Hot manure on dormant plants?

I use the deep litter method with my chicken coops and it’s time to clean them. I also want to top dress my dormant asparagus roots. I know I cannot put hot manure on growing plants, because it will burn and kill them, but can I put it down on dormant roots? By the time they start growing in spring, it will be composted. Any thoughts appreciated!

I have heard a few different opinions on this; I however have not found the 'right' answer.

My go-to rule of thumb is if I can get six months before I have a 'harvestable' product, I might apply it direct. My usual go-to method is to compost the bedding first but I have been known to have my patience tested while waiting for the composting process to complete.

Maybe you can find some leaves or chop and drop some weeds to put over the asparagus roots to protect them.

We have used deep litter from our daughters chicken house successfully though there might be a lot of variables to take into consideration.

I put down manure then straw- thick- and deep when starting a bed.  . Out our way cow manure goes on the beds thinly with a spreader, with snow on the ground, chix even though in litter is still pretty hot. I like compost scratched between rows, the crowns will reach for it, and there's little possibility of damage

How "hot" do you think it is? I'm guessing that deep litter means a lot of brown matter, which will soak up excess nitrogen during decomposition. Does it smell like ammonia when you muck it out?

I was wondering the same thing, and I guess we'll find out. I cleaned out the chicken coop last weekend, and put it all on my baby garlic plants. The shoots were maybe 4" tall. I had enough used litter/poop mixture to go down about 3-4" thick. I already have a couple little shoots poking up through the litter/poop mix.

For reference, my litter consists of one 7.5 cubic foot bag of pine shavings, in a 4x4' coop with 11 chickens, where it initially sits 6+" deep.  I stir it up at least weekly, and after 2 months when I change it, it's about 4" thick, with no wetness or bad odor, or any noticeable odor at all, really. I don't know if this is really considered deep litter, but it works well for us.

I suppose I'll find out on the spring if my little garlic plants come through, or if I messed up and killed them.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:How "hot" do you think it is? I'm guessing that deep litter means a lot of brown matter, which will soak up excess nitrogen during decomposition. Does it smell like ammonia when you muck it out?

While the bulk of it won't I have no doubt some of it absolutely will. It may even be steaming once I turn/agitate it.

James Bridger wrote:I was wondering the same thing, and I guess we'll find out. I cleaned out the chicken coop last weekend, and put it all on my baby garlic plants. The shoots were maybe 4" tall. I had enough used litter/poop mixture to go down about 3-4" thick. I already have a couple little shoots poking up through the litter/poop mix.

For reference, my litter consists of one 7.5 cubic foot bag of pine shavings, in a 4x4' coop with 11 chickens, where it initially sits 6+" deep.  I stir it up at least weekly, and after 2 months when I change it, it's about 4" thick, with no wetness or bad odor, or any noticeable odor at all, really. I don't know if this is really considered deep litter, but it works well for us.

I suppose I'll find out on the spring if my little garlic plants come through, or if I messed up and killed them.

That IS considered deep litter and I commend you for maintaining it properly.  It is always my intention to stir mine daily but with 6 coops and some as large as 12' x 8' and having occasionally been sidelined with a shoulder injury, I have utterly failed to do so! Wound up just layering with lime/sweet pdz and fresh shavings/stall pellets... though the chickens have done their part in stirring it for me, not so much under the roosts though.

I use it all the time fresh and hot but it smells better once its dried a few days.  I've even pushed 2 or 3 dried chicken manure into container plants as if they were fertilizer pellets with very good results. It's really strong because chicken manure is guano. It has the extremely high ammonia nitrogen urine in it because birds go #1& #2 at the same time. . The reason they age manure is actually to allow the possibility of pathogenic life forms to deteriorate. If you put it on the plants keep it away from the trunk or stem or theyll die aged or not, dormant plant or not. Use it very sparingly but often rather than all at once. You will waste it to the rain putting it on this early. Nitrogen is very water soluble and will wash away over the winter on top of that asparagus due to snow melt or rains. I'd put the manure under a tarp in a pile to keep it dry and use it in spring just a little on everything that needs fertilizer. Putting it on fresh or dried it's still potentially going to cause over fertilizer burn. I've killed dormant plants with too heavy winter applications. The roots still burn. It only takes about 2 cups of chicken manure to fertilize about half a dozen asparagus crowns if you scatter it on in spring. There isn't a stronger barnyard manure. Frequent fertilizing with small amounts is the way to success.

Update....... me garlic is poking out of the chicken litter I put on top of it last fall. So, at least so far, it seems okay.

Thanks for the update!

My own experience is that carbon heavy chicken litter topped dressed a month before planting works just fine.
That said, most of the "soil" in my beds is leaf mold, so it might be better able to deal with a nitrogen rich mulch.

I will also add strait urine to beds that have a thick layer of leaves or wood chips.