So, I’m driving home a few weekends ago, pull in my
driveway, and what do I see? Five big
deer staring at me. Being the nature
lover and city dweller that I am, I love seeing those beautiful brown-eyed
animals trotting around my yard. I know,
I know, they eat hostas, tomatoes, and, let’s face it, about anything you want
to grow yet I still love having them around.
Staring at these deer face-to-face got me thinking: what
happens to their poop? (A question that I
am sure has popped in your head from time to time – admit it). I mean, we have a lot of deer in our yard and a lot of
plants, so naturally I assume we have a lot of deer poop. But, I didn’t even know what deer poop looked
like. After a quick Google search, I immediately
apologized to the teeny tiny dog down the street that I’ve been blaming for the
poop. Then, I thought, could this poop
be put to a better use than throwing it away?
O.k., o.k., I’m getting to the composting part.
Can you
backyard compost deer poop?
Short answer: turns out, you can. Deer are herbivores, so their poop shouldn’t have harmful pathogens in them.
Short answer: turns out, you can. Deer are herbivores, so their poop shouldn’t have harmful pathogens in them.
What’s the
catch?
There’s always a caveat, right? You still want to make sure your compost pile gets hot enough to kill any nastiness in the poop as there have been reports of deer eating meat occasionally.
There’s always a caveat, right? You still want to make sure your compost pile gets hot enough to kill any nastiness in the poop as there have been reports of deer eating meat occasionally.
Just like in other “areas of our life”, you want to be
regular… with turning your pile that is. Now that spring is officially here,
break out that pitch fork and start turning.
And, by the way,
when handling your compost, wear gloves.
Let’s be serious, we all love talking about poop but don’t want to touch
it.
Back to one of my
first questions: yes, deer poop can be
put to good use. How’s that for a silver
lining the next time deer are chomping on your award-winning hostas?
Guest Post from our Mystery Blogger. :)
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