Compost Pile

[c0dywhite]

Does anyone know anything about starting a compost pile?

 

[willowbranchfarm]

Here is a great article.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/composting-with-chickens

 

[c0dywhite]

I'll check it out. Thanks!!

 

[TheChickMan]

heres what i did. I thought I needed the right combo of everything to make a great compost, but heres the secret... you dont! i started by cleaning out all my coops straw bedding, put a shovel full of dirt on top of it. Then some sweet corn husks I had just picked out of the garden. I then mixed it up real good, and now i turn it every 3 days, while add kitchen scaps. I love grapefruit, oranges, and bananas so i just toss those peels in there and it gives it a good kick. Hope that helps. Make sure it it moist enough when you squeeze a handful of material it is not soggy but a couple drops come out of it. During the summer i couldnt figure out why my pile wasnt breaking down and that was it. hope that helps

 

[c0dywhite]

That helps, thanks!

 

[mdbtalon]

heres what i did. I thought I needed the right combo of everything to make a great compost, but heres the secret... you dont! i started by cleaning out all my coops straw bedding, put a shovel full of dirt on top of it. Then some sweet corn husks I had just picked out of the garden. I then mixed it up real good, and now i turn it every 3 days, while add kitchen scaps. I love grapefruit, oranges, and bananas so i just toss those peels in there and it gives it a good kick. Hope that helps. Make sure it it moist enough when you squeeze a handful of material it is not soggy but a couple drops come out of it. During the summer i couldnt figure out why my pile wasnt breaking down and that was it. hope that helps

Agree with this completely. It is very hard to do composting "wrong". There are things you can do (like turning) to make things go quicker, but for the most part it is a foolproof thing.

 

[bluenkimchi]

I have a question regarding kitchen scrapes including meats and breads. I toss a bag full of stale lightly moldy bread into the compost pile and after getting it wet for a few days, it started wreaking a foul smell of doggy do do. That was about 2 months ago and it still stinks. I have use some of the compost mix with potting soil for my indoor plants and made the whole house smell of doggy do do. Is it okay for other kitchen scrapes other than plant materiel to go in it? And is it supposed to stink and for how long? I'm thinking the yeast in the bread made it stinky from breaking down?

 

[mdbtalon]

Meat is generally not a good idea for compost pile, but never heard of anyone having issues with bread.

As for me I do not put in meats, dairy, or oils (bacon grease, etc). Just about any other scrap goes in the pile though.

 

[wyoDreamer]

It shouldn't stink if the material is completely composted - so my guess is the stuff you added to your houseplants wasn't done cooking and that is why the smell is in the house. I have had off smelling compost wile it was still breaking down, but that was when I hadn't turned it enough and it went anaerobic in the center on me - kinda green and slimey in the center. I also think it was because of too much grass clippings that stuck together into a solid mass.

I use leftover, stale bread in my compost pile all the time - it seems to help the pile hold the moisture a little better and the extra kick of yeast seems to help the pile for me. Keeping the pile moist enough is my bane of existance here in the desert. I have a tumbler and need to add moisture twice a day when actively composting.

I have to admit, I do have some meat and dairy in my pile - but very small amounts. It does smell bad and will attract animals if you use too much. Back in Wisconsin, when I had too much meat in my pile - I would find a pile of fox feces on top of the pile a couple of times a week.

 

[bluenkimchi]

Thanks for that advice mdbtalon, I actually don't put any meat scraps in but only have had stale bread in it. WyoDreamer you're probably right, it's only been 2 months since I toss the bread in and it hasn't had enough time to break down. It may also be that I haven't turned the pile enough to get everything mix completely.