I just now came home from my doctor's office. He was telling me about his having seen an article in a book at TSC about having a compost pile in your chicken run. Has anyone seen that. I did find this URL on the internet: http://www.urbanfoodgarden.org/main/composting/composting---compost-bins-in-chicken-run.htm Has anyone tried this or have any further thoughts, pro or con, on the subject?
I've not even gotten my coop up yet but that is a good idea. I'm really curious to hear what other think. I'd be willing to redesign a top loading section that is maybe three feet tall by 44 in by 48 in. Made out of pallets. Four Poles that are 3 or 3.5 feet high with some pallets nailed to them then cover the whole thing with chicken wire. Put a lockin bin type lid on the top to keep out predators. I think it will be marvelous.
:yiipchickThe articile was in Backyard Poutry. They said to take a space inside the run and start a compost heap. Your chickens will do the turning for you. I am using this in my run. I hope to createbetter soil in the area. The girls just love scatching for bugs. And believe me they do a really good job of composting that waste fast. They had two large bags of leaves composted in no time flat.
I compost in my run, not in a 'compost pile' way but by chucking in all sorts of garden weedings/trimmings (nontoxic) and veg garden detritus and cut-up sod bits from starting new beds and so forth. The chickens have fun with it, and poo all over it, and when it's gotten deep enough and/or they're no longer having much fun with it, I shovel it all out and start over again. Like, after a few weeks or months depending on season and my ambition level. Works well for me. You do want to avoid any sort of situation where you dump in a large quantity of stuff that starts to mold inside the pile (can happen in just a day or two), as that's not good for chickens to breathe. Good luck, have fun, Pat
There is also an article on this in the March/April 2009 issue of Hobby Farms Magazine. Its called "Happy Hens, Healthy Soil" and they refer to it as the "compost litter system". I think I'm going to give it a whirl as I am just finishing up my run. I have Cochins and Brahmas and would like to do something to avoid muddy "boots" on my chickies.
I'm moving my chickens into a tractor this summer so that I can use their run for my veggie garden. I'm thinking of saving up all my stuff that needs to be composted in a pile and then throw it on to my raised beds for the chickens to do their thing all winter long.
