Compost tumbler recommendations

[iPeanut1990]

What size compost bin would you recommend? Also, any brand recommedations? Where I live it needs to be in a bin or I guess what's called a compost tumbler. Thanks!

 

[yellowchicks]

I got a 7 cf Wizard Dueling Tumblr Composter by Good Ideas. The daily poop from the poop board go into one of the compartment. When one side is full, I start on the other side and let the first bin compost in peace. This size of tumblr is very easy to rotate by myself, very easy to use. It can hold an entire year of concentrated poop generated by 4 hens.

I have another 12 cf single compartment tumbler composter by the same manufacturer. It holds the bi-annual deep litter shaving, clean out from the run and the coop. While the tumbler size is good for my 10' x 4' run, once filled, it is impossible for me to rotate this bin. There are less hand holes to grab on to rotate the bin for some reasons. Instead, I have to use a pitch fork to mix up the compost from time to time. After a year, I dump it out to use in the garden.

Both tumblers can be easily separated from its base, roll to where you want so to dispose the content. They are made of hard plastic, very durable and easy to hose off. I ordered them online, delivered in a big box, no assembly required. The system works really well if you don't have sand. Sand does not depose and will just add unnecessary weight in the composter.

 

[iPeanut1990]

That's one of the ones I'm looking at buying. Does it drain well? Are the tumblers separate from each other? I saw that as a possible downside because it appears as if they are connected together but I'm still learning about composting. We do have sand but I use a kitty litter scoop to sift the poop from as much as the sand as I can. I'm planning on throwing newspapers in there since we don't use shavings anymore. Does this seem like it would work? I have 3 hens. About how long does it take you to fill each barrel? How often do you turn it?

 

[yellowchicks]

That's one of the ones I'm looking at buying. Does it drain well? Are the tumblers separate from each other? I saw that as a possible downside because it appears as if they are connected together but I'm still learning about composting. We do have sand but I use a kitty litter scoop to sift the poop from as much as the sand as I can. I'm planning on throwing newspapers in there since we don't use shavings anymore. Does this seem like it would work? I have 3 hens. About how long does it take you to fill each barrel? How often do you turn it?

The tumblers have holes on the sides for drainage and air, it has a cover on top of each bin. It is best to keep the content slightly moist so sometimes I have to add water to it.The duel chamber tumbler has two separate compartments but they are connected together as one module, so when you turn the drum, both sides rotate together which is nice. I turn it once a day when I clean out the poop board. For 4 hens, it takes about 6 months to fill up one compartment. You can add some mulched leaves or wood shaving to the chicken poop to balance the C:N ratio to help it decompose.

We do the deep litter method in the covered run using pine shaving in the run, no scooping or cleaning needed. Inside the small coop is covered with pine shaving, but I just need to dump out the poop board daily,nothing else needs to be done. No smell, no sieving, minimal work.

We also have another 25' x 6' non-covered chicken run where we dump the grass clippings and mulched leaves there to let the chickens hang out there to mix it up. That area also serves as an in-situ yard compost area, doing the deep litter method with yard waste instead of pine shaving. Only the concentrated poop from the coop would go to the compost tumblers so to minimize smell in the backyard.

I personally find that organic materials as bedding are a lot more maintenance free, much healthier for the chickens to scratch, won't harbor disease or harm their feet like sand would. Best of all, everything will decompose nicely. The compost tumblers have worked well for our set up, well worth the investment.

 

[iPeanut1990]

Hmmm maybe we should get a smaller one then. Thank you so much for answering all of my questions!