compost pile IN run

My compost often gets moldy which is dangerous to chickens. Does your compost never get moldy? And it produces quite a lot of heat -- where I am we sure don't need excess heat in the summer. So I am wondering what would be the benefit of having the compost in the run?

Jenny

 

I usually only pull a bucket of weeds, my back can't handle any more than that...I then dump the whole bucket into the run and it's gone in an hour, maybe a few stragglers...

i don't think I would put more than that in there. It does smell/rot if they don't eat it all. And they won't eat it then.

Melinda

 

If there is a chance of any spilled feed being in the pile, don't. I have lost hens who found moldy feed at the bottom of the compost heap here--it was fenced off, but had grown so large that it was pushing against the fence. They got their heads through, then developed sour crop. One died, one recovered.

 

Mine love to get on it and kick stuff everywhere. I prefer to put mine a good ways off since it does have heat and a bad odor. Chickens don't need something else to help a run stink.

 

Do a search (in the blue bar above) on compost. There are many different opinions. My chickens happen to LOVE the compost pile, but I only put in leaves and grass. Still, there is decomposing materials involved which can be deadly to chickens. I'm not sure I would try to have a compost pile INSIDE their run, but to each his/her own. Just do with with full knowledge.