how to compost chicken poop?

[shortgrass]

Any of you have experience in a dry climate like Coloado with composting with your chicken manure? I have been told that the air here is just too dry to compost.

No, not at all ! I just spray mine down with the hose once in a while, and keep it covered with fresh green, like a few sunflowers draped over the top. should be fine.

I actually had problems with gnats from being TOO wet this spring; way higher than average rain and my compost was a sloppy mess lol; I'm actually GLAD its back to dry as a bone needing water; the gnats are dead lol

 

[RD ExpressionZ]

Sorry I wasn't clear on my corn fodder. I grew up on a farm but have lived in town my adult life. I meant corn stalks and corn cobs. Dry, nothing wet. I currently use pine shavings in my nest boxes and nothing on the coop floor.

 

[shortgrass]

Sorry I wasn't clear on my corn fodder. I grew up on a farm but have lived in town my adult life. I meant corn stalks and corn cobs. Dry, nothing wet. I currently use pine shavings in my nest boxes and nothing on the coop floor.

Ok lol, yep, I use corn stalk sometimes, we use them for other livestock too.. The only drawback is they're big and can be hard to clean...but alsoveasy ifvyouvwantvto scoop the whole thing in one load

 

[lindalouly]

I keep an on ground compost pile full of yard waste pine cones and needles moss and the poop and wood shavings from the coop... I throw old produce from the kitchen as well. I keep mine pretty dry cause my chickens love to scratch at it but then hose it a little in the evening.. It has worked so far. No smell, good dirt underneath and a cut in my chicken feed bill.

 

[RD ExpressionZ]

I had planned to put my compost bin outside the coop but I love the idea of the chickens helping with the turning and I'm all for lowering my feed bill!

 

[Rockyhammock]

One thing I have found is that the Phosphorus levels when I used chicken manure really spiked and this was after a good period of time. Was wondering how much manure you all add to the garden?

 

[EggHead107]

hi everyone i need to make a compost pile. Do i just choose a spot anywhere and start dumping my poop there? and then i turn it with a pitchfork and water it or what? i am new to this and i have researched everything i just need someone to help me

 

[Cliff Chicks]

I've been putting my chicken poop, shavings & kitchen scraps in a compost container for about 2 months..can I dump it out in a dirt area and let the chickens scratch in it and do their thing or does it have to decompose longer? My composter is getting full and I know I should have room for it to breath right?

I couldn't figure out how to sign in but I am Cliff Chicks

 

[shortgrass]

I've been putting my chicken poop, shavings & kitchen scraps in a compost container for about 2 months..can I dump it out in a dirt area and let the chickens scratch in it and do their thing or does it have to decompose longer? My composter is getting full and I know I should have room for it to breath right?

I couldn't figure out how to sign in but I am Cliff Chicks

That's actually an excellent way to aerate and stir compost!

I put big things in the chicken pen, like pumpkin shells, corn cobs, etc. And rake it all back into a pile a few times a year and put it in the garden. By then, its also been mixed with some poo and they've eaten most if the weed seeds out if it, and its good to go!

Just make sure that there's nothing in the bin that's rotten, like REALLY rotten, like raw spoiled meat. Chickens will eat slop, per se, but you don't want to give them botulism or get them sick. Oh and they hate orange peels and onion, and NO avocado peels.

Oh, and yes, compost does much better when "stirred", aerated. Microbes need a bit of oxygen to keep working

 

[lazy gardener]

One thing I have found is that the Phosphorus levels when I used chicken manure really spiked and this was after a good period of time. Was wondering how much manure you all add to the garden?

That is one of the things that Harvey Ussery warns about in his book. Very few folks who talk about back yard chickens venture into this subject regarding keeping your flock of an appropriate size to keep your soil healthy in terms of nutrient levels. It's easy to overload the soil. So, yeah, it is possible to go too heavy on fertilizer of any type, especially if you have heavy soil. I've found this book to be the most useful and comprehensive for a typical back yard poultry keeper.

https://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-Poultry-Flock-All-Natural-Approach/dp/1603582908

hi everyone i need to make a compost pile. Do i just choose a spot anywhere and start dumping my poop there? and then i turn it with a pitchfork and water it or what? i am new to this and i have researched everything i just need someone to help me

Glad to oblige. No matter how you go about it, compost happens. But, if you have an idea how to go about it, you can speed the process, and I predict that you will become a compost addict. Do you have a chicken run? Is it covered with grass, or is it now bare soil? How big is your run? How high is the fence? If it's of a decent size, that is the perfect place to make your compost. If it's bare soil, Simply dump all of your coop litter, garden debris, kitchen debris (no old meat, but I do put meat left overs from the kitchen table out there for them to eat). This will feed your soil. Beneficial microbes, fungi, and insects will flourish. They will in turn destroy the pathogens and feed your chickens. Your chickens will turn all of this neat stuff into fantastic compost while adding their own beneficial components to the mix. Then, as needed, or once a year, you can take out some of the bounty to feed your gardens.

Otherwise, you can pile it up, alternating dry high carbon material and wet green high nitrogen material. Aim to keep it as wet as a squeezed out sponge. If it starts to smell like sewer, you need to add more high carbon material. You can make a bin to keep it better contained. Any bin you make, or any compost pile for that matter does best if it is around 3' x 3' x 3'. It will cook down in about a year, but if you have the right blend and don't mind the exercise of turning it frequently, you can greatly speed the process. Any google search will find plenty of how-to information. I even found some pamphlets written in spanish to take on a recent mission trip to Guatemala!

I've been putting my chicken poop, shavings & kitchen scraps in a compost container for about 2 months..can I dump it out in a dirt area and let the chickens scratch in it and do their thing or does it have to decompose longer? My composter is getting full and I know I should have room for it to breath right?

I couldn't figure out how to sign in but I am Cliff Chicks

I think you can find the sign in spot on top right corner of home page. Yes, it does need room to breathe. You can bypass the compost container completely and let the chickens go to work on it immediately. (See my note to Egg Head) If you dump it in your yard, you can be sure that they will completely spread the whole pile. You might want to consider making some sort of closed container for them to work in. Perhaps even making a box out of hay bales with an opening in the middle that is 3' x 3'. The benefit of this is that over time, the hay will break down so you can add it to your future compost pile. Also check out hay bale or straw bale gardening. If you have a large yard, you could let the compost cook in the hay bale box for a year, and then grow the most incredible squash/pumpkins or other veggies in the hay bales that you've ever had.