Homeowner shares unexpected way to maintain lush and green yard: 'Your lawn will love it'

A TikToker shared her secret to keeping her yard lush and green, and it's from a source you might not expect: chicken feed. 

The scoop

TikToker The Homesteading RD (@thehomesteadingrd) explained that her chickens, like most, are infamously messy eaters and leave bits of feed scattered across their enclosure as they dig through and hunt and peck for bits.

@thehomesteadingrd Using spilled chicken waste from the coop run (poop, feathers, feed, etc) is a great way to repurpose it, plus your lawn will LOVE it! #viral #organiclawncare #chickenkeeping #wastenothing #repurpose #greengrass ♬ original sound - The Homesteading RD

So, she simply rakes up the floor of the coop and collects the combination of excess food, droppings, and feathers, along with the dirt, and then she spreads it evenly across her yard. She said she uses a rake to break up clumps and ensure an even spread of the waste across the yard.

However, it's important to note that — as the University of Nevada, Reno, says — chicken droppings need to be properly composted first and can be damaging to plants and incredibly dangerous to animals if used fresh because of the concentration of chemicals and bacterial risks.

"Raw chicken manure can burn and damage plants," the university says. "It should be composted or aged prior to use. In addition, raw manure can contain pathogens that can harm people and animals. If composting is done properly, the process destroys disease-causing organisms, making chicken manure safe to use around plants, people and pets."

If you can't compost the poop, allowing it to dry out for several days can reduce risks, although, unlike Homesteading RD, you should absolutely wear a mask when spreading it. 

How it's helping

The Homesteading RD's secret to a lush, green lawn works so well because it's creating a natural fertilizer. While chicken feed in itself isn't necessarily high in the nutrients plants need, their poop actually is.

"Your lawn will LOVE it," she said in the video's caption.

When properly composted, chicken poop (and urine) contains high levels of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. By mixing her chickens' droppings with their feed remnants, dirt, feathers, and bedding scattered across the coop floor, she's actually creating a naturally occurring compost that acts in the same way that commercially produced fertilizers do.

What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard? Mowing the lawn Controlling weeds Keeping pests at bay I don't have a yard Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

But again, for safety reasons, all of this should be composted first where it is able to reach a high temperature. 

What everyone's saying

Commenters loved this idea.

"Thank you for this video I just got chickens and and am scared they will mess up my lawn," one commenter said.

"Hmmm…wondering how to convince the hubs we need chickens. LOL," said another.

"High ammonia," said a third. "Great for growing."

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