Pigeon poo!

[jackyspratty]

Someone on freegle is iffering bags of pigeon poo for collec\tion and use on allotments etc. Anyone know the pros and cons of this or had personal experience of using it?

[SarahStrawberry]

Hi

I've never used it for the garden but i used to work for a pest control company who cleaned it up and they always had to wear loads of protective clothing and it was very acidic if I remember rightly. That's why it stains and erodes buildings where pigeons have used them as a roost.

[jackyspratty]

Thanks, i sort of felt a bit uneasy with it too! Good point! This guy seems to give loads away!

[Dottie]

I remember a few years ago a programme about pigeon poo ruining car paint work for folk living at the coast. No, that would be seagulls, but same powerful poo. The programme was to do with trying to get money out of car companies, but folk just had to deal with it. I don't think they bothered to offer the simple solution of just covering your car with a plastic cover, surely that's the answer?

So yes it's powerful stuff, but have you done a search on the net? As it's likely to still ok to use, just need to rot down and mix with other stuff while composting, I would have thought?

[rana]

If pigeon poo is that bad it seems odd that people will spend good money on buckets of chicken sh1t.

[Aberdeenplotter]

The NPK of Pigeon manure (fresh): 4.19/2.24/1.0
The nitrogen content is four times that of chicken manure pellets.

[rana]

The NPK of Pigeon manure (fresh): 4.19/2.24/1.0
The nitrogen content is four times that of chicken manure pellets.

Should be good for the lawn then!

[Two_Sheds]

All my parrot bedding goes on the compost heap, no probs. They're indoors & can't pick up any kind of infection from wild birds.

I'd be careful handling large quantities of fresh pigeon poo in case of bacteria - and I'd definitely compost it before use.

[Two_Sheds]

I remember a few years ago a programme about pigeon poo ruining car paint work for folk living at the coast.

It's frequently quoted (and requoted) that bird poo is acidic and damages car paintwork, esp. by companies selling car shampoo etc

bird droppings are only slightly acidic (starling poop: pH value: 6.5).

This scientific report is a bit dense for me, but I think its conclusion is that paint damage is due to reactions in the plastics, not by bird poo per se ...? I'm happy to be corrected

Chicken pellets: most poultry manure is in the range of pH 6.5-8.0, being neutral to moderately alkaline, says the RhS

[alldigging]

If it's dusty you should probably wear a mask - cos breathing in yucky stuff isn't nice.

[Mikey]

In my last house one of my neighbours kept pigeons and I used it as an activator for the compost bin, it breaks down well, and accelerated the composting process.

[bearded bloke]

I have collected and used on the garden 3.5 cubic meters of pigeon poop in the 10 previous months (and nearly that in the previous 12 and some the year before that).

1m wide x 1m high x 3.5m long that is a LOT of pigeon poo

You gotta lurve American surveys & statistics my all time favourite is the motorcycle safety helmet one,you know the same survey that in some states forces riders to wear one while in others it is shunned by the powers that be

[darcyvuqua]

More advice on this please

Sorry to dig this one up

Just been offered a bag of pigeon poo from next door as he keeps a small number of birds.

So I was thinking if I take it and add it to the compost heap and leave that heap for 10-12 months will that be safe to use and will it harm the heap or vegetables that I grow at all don't want to accept it if it will later bring me problems

Thanks guys

[BertieFox]

Bird poo can be acid (uric acid) or alkaline; it depends to some extent what the pigeons have been eating. It's adding water that gives it its corrosive effect.

Any bird poo is unsuitable to use directly on the garden but makes a fabulous additive for the compost heap as a 'starter' and will help break down all the woody carbon based stuff like straw and wood chips. Get as much as the stuff as you can and add it to your heap or bin.

[darcyvuqua]

With that in mind would the finished product be suitable for adding to beds with the alkaline or would I need to add anything to give it a better ph level?