composting

[mpoland33]

Hello everyone! Just looking for some advice. I just moved my coop/run so I took the opportunity to revamp my compost area inside the run. I'll post a pic later this evening. I just finished the area today. Basically there are two "bays" side by side and I was thinking of starting in one, then moving to the other (when I start the next new one) , then move the right out to sit under a tarp for a bit.
What does everyone do with yours?


Also, how long does yours take until its ready to use? I hear places that are doing it in 3 weeks. I put grass and wood chips in weekly with scraps every night and I feel like 3 weeks isn't enough for my 13 chickens. Everyone seems to have a rich dark mulch like consistency, mine stays light brown

Would love to hear everyone's stories!

 

[mpoland33]

Hello everyone! Just looking for some advice. I just moved my coop/run so I took the opportunity to revamp my compost area inside the run. I'll post a pic later this evening. I just finished the area today. Basically there are two "bays" side by side and I was thinking of starting in one, then moving to the other (when I start the next new one) , then move the right out to sit under a tarp for a bit.
What does everyone do with yours?


Also, how long does yours take until its ready to use? I hear places that are doing it in 3 weeks. I put grass and wood chips in weekly with scraps every night and I feel like 3 weeks isn't enough for my 13 chickens. Everyone seems to have a rich dark mulch like consistency, mine stays light brown

Would love to hear everyone's stories!

 

[mpoland33]

 

[Sequel]

I do mine just like that! I made 3 bins so theoretically I'm accumulating in one, actively composting in the second, and when it cools I move it to the third one. But how it's working now is adding and cooking in the first bin, when that gets either full or I'm just ready to turn it, I flip it into the second one to let it mellow. Then it goes in the third one where the chickens dig for bugs and worms,they kick it out and I scoop it back in, trying to get it turned and the chunks beaten into manageable size lumps.

Last fall I had a nice bin full but didn't want to just leave it out there doing nothing, so I filled up empty feed sacks, carried them to the garden and let it mellow there where I was going to use it but protected from the weather.

When I have big plants to get rid of, I throw them behind my bins and when I mow I grind away at them using the catcher so that helps a lot. Big kale and broccoli plants gone to seed, ferns, etc..

The time thing, yeah....I can't really say, the whole thing prolly takes several months, but I'm continually adding and mixing and also using it out of the finished pile. I get tons of maple and oak leaves so that's most of the carbon part. I also use them in chicken run. They love to crunch through them.

Fun thread, I'm glad you started it!

 

[mpoland33]

Thats a great idea. I only have the two obviously but I take it out after the second and put it on the side of the coop to let it mellow...that way it gets far less chicken poo in there so it starts to dry out some.

Great idea on the big plants too...that thing always takes forever.

 

[Taj_MaChicken]

My compost takes longer than 3 weeks, but this is my first year with chickens.

I have mine outside the run, but that's because we mow over an acre and the grass clippings alone would take up half their run.... we put some grass clippings in their run for them to dig through, since it had basically turned to mud. But we have one large pile that's cooking, and we've started our second pile. We'll walk the chickens up towards them to let them scratch around and look for bugs.

We currently have things for the 2nd pile cooking in a sealed garbage can to help speed up the process with this heat.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I compost directly in the floor of my runs. In North Florida conditions, its taking about a month to get some good, dark, dirt out of it, but not enough dirt to do anything more than start a bunch of seedlings with I would think. I figure by spring of next year I'll have enough compost from the run to feed big beds. I add several large garbage cans' worth of bahai clippings once a week to the big run and if it rains plenty combined with enough dry spells to dry it back out, I'm finding that the fresh hay will be largely broke down within a couple of weeks.

I just moved one of my smaller coops that housed 12 pullets for 3 months. I planted some peppers and Seminole pumpkins in the run dirt and the growth rate of the Seminole pumpkins compared to the seedlings I started them with is phenomenal.

It proved to me that in theory, chicken tractors do work. But I would probably leave the tractor in place for a lot longer than most people do. At least a month if not two.

 

[Sequel]

I compost directly in the floor of my runs. In North Florida conditions, its taking about a month to get some good, dark, dirt out of it, but not enough dirt to do anything more than start a bunch of seedlings with I would think. I figure by spring of next year I'll have enough compost from the run to feed big beds. I add several large garbage cans' worth of bahai clippings once a week to the big run and if it rains plenty combined with enough dry spells to dry it back out, I'm finding that the fresh hay will be largely broke down within a couple of weeks.

I just moved one of my smaller coops that housed 12 pullets for 3 months. I planted some peppers and Seminole pumpkins in the run dirt and the growth rate of the Seminole pumpkins compared to the seedlings I started them with is phenomenal.

It proved to me that in theory, chicken tractors do work. But I would probably leave the tractor in place for a lot longer than most people do. At least a month if not two.

Hey! Great video! Make more, that was fun!

 

[TropicalBabies]

Aloha @mpoland33 @Sequel @Florida Bullfrog @Taj_MaChicken and other fellow composters! Great subject IMO.
As cute as they are... I don't think chickens are very helpful at speeding up the composting process they seem to spread more than turn. Silly chickens. Maybe put a door, but then harder to turn so shoveling from one bin to the other every so many weeks would be good. So, 3-4 bins? Compost needs moisture and air to grow the fungus/bacterium for cooking. No too wet or too dry and turn for air. Big items like sticks and wood chips will slow it down so use moderation with chunky items. The better you get your ratio the faster you can have compost/black gold. If you are serious and want fast compost best to get a tumbler for quick results and leave the chickens... to be silly chickens elsewhere. I throw leaves and grass clipping in my chickens run to keep down the odor and give them play but then rake it up and put in a tumblers after awhile... then repeat.
I compost two ways. One at home with a double tumbler. It gets chicken poop, kitchen scraps, old nesting material, some grass clippings (too much clippings can slow it down so don't bury), leaves and run clean up. It takes me anywhere from three weeks to a month or so to fill, by then the other has finished cooking and then the chickens can pick through before I use. And I just keep switching tumblers...

My best composting tools are - glass jar in kitchen for waste. It is good to see when it is ready to empty- normally pretty with lettuce, egg shells, coffee grinds, tea bags and orange peals etc, etc, etc. No meats, oils, butters.

And tumbler- Can find anywhere now days, even craigslist or make your own. Catch under lets chicken get bugs that drop and easy empty for me.

Boxes, shredded paper, paper plates, poop, nesting material, kitchen scraps, nut shells....

filling- after filling, close and spin every three days.

Two weeks later. The white fungus is the good stuff breaking matter down to soil.

two weeks to 1 month later it is finished and chickens can pick out bugs and shells

Add horse or cow poop to speed up process. I also do horse poop only in bins. Just fill, add water, come back in a month or two. Let chickens pick through

 

[Sequel]

Aloha @mpoland33 @Sequel @Florida Bullfrog @Taj_MaChicken and other fellow composters! Great subject IMO.
As cute as they are... I don't think chickens are very helpful at speeding up the composting process they seem to spread more than turn. Silly chickens. Maybe put a door, but then harder to turn so shoveling from one bin to the other every so many weeks would be good. So, 3-4 bins? Compost needs moisture and air to grow the fungus/bacterium for cooking. No too wet or too dry and turn for air. Big items like sticks and wood chips will slow it down so use moderation with chunky items. The better you get your ratio the faster you can have compost/black gold. If you are serious and want fast compost best to get a tumbler for quick results and leave the chickens... to be silly chickens elsewhere. I throw leaves and grass clipping in my chickens run to keep down the odor and give them play but then rake it up and put in a tumblers after awhile... then repeat.
I compost two ways. One at home with a double tumbler. It gets chicken poop, kitchen scraps, old nesting material, some grass clippings (too much clippings can slow it down so don't bury), leaves and run clean up. It takes me anywhere from three weeks to a month or so to fill, by then the other has finished cooking and then the chickens can pick through before I use. And I just keep switching tumblers...
View attachment 1872995
My best composting tools are - glass jar in kitchen for waste. It is good to see when it is ready to empty- normally pretty with lettuce, egg shells, coffee grinds, tea bags and orange peals etc, etc, etc. No meats, oils, butters. View attachment 1872983
And tumbler- Can find anywhere now days, even craigslist or make your own. Catch under lets chicken get bugs that drop and easy empty for me.View attachment 1872973 Boxes, shredded paper, paper plates, poop, nesting material, kitchen scraps, nut shells....
View attachment 1872971
filling- after filling, close and spin every three days.
View attachment 1872969 Two weeks later. The white fungus is the good stuff breaking matter down to soil.View attachment 1872974 two weeks to 1 month later it is finished and chickens can pick out bugs and shellsView attachment 1872986
Add horse or cow poop to speed up process. I also do horse poop only in bins. Just fill, add water, come back in a month or two. Let chickens pick through
View attachment 1872975 View attachment 1872979

Very nice!!! Thanks for all the pics, it's always fun to see how other people do it. My chickens are responsible for me making better compost because they get my lazy old hiney out there to mess with it! lol I have such fun out there in the morning with them happily scratching out the almost done compost I just put there the day before.