Hay fertilizer views

[Stan R]

I have always used pellets per the soil sample.

I am considering using chicken litter or liquid?

Chick litter cost $35 per ton they recommend 4 tons per acre.

Not sure on what liquid cost?

need input from guys in the business.

Thanks

[Razrbk89]

4 tons an acre seems like a lot of litter.

Do you have close access to chicken houses to get litter delivered? Synthetic seems like is come down some and is projected to come down a little more, but I haven’t bought hardly any since it got so high.

I’ve always kinda thought that trying to follow exact sample recommendations to the T was too expensive for hay meadows, but that may be unique to my area (Ozark hills, mediocre soil). I put up a LOT of hay if the weather even half way cooperates and I’ve never spent what I consider a tremendous amount on fertilizer for hay. If you put a little bit back in your ground every year and get good temps and a little rain, seems to be good.

Row crop ground, different story. Worth getting everything pretty close to correct, but again, we’re talking about totally different soil.

[Razorback01]

I don’t have the answer, but I do have a degree in shoveling chicken poop. We used to go to the large chicken houses outside Hot Springs and load the truck bed full. Dad would let it sit for the winter and then spread it in the spring. I can still smell the inside of that chicken house. I’m not sure if you can still load your own.

[redfishted]

I’m close to you and my soil ph is terrible so I lime a lot, I put out the max they will put out every couple of years, when I don’t lime I either aerate or if I have left enough grass standing I will burn. Some guys will round up their meadows in early spring while the Bermuda grass is dormant and the winter grass and spring weeds have started growing. I like chicken litter a lot but I only use it every other year or every third year. The years I don’t use chicken litter I use pelletized per soil test usually between April 15 and May 1, I will then follow up with a dose or two of nitrogen depending on rainfall.

[BrianL]

As long as hay isn't going to horses then it can be a great option to build up the soil. We have always gone by 4-5tons/ac first application then 3 tons every other year.

[Stan R]

Horse hay is my market. So no chicken litter

[Randy]

I used the liquid this year. Didn't do a lot of good with no rain.

[McClain]

It is my understanding that the quality (nutrients) of chicken litter can vary significantly. So, chicken litter is not just chicken litter - it can range from poor chicken litter to very rich chicken litter. Have to know what you are getting.

[Hawkins]

Last year liquid 32-0-0 was 2.75 a gallon. 100#s of product to the acre was 27.50 per acre. Thats with no application rate. I usually charge 10 dollars an acre to apply

[J-Carp]

Horse hay is my market. So no chicken litter

why can’t you use chicken litter for horse hay?

[Big_gun]

Find a chicken house near you and buy directly from them.... it pretty cheap if you can haul it and spread it .

[Stan R]

why can’t you use chicken litter for horse hay?

Not sure if true. But some chance salmonella being transmitted

[Bard]

I have a customer that his neighbors were trying to sue him over the smell of using chicken crap on his fields, so there is that.

[S-3 Ranch]

I’m curious if anyone has planted something like grazing radishes in the fall to use as a natural fertilizer
we did this and had good results following El Gatos natural fertilizer plan

[Dusty Britches]

I’m curious if anyone has planted something like grazing radishes in the fall to use as a natural fertilizer
we did this and had good results following El Gatos natural fertilizer plan

I planted a fall forage mix that included radishes, clovers, oats, rye, triticale, etc. and the dern hogs and deer grazed it to the ground before it came up enough for the cattle. Yes, we have that many hogs and deer. Maybe I should just go into raising home grown hogs.