Chicken manure!!!!!

[RiverOtter]

I need to get a recycled plastic compost bin. I'll stick it in an empty feed sack to hold it open while I load wood chips into it for the litter. Slide it out of the full bag and on to the next. Works very well.

Until you find one, if you've got a leaky 5 gallon bucket lying around, cut the bottom off and those work great for it too!

 

[RUNuts]

No leaky 5 gallon buckets. I thought about that but they are too small. Need bigger. Feed bags are huge! Really huge when filled with wet, partially composted tree chips that weigh a bunch. Heavy. Oh, my lumbago hurts just thinking about it.

 

[aart]

No leaky 5 gallon buckets. I thought about that but they are too small. Need bigger. Feed bags are huge! Really huge when filled with wet, partially composted tree chips that weigh a bunch. Heavy. Oh, my lumbago hurts just thinking about it.

they are.....I use large plastic plant pot, bottom cut out, little large to fit in bag so side slit so it 'spring loads' into top of bag.

 

[RUNuts]

Ahh! Like the 40 gallon tree pots. Ingenious! That would work and may be free.

 

[RiverOtter]

Perhaps my feed store had narrower bags (loved them, they mill and bag their own), and I'm just doing the 50# size. They're not a perfect fit, but they're a good funnel!

 

[RUNuts]

@RiverOtter you are not wrong. When I fill the bags, I can't hold and shovel at the same time. I need a way to stand the feed bags up so I can shovel (manure fork) mulch into them. Much easier to:
1) load mulch into feed bags
2) haul bags 50 feet to the truck (the composted chips are behind the fresh chip pile, I know, RIGHT!)
3) load the truck and drive home without the mulch flying away
4) unload truck to wheel barrow and go to destination to empty bags.

I tried the fill the bed, then shovel into the wheel barrow, but the double handling was ludicrous. By filling the bags once, it all goes much faster.

Standing the bags in a trash can was a futile effort. So I dug a hole, stand in the hole and rack into the bags. I basically made a work table to move mulch out of the mulch hill.

I need to get the rest of the composted mulch before someone else gets a clue.

 

[Birdinhand]

get a larger container and or make an insulated compost bin if you want to keep composting all winter. I use the jaraform insulated composter and keep composting in the winter because I start to prepare beds any time the ground is not frozen and it's handy to have extra fertilizer to amend the soil. we have a more temperate climate here, so you have to adjust to what makes sense for your situation.

 

[RiverOtter]

@RUNuts , I feel you!
Definitely different bags, my feed mill had thick paper ones that would stand - I miss them! (I moved)

The things we do to garden! I've done almost exactly what you described.
I've also loaded the trunk of a rather small car with rubbermaid totes and shoveled mulch right into those. You need the old ones for that, I tried it not long ago with a new one and it bowed under the weight like it was made of cardboard.

Anyone composting in a cold climate, who's worried about their stuff not composting over winter - find someone who has either horses or rabbits and haul some of that poo home! With a bit of either or, perhaps the very top layer will freeze, but I've stuck a shovel in my compost bin in January and had the inside be so warm it steamed like my breath.

 

[aart]

When I fill the bags, I can't hold and shovel at the same time. I need a way to stand the feed bags up so I can shovel (manure fork) mulch into them

That is the difficulty. I use the plastic Purina feed bags, so kind of stiff. But the 'collar/funnel' made them top heavy. Was able to lean them against something until I got a couple fork fulls in, but still hard to do without a helper.

 

[RUNuts]

Put collar in bag and push the collar to the ground. Crumple the bottom of the bag. Half fill, then lift to settle the loaded material into the bag. Top off or fill to a comfortable weight. A lightweight collar is what I'm looking for and a 40 gallon tree pot may work superbly. I passed on a bunch at $6 each because I couldn't think of a need beyond filling with dirt and planting. I'll try to run down some free ones.