Composting chicken run

[vpatt]

This past week I took out a lawn bag full of fall leaves and spread it out on the snow in the chicken run. We had a few sunny days above 32F, and the chickens went outside for the first time since late November. My chickens will not walk on snow, so it's like a fence line for them. However, the leaves on top of the snow is just fine and they will stay outside walking on the leaves. It might not be spring yet, but leaves on the snow make my chickens think it's time to leave the coop and go outside.

My chickens are the same....one year I spread straw over the snow and they came out, but I didn't do it this year.
Lol, I will try to find that video, but what are the chances. It's hard to tell what Leon actually said and why I heard it the way I did....

 

[vpatt]

I have never seen Leon talking about using Styrofoam in soil. If you make your own potting soil, people usually recommend 1/3 peat moss or coconut coir, 1/3 perlite or vermiculite, and 1/3 compost. Leon also throws in a few fertilizers in his potting soil, so you might want to take a look at his YouTube videos if that is what you want to do. I have seen many videos put out by Leon, but I don't ever remember him talking about Styrofoam.

gardening with Leon Episode 1. Go to the 20 minute mark and he mentions it right after that. It's very brief because the video is only 20:58. Sorry I don't know how to link it. Unless he's saying something else and my brain is translating wrong....that would not surprise me.

 

[RUNuts]

Some potting soil mixes use stryofoam as a bulking/fluffing agent. Really doesn't do anything for the plants. And the chickens will eat it. Small amounts won't hurt them.

 

[vpatt]

Some potting soil mixes use stryofoam as a bulking/fluffing agent. Really doesn't do anything for the plants. And the chickens will eat it. Small amounts won't hurt them.

Yes I think I was just really surprised that he mentioned using it. I think he said it is to keep the soil loose. I think it would be ok for pots but I usually dump the soil out of my pots and I wouldn't want to dump Styrofoam into the ground so I will choose perlite , I think.

 

[RUNuts]

Yes I think I was just really surprised that he mentioned using it. I think he said it is to keep the soil loose. I think it would be ok for pots but I usually dump the soil out of my pots and I wouldn't want to dump Styrofoam into the ground so I will choose perlite , I think.

I really like using wood chips and compost to keep the soil loose. I'll even spread the wood chips in the yard to loosen the heavy clay we have here. Working, just don't get in a hurry. The worms will only plow at a certain rate.

 

[gtaus]

gardening with Leon Episode 1. Go to the 20 minute mark and he mentions it right after that. It's very brief because the video is only 20:58. Sorry I don't know how to link it. Unless he's saying something else and my brain is translating wrong....that would not surprise me.

In order to add a YouTube link, you simply copy the YouTube address from the address bar, then go to BackYard Chickens Reply box, find the tools bar above the reply box you write your post, and click on the "Media" button. That will bring up a box asking you for the URL/address of the YouTube video. All you need to do is paste the address of the YouTube video in address bar and copy it to the box opened by BackYard Chickens Media box. The Media box will close and show something like

"MEDIA=youtube]BuqYmRmJrHo:68[/MEDIA"

in your reply. When you click Post reply, that address will be replaced by a screenshot of the media.

In that video, around the 20 minute mark, Leon talks about using Styrofoam for soil aeration instead of perlite or vermiculite because it is so much cheaper. He says he can get a 10 cubic foot bag of Styrofoam for $10.00 whereas a 4 cubic foot of Vermiculite would cost $24.00.

That is good info to know because in the past I have used the Vermiculite insulation sold in the 3 cubic foot bags and was paying about $20.00 at Menards. That comes out to $6.67 per cubic foot.

For whatever reason, Menards has now discontinued the bulk Vermiculite product and if you want to buy Vermiculite today, you have to pay through the nose for a small bag of the same stuff in the garden center. In the garden center, they charge you $4.42 for a 8 quart bag of Vermiculite, which is equal to $16.53 per cubic foot, or $49.59 per 3 cubic feet to compare it to the 3 cubic feet bag of bulk Vermiculite insulation which I used to buy at $20.00 per bag.

So I guess I will be looking to see if I can buy a bulk bag of Styrofoam this year.

Anyway, here is the video you are talking about.

 

[Marie2020]

Hello

Thank you for this thread. I really like this clip

 

[gtaus]

I really like using wood chips and compost to keep the soil loose. I'll even spread the wood chips in the yard to loosen the heavy clay we have here. Working, just don't get in a hurry. The worms will only plow at a certain rate.

Yes, wood chips and compost seem like a better option to keep the soil loose. There is some concern about using woodchips mixed into the top inches of the soil if you plan on planting into that soil. When wood chips break down, they rob the soil of nitrogen in the process in that immediate area. That is not good if you plan on growing something in that soil. But if you have the wood chips down in the bottom of the tub, you don't have that problem. If you have wood chips on top of the soil used as mulch, then that is not a problem either as the nitrogen layer that is lost is on the immediate top of the soil and not down where the plant's roots are growing.

There was a video I watched on using vermiculite and/or perlite to break up clay. The guy said it was a terrible idea because, although when first mixed together, it looks like you have amended the clay soil and broken it up, but in a few days, after a good rain, the clay will settle down to the bottom and the vermiculite and perlite will work themselves up and float to the top. He suggested using something like compost and wood chips instead. It's the organic stuff you need to loosen up that clay soil.

 

[gtaus]

Hello

Thank you for this thread. I really like this clip

Gardening With Leon is a great YouTube channel and he has over 100 episodes posted. Lots of good information.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I haven’t watched the videos, but mixing styrofoam into soil sounds like a downright horrifying idea, unless you’re looking to build a future superfund site.