Animal scraps as fertilizer?

So, this isn’t exactly about composting, but I figured this is the closest category... maybe.

Ive made fish emulsion before by essentially submerging fish guts in water with a little epsom salt and molasses, letting it sit for a month stirring every day, filter it, dilute it 50% and use as liquid fertilizer.

My question is, are fish special or can we do the same thing with whats left of the rooster we just butchered? Or other animal type scraps?

The anecdotal historical record indicates that, on the east coast of Canada, it was SOP to bury "junk fish" or fish bits under every potato plant. It may work for you as well.

But: it may also attract diggy animals looking for an easy snack.  So, it depends on your situation.

I'm interested in hearing if anyone has done this! I can't comment on making liquid fertilizer, but I have had good luck with burying raw/cooked meat and letting it compost that way.

If you want to try burying it, I would recommend picking a spot away from your garden (preferably in a slightly open area) and trying it there to see if anything will dig it up. If something does, then try again burying it deeper (or bury and cover with something that absorbs the smell, like a light layer of woodchips) until you figure out what would work in your garden without attracting animals that would tear your garden apart.

I've found it to be a good use of the rare dead (wild) animal that ends up on our land, as well as a good way to reuse any cooked meat that is no longer edible.

It depends on whether you make compost at home or outside
Usually smelly eggs, milk and meat are not used as expected in compost. Vegetables, fruits, grains, etc. are commonly used.
Adding fallen leaves or soil (naturally containing bacteria that are good for decomposing food) in the compost can also reduce smell production greatly.

Logan Byrd wrote:I'm interested in hearing if anyone has done this! I can't comment on making liquid fertilizer, but I have had good luck with burying raw/cooked meat and letting it compost that way.

If you want to try burying it, I would recommend picking a spot away from your garden (preferably in a slightly open area) and trying it there to see if anything will dig it up. If something does, then try again burying it deeper (or bury and cover with something that absorbs the smell, like a light layer of woodchips) until you figure out what would work in your garden without attracting animals that would tear your garden apart.

I've found it to be a good use of the rare dead (wild) animal that ends up on our land, as well as a good way to reuse any cooked meat that is no longer edible.

Good idea. That would certainly be more simple than making liquid fertilizer.

Zeno Pellet Machine wrote:It depends on whether you make compost at home or outside
Usually smelly eggs, milk and meat are not used as expected in compost. Vegetables, fruits, grains, etc. are commonly used.
Adding fallen leaves or soil (naturally containing bacteria that are good for decomposing food) in the compost can also reduce smell production greatly.

I dont add those sorts of things to compost. But I make fish emulsion and am wondering if fish are special or could I make chicken emulsion or something similar with other animal scraps. I wasn’t sure if fish have a particularly high concentration of something that makes them good fertilizer, or if all animals fit that bill.

Fish guts might be special. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the reason the fish guts break down as you describe is in part due to autolysis due to the presence of digestive enzymes from within the fish guts. If you look up the science of fish sauce you might see why I'm skeptical that you could simply replicate this process with, say, chicken. But, heck, maybe chicken guts would work too!

I have heard for many years that if you want a great garden just plant a fish.

I heard this mostly as a young mother and the advice came from an older wiser person.

I have just never gotten around to planting that fish.

Brody, did you ever bury that fish? Or other animal scraps?  How did it turn out?

Anne Miller wrote:I have heard for many years that if you want a great garden just plant a fish.

I heard this mostly as a young mother and the advice came from an older wiser person.

I have just never gotten around to planting that fish.

Brody, did you ever bury that fish? Or other animal scraps?  How did it turn out?

I’ve heard similar stories before. People tilling smelt or dying salmon into their gardens. They all swear by it. A guy I talked to over the weekend said he just throws all his fish scraps into a bucket and lets it rot into muck. Then he dilutes it with water and waters his plants with it. It smells horrendous but works.

I think what I ended up doing was composting the roosters feathers but adding his head, guts and blood into the fish emulsion bucket. It smelled just as awful as it usually does and seemed to work well as our garden did well this year. It got more water than last year too though, so maybe that’s part of the reason it did so well.