Deer manure as fertilizer?

So I've spent the last hour dragging in recycled lumber to make some new garden beds and couldn't help but notice five piles of deer poo I passed with every trip.  Does anyone use this for fertilizer?  I could probably collect a five-gallon bucket within a few days but not sure if it would be worth the effort.  Could I add it fresh or would it need to be composted?  Has anyone had any experience with this?  

Hi Michelle, I would definitely use it, and just spread on the surface and cover with mulch. Love free fertilizer!

Thanks Artie!  Right now I'm all for free supplies as our jobs are at a standstill and trying to conserve what cash we have on hand.

Should I be concerned about E. coli?  Even though I would cover it with mulch I'm thinking it might be better for things like beans, tomatoes, peppers and crops that don't come in contact with the ground.

Michelle Heath wrote:

Should I be concerned about E. coli?

Good question!...and one that may be of controversial opinion here on Permies. In a Book Review Nicole Alderman wrote:




A google search suggested to me that E.coli and Salmonella are not consistently a cause of an aborted pregnancy



The danger of Listeria on the other hand might urge us to lock our pregnant females in Ivory towers and feed them only cooked food.