Ground Recovery

[Coach]

A friend has moved some chicken pens from an area. The ground is bare and compacted. What would be the best way to get these areas back in good shape. What would be best to put down to control any parasites or worms that might be found in the area. Thanks

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

I understand that chickens leave soil in pretty good shape once you get over the compaction. He might try 1/2 to 6 inches of compost as a mulch, depending on what he can afford. If he has access to livestock manure and doesn't want to use the area for awhile, he could use that like the compost. Even chicken manure would be good (a little hot to grow anything for awhile, though).

If he can put a mulch down, he probably won't even have to water, but he could water to speed things up. Add a little molasses (3 ounces per 1,000 square feet) and a little corn meal (10 pounds per 1,000 square feet) on top of the mulch and the soil underneath should soften right up.

Notice I'm not suggesting any digging, tilling, blading, spading, forking, scratching, plowing, or any other disturbance of the soil. I'm suggesting gently laying the materials on top of the compacted soil. The existing soil is filled with living microbes. If you till or otherwise disturb it, you will be killing some of the microbes which depend on existing soil structure. The only problem is it is just a little compacted. The moisture and cooler temps from the mulch will allow the microbes in the soil to multiply and start to soften the soil for him. Soil microbes have been loosening soil for hundreds of millions of years, so just let them work.