COMPOST PILE IN RUN

[mpoland33]

I see all these posts online about how fast compost piles break down with the chickens, etc.

I'm not seeing it yet and I'm wondering if I should lower my expectations. I have 9 hens (maybe online has 100, I don't know) that don't seem interested in the pile (they are 9 weeks old). It's a small pile at the moment but working on it. Does anyone have any experiences to share with composting?

 

[chickencheeper]

I see all these posts online about how fast compost piles break down with the chickens, etc.

I'm not seeing it yet and I'm wondering if I should lower my expectations. I have 9 hens (maybe online has 100, I don't know) that don't seem interested in the pile (they are 9 weeks old). It's a small pile at the moment but working on it. Does anyone have any experiences to share with composting?

When they get bigger they’ll want to more

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can you tell us a bit on how you are going about it? What are you trying to compost, where is it (coop or run), and how moist is it. A photo might be informative. There are a few important variables like moisture and the greens/browns mix that have a lot to do with how fast in breaks down.

 

[mpoland33]

Can you tell us a bit on how you are going about it? What are you trying to compost, where is it (coop or run), and how moist is it. A photo might be informative. There are a few important variables like moisture and the greens/browns mix that have a lot to do with how fast in breaks down.

I'm pretty fresh into it- only a week...got leaves, sticks, one week's worth of grass clippings, weeds, and kitchen scraps. It's in the run in a pallet enclosure. It's maybe only 6" tall at the moment. Moisture- it's wet because it's rained for a couple days now.

I flipped it a couple days in but that's been it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It probably needs to be a little deeper but it should work. The chicks will add some poop which will bring he greens part of the equation up. But think in terms of weeks or even months, it is not a quick process. Those sticks especially will take a long time to break down.

 

[lazy gardener]

It hasn't had time to start cooking and draw beneficial organisms to it yet. When the red worms show up, they will be interested!!!

 

[mpoland33]

great, thanks. Tonight I added weeds and table scraps and they all jumped in to peck around. I figured months but online you see how in one month their pile is done, etc...so wanted to make sure I have my sights accurate.

 

[Alaskan]

Can you tell us a bit on how you are going about it? What are you trying to compost, where is it (coop or run), and how moist is it. A photo might be informative. There are a few important variables like moisture and the greens/browns mix that have a lot to do with how fast in breaks down.

very true! Stuff randomly tossed in a pile can take forever to compost.

to compost, and compost quickly, you have to pay attention to what you are doing.

 

[mpoland33]

very true! Stuff randomly tossed in a pile can take forever to compost.

to compost, and compost quickly, you have to pay attention to what you are doing.

Seems like you know what you're doing. Any guidelines so I can "know what I'm doing"

 

[Ridgerunner]

For general guidelines or even some pretty detailed advice you might look at this section in the sister gardening site. You do not have to join to browse through this.

https://www.theeasygarden.com/forums/composting-soil-building.15/

Your basic goals are to get a reasonable mix of greens and browns and keep them at a certain level of moisture. Some materials like wood can take a lot longer than others to break down. The closer you can come to the ideal conditions the faster the composting will occur, but even if you are not that close the stuff will break down unless you are somewhere it stays really dry, like the desert.

For the professionals it is a pretty exact science. For people like us I don't try to get that exact but I do try to follow certain general guidelines.