Composting in chicken run?

[farmkat55]

I love the info I get on this site and sometimes I think it may sound dumb...but I learn a lot here! I am wondering if any of you have a compost pile inside the run? My run is not giant, I only have 6 hens and a rooster, but I was noticing my chickens do not really scratch a lot. So, I was going to ask if I could be feeding them too much. I give them layer pellets and green veggies and or fruit every day. I let them out to free range every day in the yard. But, sometimes they will go back inside their run area on their own. I would think they'd hunt bugs and eat foliage all day! I occasionally let them out back in the bigger areas where the round pen and horse/goat yards are when we are outside but I won't leave them out there alone cuz of hawks.
So, I had read a little about a compost pile inside the run...we have one of only animal manure but it's way out back near the tree line and it's pretty far from the coop and run. Again...hawks. We do have coyotes around too and I fear once they see and/or catch a chicken we will see them up close and personal more!
What do y'all think of the idea of a compost pile....even if it's small..inside the run?

 

[TheAmundsons]

We put all our soiled bedding (wood shavings) in the run. Otherwise it would be just a dirt floor. I don't know if you could really consider it a compost pile, but ours scratch around a lot, and spread it out. Overtime, it seems to go away, whether from the wind or what, but we still have some dirt patches in the run. I'd say give it a shot, and you'll see if it works for you!

 

[lomine]

What you're talking about is often referred to as the deep litter method. I fully free range so I don't have a run, but I do use the DLM in my coop.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...st-way-to-deal-with-chicken-litter-dlm.47740/

 

[Mrs. K]

Hey I am from SD too!

Everything but potato peelings go to my chickens. I put a great deal of dirty hay in my coop and in my run. I throw scratch on it periodically, and they flip it. I pitch it up into mini hay stacks before a snow storm, and toss it back on top of the snow afterwards. Then I take this to my garden. The theory they have eaten the weed seed out of it, not perfect results though.

 

[RWise]

I gave up on a compost pile, my girls take it from me! So I just toss everything out to them first. Even the stuff from the coop floor they dig through before I can put it on the garden (my soil needs help)

 

[farmkat55]

What you're talking about is often referred to as the deep litter method. I fully free range so I don't have a run, but I do use the DLM in my coop.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...st-way-to-deal-with-chicken-litter-dlm.47740/

No, I have sand in the coop and run...I was reading where some had just put their food scraps, leaves, plant and grass clippings, etc inside the run area. But I wondered if that would work on sand and also wouldn't it bring flies since the composting takes a little time and if food scraps are added every day I thought it may rot before? I am not sure I get the whole composting thing with food scraps. We have a compost pile but it's just the horse goat and chicken manure and it's way out back.

 

[lomine]

Guess it depends on your chickens on how long those food scraps stick around. Any veggie or fruit scraps I put out for mine don't last more than 15 minutes, sometimes less. Only things they don't completely eat are the green part of the watermelon rind or the very outer shell of pumpkins/hard squashes.

My soil in mostly sand and that's what my coop flooring is. Bare dirt is better for composting then say wood or concrete. The DLM is basically composting in the coop/run, just with a different name. It's a little different in that you want to have a fairly thick layer so it aids in breaking down. How well it works will depend on how you work it and your environment. Mine is slow to break down since my climate is very dry. If you don't want to worry about composting and just want to toss stuff in the run to keep them entertained you could do that too. Every few weeks or so just rake it out and add it to your existing compost pile. Easy peesy.

As far as flies, I have a fly problem in my barn and right around it. But honestly they are more concentrated on the chicken and duck droppings on the ground outside. They don't seem as attracted to the coop.