So you just use the ground itself, i was looking into these vermiculture kits...one called the Worm Factory 360. I also would like to use four pallets squared together to make an area for a large compost pile. I like your ideas of using the ground, seems to keep it simple which i think is best.
I compost with horse and chicken manure and I vermicompost. I've done the tumbler - not really crazy about that one. Mumsy's trench method really is the best (and the easiest!). I do the pallet thing every once in awhile with leaves, straw, etc. but I don't turn it - it's just too labor intensive. And my ducks keep nesting on top of it. The chickens are great helpers - they keep the compost piles worked up nicely and help out in the horse pasture, too.
I love my worm bins, though I have a hard time feeding my wormies to my chickies, lol. I will warn you that if you start your own vermiculture system you will become a vermi-addict! The Worm Factory types are nice and convenient but pricey. I've found that a Rubbermaid tote with a few holes drilled for ventilation and drainage works nicely and saves you $$. It's very easy to set up (check Youtube out - there are tons of clips on making your own). I do like my Can-O-Worms (similar to the Worm Factory) but it has it's flaws. I also have a Worm Inn bag system that works nicely. But I really like the tote/storage bin system the best. You can do stacks of the 18 gallon totes to simulate the idea of the Worm Factory for a fraction of the cost. I've even done mini-systems with plastic ice cream tubs, 5 gallon buckets, etc. A few people on the vermiculture sites do outdoor trenches/rows for their worms, too. One of these days I'll set up a big flow-thru bin and try that out but for now I have about 4 bins, 1 bag system, and the COW. I've used Black Soldier Fly Larva to help break down larger piles but it's too hard to keep a colony going up here in Michigan - it's just too cold. Chickens LOVE the BSFL, though. They will knock each other down to get to them! And they are extremely nutritious for the flock.
My favorite compost bin was a (vertically) slatted barrel design with ventilation holes up each slat that belonged to my ex-husbands grandmother. I got it about 16 or 17 yrs ago when she passed (it had never been used). You could slide the slats up all the way around the barrel - I've never been able to find another like it. It was a great design. My mother swiped it from me a few years ago and I've never managed to get it back from her, lol.
I've seen a few posts (can't remember if they were on this site or another) about people incorporating a compost pile/bin just outside of their coop. One person sectioned it off and allowed the chickens limited access to it - they loved scratching around in it, foraging for bugs, seeds, etc.
Good luck. It's usually trial and error but it's hard to do a compost pile wrong. You will probably end up trying several different methods until you find the one that works best for you . . .
