I'd be more comfortable eating bananas that were grown with synthetic fertilizer than I would ones that were grown with manure of any kind as fertilizer....that being said, bananas seem to eat as much as you will feed them...and by proxy, will be feeding you. Untreated manure may be dangerous...you may want to check into it a bit further before proceeding.

Hmm, if you wanted to "treat" the manure, you could probably mix it in with your compost heap. The compost heap heats up enough to kill organisms and things while it is decomposing. Then the end product would be composted manure which the bananas should really get happy about. Bananas are really heavy feeders, too, so it is difficult to over feed them. Plant a keiki in the composted manure and see if it grows better than one in just soil.

Hey, plant a keiki (pup) in soil, one in composted manure and one in fresh manure and see which grows better. I'm betting on the composted manure, myself.

Chicken manure can be bought either "fresh" (really cheap per ton) or "dried" at about ten times the price. They would scrape out the pens with a front loader and then put it in your truck or spread it out to dry. I don't know about sheep manure, though, but it would seem to be similiar?

My experience from living in China a while ago, where lots of stuff is grown with human/animal waste, was that you didn't eat anything that could touch the waste, like strawberries, without boiling it first. Anything else was OK, so for example they eat lots of melons, since the edible part is protected by the rind from the "night soil". Bananas, from this experience, would be no problem at all if grown with manure.

Don't use fresh manure, it will burn the roots, especially chicken manure. It is very bad! because it is SO high in nitrogen.That said,at least let it sit for a year if you don't compost it in your regular compost pile. Year old manure is the best fertilizer! And don't worry about eating anything that is grown in a manure fertilized place. It won't hurt you at all. The plant breaks down the manure into components it can use as nutrients. Just don't eat things that are grown where they lay directly on the manure like strawberries. Those bananas that you eat will never touch the manure unless something goes drastically wrong with your plant. and then you won't get to eat bananas at all. ;)

I would go ahead and use the sheep doo doo. If Ya got it, use it. Any organic-based fertilizer would likely be loved by your banana. I would be leery of using Chicken manure, though, just because it is soooo "hot"..it WOULD need to be composted first...or used very sparingly. In general, using "animal wastes",..it would be wise, composted or not, to refrain from using any manures that may harbor parasites that are transmissible to humans. Obviously human waste..is a no-no..even if composted (for me anyway!). Pig, dog, or cat waste should have a taboo...these animals DO harbor parasites that can be transmitted to humans. You might ask your VET about which species can transmit organisms to people. Most parasites are quite species-specific..they get along very well, without the need to "branch out". Most other "stuff", if properly composted (heated) should not harbor a threat to humans. If your sheep population has been routinely, and heavily, treated with certain wormers, or "wool-removing chemicals", then I would have some reservations about using the manure...otherwise...give your banana a treat....

In todayÂs changing times I prefer the chemical over the manure fertilizers. The banana can be contaminated by the fertilizer when a bug that climbs up the stalk or a bird lands on the fertilizer & then touches the banana. The wind also blows particles. ThatÂs how outbreaks get started.
If you are going to use the animal fertilizer, it does need treatment.

A poster above mentioned consulting a vet. Here is a link from Cornell sheep program regarding diseases that sheep can transmit to humans:

http://www.sheep.cornell.edu/sheep/management/health/pipestone/index.html

The Salmonella, Campylobacter & Cryptosporidia are stool related.

This site gives a few compost safety tips:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09369.html

There's a definite need for education on this topic. Here are good places to start:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/soil/

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/organic/

all food should be washed thoroughly before eating it - whether it has been fertilized with natural manure or toxic chemicals.