1000 ft2

There is a huge discrepancy between the 57 lbs you're saying and the 5 cu.yds. I'm saying. One cubic yard weighs approximately 1200 lbs.
I am covering the whole of the garden 2" deep in manure. 1,000 sq.ft. is thirty garden beds each 4'x8' (approx.).
I'll have to check my figures. Can you also check the amount of moisture and whether this is a stand-alone treatment or part of a comprehensive farm treatment involving other ingredients.

 

[redback]

I paid $260 for the 5 cu. yd. delivered, so there is also a massive cost differential. The composted poultry manure I'm getting has straw added and it's composted to remove some of the smell and moisture. The 1200 lbs. per cu. yd. is for fresh manure so maybe it weighs heavy.
There is still a massive variation.
No wonder AllenH is finding quantities difficult.

 

[redback]

I just had a look at my 20kg bag of processed chicken manure pellets. I guess that could be scattered thinly over 30 beds each 4'x8'. At that rate it won't sort out the pH or the soil conditioning.
Get an accurate pH reading first and if it is very high look for a source of 'grape marc'. This is a waste product of the wine industry and has a low pH (2 - 5).

 

[YumYum]

There is a huge discrepancy between the 57 lbs you're saying and the 5 cu.yds. I'm saying. One cubic yard weighs approximately 1200 lbs.
I am covering the whole of the garden 2" deep in manure. 1,000 sq.ft. is thirty garden beds each 4'x8' (approx.).
I'll have to check my figures. Can you also check the amount of moisture and whether this is a stand-alone treatment or part of a comprehensive farm treatment involving other ingredients.

I weighed my chicken manure before in a small portion and when I scale that up I get 772 lbs per yrd3. Mine was at least partially wet because it sits in its own pile outside. A 10% variation is only 77 lbs so I'm not sure I believe it is 1,200 lbs per cubic yard.

Fertilizer Calculator - How much should you apply?

The lawn fertilizer calculator tells you how much fertilizer you need to achieve a desired rate of N, P or K, and how many bags to purchase.

www.omnicalculator.com

I've been going with the NPK of 2-2-1 and seems to work fine with what I do. I have my own chickens. The nitrogen is what leaves the manure when it composts so if it lays around for a few years it may only contain 0.1 N or something. Fresh manure will contain a higher N content and could burn your plants. Also the black soldier fly larvae get in it yearly and they can eat it faster than I can throw it in there so that does something to the nitrogen content. You really cant be positive exactly how much N is in it.

As for the 50 lbs/acre recommendation, that is about an average I see at planting for various crops in a file I have. I personally have used 150 lbs/acre with manure and my squash grew too big and had alot of blossom end rot so I know that was a bit too much manure or nitrogen.

Chicken manure has every nutrient you need, even a bit of boron so you shouldn't have to add anything else. The bad thing about manure is it will keep adding phosphorus to the soil and tends to raise the pH of the soil over time.

 

[YumYum]

There is a huge discrepancy between the 57 lbs you're saying and the 5 cu.yds. I'm saying.

Well when I figure up my application of manure I always think to myself that doesn't seem like much even at 100 or 150 lbs/acre of N. I go by the math and not what it looks like. 2" deep with manure is a huge amount with my experience, unless it just doesn't have any nitrogen. Mine is not always fully composted like what you bought maybe. Also you have to remember it is organic and takes bacteria and time to convert it to plant usable nitrogen so your soil or mine may take longer so that is another variable to consider.

 

[YumYum]

I just had a look at my 20kg bag of processed chicken manure pellets. I guess that could be scattered thinly over 30 beds each 4'x8'. At that rate it won't sort out the pH or the soil conditioning.
Get an accurate pH reading first and if it is very high look for a source of 'grape marc'. This is a waste product of the wine industry and has a low pH (2 - 5).

What is the NPK on the bag? Put those numbers in that calculator and see what each bed needs. If you can't work the calculator I will do it for you.

 

[YumYum]

Here is the file I was talking about. Check out page 6.

 

[redback]

Thanks - that does illustrate the huge variation in - water content - nitrogen content - added material - aging - that complicates any recommendation.
The 2" layer on top of soil doesn't seem like much to me. The stuff is sitting in the parking area now, as a tiny remnant of what has covered last year's garden. There is also an assumption that this new top layer will sit like mulch and be gradually integrated into the soil - or be forked in with a green manure crop before the new crop is planted, to counter nitrogen drawdown and be diluted by mixing with the topsoil.
With my compost I have been known to add 3" on top of soil around growing crops with no bad consequences. Every corn crop I've planted for the last twenty years has had a 3-4" top dressing to cover the aerial roots.

 

[redback]

This photo shows an inch of compost being added to the bean and pea crop to shore them up and mulch them. More will be added later.

 

[Allen H]

I found 2 - 25lb bags of chicken manure (like Meadowlark showed earlier) at a nearby Tractor Supply. That's all they had. Stopped at 4 other places and they were the only ones to have any within 50 miles. I spread it yesterday and hope this helps some at least. I will probably be adding either compost or peat moss or a combination of both to try to soften the clay a bit.

Thanks for all of the info.

Also, I will be getting a professional soil sample in the near future also. May be too late for this growing season but at least I'll know what to add this fall for next season.

 

[Meadowlark]

You are on your way!

Suggest you follow-up this growing season with a thick cover crop of legumes/grains to build/improve that soil.

 

[Allen H]

You are on your way!

Suggest you follow-up this growing season with a thick cover crop of legumes/grains to build/improve that soil.

What are the best cover crops for what you're suggesting?

 

[Oliver Buckle]

to try to soften the clay a bit

I find as I hoe the clay compacts into small balls. I hoe them into one corner then collect them and let them dry in the greenhouse before putting them on my next fire. That turns them into a sort of poor quality terracotta that goes back into the soil. It's a win win, I am taking out the clay and replacing it with something better, it makes a real difference over time.

 

[Meadowlark]

What are the best cover crops for what you're suggesting?

Legumes and small grains and some root crops.

Legumes... I think @Heirloom farmer1969 from your area uses a lot of white clover. It is really good. Crimson is also good and adds some color. Vetch and Austrian peas are two of my favorites along with alfalfa for cool season/winter.

Small grains...winter rye, Elbon rye, oats, buckwheat, wheat etc. are all good soil builders for cool season/winter.

Root crops...daikon radish is amazing sending roots way down and pulling up nutrients. Turnips are also great.

Here's where my spring potato and tomato crop is going to grow in this space which has all of the above.