Chicken Poop & Adventures in Composting

[Loveak9]

We have a small black soldier fly compost barrel. 55 gallon drum, we dump the poop & food scrapes in to. The large are eating machines, keep the flies down too.
We built something similar to this, the top opens.
https://gardenpool.org/beneficial-insects/black-soldier-fly-composter-automatic-chicken-feeder

 

[tpatricco]

The science is eluding me, and I'm seeking the advice of more seasoned Chicken Gurus!

We are chicken newbies. Our girls will be two months old this Friday, and are growing strong! Since we live in city limits, we cannot have a traditional compost pile, and instead have a dedicated tumbling composter for all chicken waste. Thus far, the contents are mostly from the nursery (brooder), and poop from the roosts and various locations around their run & coop.

It gets turned every day, and we feel that we have our poop together. But I'm wondering if there is anything that we can add to the composter that will help to lessen the ammonia shockwave that hits us when the composter is opened.

Everything I've found online only talks about reducing the ammonia fumes in the coop, not the compost.

Current compost composition: baby poop (face it, poop is poop), pine shavings, newspaper (shredded by their tiny raptor claws), some straw, & spilled baby food.

Any ideas from the BYC master minds?

Composting is a lot about balance between brown and green...I think you probably need more brown stuff. Dry leaves, a little dirt could help.

Also diversifying what you're adding can be good too. Do you add kitchen scraps from veggies & fruits etc? A little grass clippings from the yard? I think your current contents are out of balance + no real ventilation in those tumblers too... too hot yields anaerobic conditions - not what you want.

 

[Kris5902]

I would definitely vote for the chaff (great urban brown!) but coffee grounds are nitrogen-heavy, so not needed with All. That. Poop.

But it does help with the smell! Also if you’re just starting up, it takes a while to accumulate enough mass for a decent compost. The more material you have and the more often you turn it the better.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

I would definitely vote for the chaff (great urban brown!) but coffee grounds are nitrogen-heavy, so not needed with All. That. Poop.

 

[Ra_]

Leaves. Lot's of dead leaves.
Also, the chicken poop can be made into a slurry to get it to incorporate better.