I have an active chicken run composting system that makes me more compost than I can use in my gardens. After my chickens ate all the grass in the run down to bare dirt, I put a layer of a couple of inches of wood chips in the run to keep the run from getting all muddy when it rains. Then I started adding grass clippings, leaves, weeds from the garden, and just about anything else organic that will compost. The chickens love to scratch and peck in the compost digging up bugs and worms to eat. All the time they are doing that, they are turning the litter in the run, breaking it down, and speeding up the process of composting.
In the US, we are allowed to feed leftovers and kitchen scraps to our backyard flocks. I think your laws in England prohibit feeding kitchen scraps to your chickens. Kitchen scraps are a staple in compost bins here in the US, and many of us feed the scraps to our backyard flocks. Very little of my kitchen scraps every makes it into compost as the chickens eat it all. However, what they eat comes out the other end as chicken poo which does get mixed into the compost.
I personally do not use straw anymore. I found that straw gets wet, gets moldy, and smells bad. My mixture of wood chips, leaves, and grass clippings in my run never smells. After a hard rain, my chicken run compost smells like the floor of a forest. Very natural. No matter what material you decide on using in your chicken run, if it smells bad, then you need to make adjustments.
This past winter, I used paper shreds as deep bedding in the coop. That worked out great for me. In a school setting, you probably have paper to shred by the box full.
Using Shredded Paper for Coop Litter - As Good As Wood Chips?
Let me agree with a previous comment on having a thick base of litter in the chicken run if you plan on composting. In the fall, after I dump my yard leaves into the run, my litter is about 18 inches deep. The chickens love to scratch and peck in that stuff all day, foraging for bugs and worms to eat. The more they scratch and peck, the more they break down the material and the faster it will compost.
Here is a picture of my chickens digging into the compost in the chicken run. Last fall the litter (wood chips, leaves, grass clippings, etc..) was 18 inches deep. Now, after a long winter, it is down to about 12 inches deep. You can see how rich and dark black the finished compost is in this picture. It is ready to harvest anytime I want. Chickens are great composting animals.
As long as you practice good hand hygiene, I don't think you have to worry. I always wash off my hands good every time I do anything with my flock. When you clean out the coop, I recommend wearing a mask because it can get dusty with chicken dander in the air.
I think it's great that your school is looking into having a small flock. There are many fantastic articles and threads on the BYC forum to help with just about anything you might need. Don't be afraid to ask questions as needed. Lots of people here willing to help and tell you what works for them. Best of luck.
