Compost questions

[Shadrach]

I did read that neatness is a factor but seriously, don't go down the plastic bin route.
A good compost heap needs to be in touch with the ground and the elements and if you want less work and less parasites in the mix, have chickens on it.

A three bay system works well if one has set the bays up well. Air flow helps the composting process in such arrangements. This is where getting them neat comes in.
The first bay is for fresh waste. I put most things in the compost. Take care with seeded fruit (yup tomatoes) because you may get random plants growing where one spread the compost.
The second bay is the stuff that has partially composted from the first bay.
The last bay is the finished compost.
They are work and mostly people vastly underestimate just how much stuff they have to compost. A cubic metre per bay would be adequate for an acre of land that's under some sort of management.

Chickens in the compost bays.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I ended up getting a tumble one I think I will like. A ground one was out of the question for me because I am not able to lift and turn it physically, and I only have a small amount of space avaliable for this project.

 

[Sally PB]

A three bay system works well if one has set the bays up well. Air flow helps the composting process in such arrangements. This is where getting them neat comes in.

I have a 3 bay set up. The fronts are open, but I have something in front of them to keep my dog from getting into them because, well, the chicken poop is just too interesting.

The right hand bay is for dumping new stuff into. Kitchen stuff, garden stuff, coop scoopings. Come spring, I'll pitchfork it all into the middle bay and let it sit for about 4 days.

Then I fork it into the left hand bay and it sits for 2-3 days. Then back into the middle bay for 2-3 days. I keep turning it back and forth, and in about 3 weeks, it is usable compost. The turning is what gives it the fresh air to help it heat up and break stuff down.

This is the "berkeley hot rot" method. Usable compost in 3-4 weeks, yay. A fair amount of physical labor... eh. I did tone up the muscles in my arms doing this.

If the pile gets really hot, it will kill any tomato or squash seeds that are in there. It probably doesn't get that hot; I've seen sprouts. I pull these out and take them to the chickens.

The pile needs to be a certain size to "heat up." A cubic yard (or meter) is probably enough. The pile I have in the spring is plenty big, as it grows all winter long. I'll have another pile in late summer.

 

[Predoggg]

I have ground compost and throw everything in. The compost is made with landscaping timbers stacked on each other. I don't turn anything and let nature do what it does best. I don't measure much.

I also do have a burn pile for any wood and branches we did cut off. Once we get enough will we burn over and over in the same spot. It creates a nice amount of dirt too. I have clay so dirt is rare. This yielded in a good amount of fertile soil.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Putting your compost pile where your chickens can get to it, or ideally right in their run, works really well. They do a lot of the turning, eat what they'd like, and scratch in the rest. They also eat lots of weed seeds, bugs, worms, etc.

But generally speaking, about the only thing people really "mess up" in a small setup is not having enough carbon (leaves, wood chips, spent bedding, old hay or straw, etc.) for the amount food scraps/nitrogen/greens they put in.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

One of my chicken run compost setups:

 

[lizo97]

I am curious, how can it be okay for chickens to go through and turn compost, especially if their poop may have parasites?

 

[TooCheep]

I am curious, how can it be okay for chickens to go through and turn compost, especially if their poop may have parasites?

I don't understand the question.

Normal chicken poo doesn't have parasites. If you find worms or other problems, you should treat the chickens.

Proper compost is full of life. It has billions of microscopic organisms- bacteria, fungus, nematodes, worms, insects, etc. Those are expected and part of the breakdown process.

Chickens turning compost allows them to express their natural scratching instinct and to find insects, worms and edible vegetable matter which is good for them and even cuts down on commercial feed costs. At the same time, the scratching turns the pile which is good for the accelerating the compost breakdown.

 

[Predoggg]

What do you put on the chicken compost pile? Thinking adding a small one to the run of my gold deathlayers.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I am curious, how can it be okay for chickens to go through and turn compost, especially if their poop may have parasites?

I'd argue it's actually far healthier than having chickens on bare ground where their droppings fall. In the compost system, those dropping are being turned into the compost to break down.