Compost Questions

[Hillschicks]

Having chickens leads inevitably to one thing... Wth do we do with the poop?!? Well, we have decided to compost it... Which leads me to two questions

Question number 1 - besides chicken poop and our chosen bedding, what are some good things to add to a compost pile for optimal results?

Question number 2 - coffee grounds are acceptable compost material ive read, but what about the coffee filter?? Can that be thrown right in as well??

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If I use the unbleached filters I add those as well.
Any animal or plant product can be composted.
I know they say not to compost animal products but if you have enough brown material it works well.
I actually returned to chicken raising primarily for the manure.
I use deep litter and around 3 months or so I pull all the bedding out and compost it, then replace with new pine shavings.

 

[32bantam]

How long does the chicken poop have to be composted before it can be used in the garden?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It depends on the size of the pile, frequency of turning, moisture and how hot it gets. If the pile is large enough, has a good ratio of nitrogen to carbon, kept moist but not wet, turned perhaps once a week or more often if you have the ability it will heat unbelieveably.
In that scenario it can be ready in a couple months.
The turning feeds oxygen to the aerobic bacteria. Drying out puts the skids on it.
The main mistake most people make is to have a pile that is too small. If that's the case it could take 6 months.