Poo!

Last winter I mulched beds with the chicken bedding/poo. Actually, I just emptied a pile onto the beds and the chickens spread it into mulch. It was quickly incorporated without my digging it in and caused no problems. I wouldn't do it now because it would attract flies/vermin.

Advice from a 'proper' gardener would be to let it all compost down first, just as you're doing now. Chicken poo is apparently a bit harsh on plants if put down neat - very alkaline, and will burn. And straw and wood shavings can deplete nitrogen in the soil as they rot down. Or so I'm told. I've certainly spread it pre-composted over some of my beds to help retain moisture over the summer, but I've now moved it all back onto the compost heap to rot down over the winter. It's best layered with green matter, and kept moist, to speed up the rotting process. Watching Monty Don the other day, he runs his lawnmower over all his compost materials before adding to his heap - we did this yesterday, and it made a huge difference! Our barely-rotted heap now looks almost like compost, even before it's started to decompose! Fab idea. If you add some nettles and / or comfrey leaves as you go, they act as compost activators apparently, and make it even quicker as well as really nutritious.

Having said all that...!! If you visit the veggie forum bit, you'll find lots of people talking about 'lasagne beds' - layers of cardboard, paper, fresh green stuff and anything else which will decompose, which you place in layers over your beds in the winter. Kept moist, it rots down and helps slow down weeds, and also gives the worms something to go at, and will enrich the soil in the process. So as long as you don't spread it too thick, and it's mixed with other things, I guess you could try this method. I did it for a strip of 'flower' bed last year, and it made the digging up of the turf and difficult weeds so much easier in the spring, it was well worth it. I'm definitely going to have another go this year, provided I can find enough green material to mix in thoroughly.