How to Make Compost Tea from Chicken Manure
by Michelle
Published September 8, 2025
When keeping poultry or any animal, we have to deal with the manure. Luckily, if you have a garden, you can compost it to use as a soil amendment or make Compost Tea. Compost provides essential nutrients for plant growth, like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Just like tea you make in the kitchen, a bag of aged manure or compost is seeped into a bucket of water.
Benefits of Compost Tea
Compost Tea acts like a liquid boost of nutrients that are beneficial to plants. It also helps fend off disease and pests by improving a plant’s immune system. As a natural fertilizer, it can:
- Improve Soil Structure
- Promote Beneficial Organisms
- Add extra nutrients to the soil
- Improve Water Retention
- Stimulate Root Growth
- Increase Plant Yield
How to Make Compost Tea?
You can use a burlap bag or an old pillowcase and fill it with a shovel full of compost. Fill a 5-gallon bucket with water about ⅔ full. Be sure to use non-chlorinated water. Set the bag of compost in the water and allow it to seep in a sunny location for 1-2 weeks. Move the bag of compost up and down a couple of times daily to aerate the mixture. Once the brew is a yellowish brown, you can raise the bag to allow it to drain. The leftover compost can be added back to your compost pile and mixed in.
How to Use Compost Tea?
It is recommended to dilute the mixture (1:1 ratio) before applying it to the roots of plants. Compost Tea can be applied every two to four weeks during the growing season to improve plant and soil health.
As the garden season approaches, I hope you can make the most of the aged chicken manure and make some Compost Tea!
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