Doves?

Does anyone have doves? A while back I was listening to a programme on R.4 where they said that dove manure was the best you could get and in the 18th Century everyone had a dovecote - Inspectors came round from the govermnent called Peter men to take away the saltpetre from the cotes for gunpowder in the wars.

The prices of the dovecotes are scary and i wondered if they caused trouble as well as being good for the compost.

(On the programme they also said that a very enthusiastic gardener gave his dovecote over to a baby elephant thinking that he was goign to really be successful in that more is better, but all his plants died.)

 

Hi, lapod!
Pigeon manure has a long history, I think. This part of France has many surviving pigeon towers called "pigeonniers" and the manure from them was even bequeathed to people in wills. Very good for the vines, apparently. There were so many that farmers petitioned the king to have the birds kept indoors at certain times because of damage to crops. So beware of angry neighbours if the new shoots in their veggie patches get scoffed!! A 1951 Min. of Ag. publication, "Wild Birds and the Land", claims that there is a record of 163 peas being taken from a single pigeon's crop!


It's claimed that "pigeon manure contains more plant food than poultry manure, and is approximately twice as valuable" (source: www.gardeningdata.co.uk ) so it should be good stuff - but I've no idea of the NPK ratios it contains. Hope this helps!

Below are a couple of pix - a famous "pigeonnier" at Lalbenque, and the one which stood at the entrance to our farm until it was demolished in the 1930's to improve the access. The neighbours want me to rebuild it!!!

 

I have two very "productive" bunnies which produce a lot of waste which i hear can be used to make great manure. unfortunately not enough room in my tiny yard to compost the quantities produced. :(
dont suppose anyone wants any? I hate having to throw it away

 

Wow thanks Hyla arborea for the pigeonnier pics and info! actially think I might be better off with bunni�©re. I like the idea of leaving compost in my will - the wormeries will have to go to someone. Messy pup I would certainly oblige but am a very long way away.

 

Wow - I knew nothing of the quality of dove poo before!

messypup - I compost most of our guinea pig bedding (it does take up a fair bit of room (3 compost heaps/bins!)), but soon 'settles' down. I wonder if you could put the poop straight onto the soil? I often put plain piggy poops onto the soil - without any problems. Unlike cow/horse manure - I don't think it needs to be well rotted before application - and may certainly be worth a try, instead of binning it!

 

My yard is really very small (a small concrete area behind a victorian terrace). Hopefully in the future i may be able to compost some of it but at the moment im busy trying to remove some of the soil and compost thats accumulated over the last 100 years (it was over 5 foot deep in the corners and is causing damp problems). Fingers crossed i'll get down to the bottom and be able to get through the concrete to put a few beds in by the summer!
I'll certainly try using a few droppings as a top dressing on my pots through. might be just what the hanging baskets need!

 

Sorry, when I started to read your thread I thought you were talking about the band from Manchester! I dont think their manure would be any good for your garden. They're CD's are very good by the way, good chill out music to listen to while your doing your weeding. Just thought I'd share that with you, I have now put on said bands CD because I havent listened to them for ages, thank you.