Composting

[Dfarago]

So my husband has a barrel with air holes mixed with hay and duck crap. It’s one of those blue barrels they’ll put feed and such in. I want to know how much air it would need. How often does it need turned. Also it’s not heating up like we thought it would. Should I be putting it in the sun?

 

[Animals45]

I am not to good at this stuff but I am pretty sure @PirateGirl knows!

 

[PirateGirl]

I have made a similar compost bin out of a large outdoor trash can. I drilled 1/2 inch holes evenly spaced on all sides of the can. Your weather will impact how much/fast it composts. I haven't even been turning mine in winter as it's just a frozen solid block. Your compost should be damp but not drenched. I sometimes dump the dirty duck water in mine to help keep it moist. In summer I turn it about once a week. I add to the compost bin until it is about half full, but once it's at that point I stop adding to it until it's time to start a whole new batch. When it's "ready" it just looks like dirt pretty much. Duck waste is nice in that it doesn't need to age/break down as long as chicken waste. It is safe to put directly in the garden as is their dirty water. So if the compost is close, at the beginning of the season I till it into my raised beds. You can take the soiled straw and pile it around plants or at the base of trees and the roots should be safe. Again, compost depends quite a bit on your weather and can vary with the things you add to it. It's a bit of trial and error. You will find what works for you! I believe @lazy gardener can give you some composting tips!

 

[Dfarago]

I have made a similar compost bin out of a large outdoor trash can. I drilled 1/2 inch holes evenly spaced on all sides of the can. Your weather will impact how much/fast it composts. I haven't even been turning mine in winter as it's just a frozen solid block. Your compost should be damp but not drenched. I sometimes dump the dirty duck water in mine to help keep it moist. In summer I turn it about once a week. I add to the compost bin until it is about half full, but once it's at that point I stop adding to it until it's time to start a whole new batch. When it's "ready" it just looks like dirt pretty much. Duck waste is nice in that it doesn't need to age/break down as long as chicken waste. It is safe to put directly in the garden as is their dirty water. So if the compost is close, at the beginning of the season I till it into my raised beds. You can take the soiled straw and pile it around plants or at the base of trees and the roots should be safe. Again, compost depends quite a bit on your weather and can vary with the things you add to it. It's a bit of trial and error. You will find what works for you! I believe @lazy gardener can give you some composting tips!

Thank you for the response.