FAILURE @ HT COMPOSTING!

[HI chicks]

What I've done when I lived in nor-Cal was put old sheets or old clothes or you could use burlap(I like to recycle though) moisten them and let that sit moist for about two weeks then stir. I would suggest not adding any other carbon or nitrogen sources and lot nature do is thing. It will become compost, just be patient. Compost will generally take from 3-6 months depending on the material used. I actually own a small scale composting company here in Hawaii(no I don't live at the beach or surf.. ) What I suggest to clients is EM*1. It is effective microbes in a bottle and that will help the compost along even if it doesn't get thermophilic

 

[Leigti]

Have you checked out the "composting with chickens" article in the learning center? I am going to do that this year I think. Are used to use coffee grounds from Starbucks to get my compost hot again but I don't think that is safe for chickens. So I will have to do something else. Beer works really well, as well as fruit juice. And there's products you can buy to help it along also.
Do you put any food scraps in the pile, such as vegetable scraps, fruit, bread, juice etc.? Grass clippings, weeds, yard waste in general. You can probably get old veggies cheap from the grocery store also, and fruits really gets it going because of the moisture in it. I threw in half a watermelon rind and it actually boiled Try digging two or three holes or a trench in it and depositing these "green" items in. I only know about composting in terms of "green" and "brown". It seems to me like you have a lot of brown but not much green. When the weather warms up it will happen more quickly, try letting the chickens do some of the work for you too.

 

[Bridebeliever]

Because my pile is pretty large (probably 4' high and 6' wide) I have now stopped adding to this pile. Is this good? What I am thinking about is a 6 months rotation with two piles. So the one is sitting there composting (fingers crossed) and now I am building the other one up.

 

[Bridebeliever]

Have you checked out the "composting with chickens" article in the learning center? I am going to do that this year I think. Are used to use coffee grounds from Starbucks to get my compost hot again but I don't think that is safe for chickens. So I will have to do something else. Beer works really well, as well as fruit juice. And there's products you can buy to help it along also.
Do you put any food scraps in the pile, such as vegetable scraps, fruit, bread, juice etc.? Grass clippings, weeds, yard waste in general. You can probably get old veggies cheap from the grocery store also, and fruits really gets it going because of the moisture in it. I threw in half a watermelon rind and it actually boiled Try digging two or three holes or a trench in it and depositing these "green" items in. I only know about composting in terms of "green" and "brown". It seems to me like you have a lot of brown but not much green. When the weather warms up it will happen more quickly, try letting the chickens do some of the work for you too.

I've read so much about composting I actually dreamed about it last night! LOL. My chickens do scratch around in my pile, and yes, I don't think I have enough green in there. I was completely relying on the chicken poop for "green". Of course I did start it in October when we weren't mowing anymore. I'm going to start throwing in veggie scraps now too. The only veggie scraps it's been getting all along in excess lettuce from my work. Could I throw in excess cooked veggies too? Obviously I'm super novice at this! But I AM anxious to learn!

 

[Leigti]

Here's a quick list, yes you can use cooked vegetables. Maybe divide the pile in half make yourself two piles and it would be easier to manage possibly. Basically any fruit or vegetable or plant material can go in there. Just make sure there's no pesticides etc. on any of it. I had a gallon bucket sitting in my kitchen and I would just toss the scraps in there. Then when it was full I would haul it out and throw it in the pile and stir it around. I buy really cheap beer and pour it in, I hate beer so it doesn't bother me to do that just don't add any meat or dairy products. No dog or cat poop because they eat meat. Chicken Pooh, horsemen newer, cow manure etc. works because they only eat vegetation.

 

[HI chicks]

Because my pile is pretty large (probably 4' high and 6' wide) I have now stopped adding to this pile. Is this good? What I am thinking about is a 6 months rotation with two piles. So the one is sitting there composting (fingers crossed) and now I am building the other one up.

that is a good idea and turn every other week

 

[Bridebeliever]

that is a good idea and turn every other week

Okay, good, that's what I was thinking. I'm going to let it sit for a whole week and see if I get any heat going.

 

[glib]

modern soil science states clearly that composting is non-optimal. And that is because to produce compost you have to lose 50% or so of both carbon and nitrogen. Organic carbon is the keystone nutrient, and nitrogen the second most important. Biology dominates fertility, not chemistry. Biology is what will unlock the large amounts of inorganic P and K, from the soil. It is what will turn "browns" into N-rich castings. You are better off burying the fresh matter in the soil directly, or lay it as mulch. The soil biology will do the rest, giving you more nitrogen. These organisms do not work for free, you have to pay them.

 

[RonP]

From the looks of it, my guess is not enough nitrogen.

Add greens, those carbons will keep the pile cool, and slowly decompose.

1 part green to 2 parts brown...

That would be an awful lot of manure.

 

[triplepurpose]

They do make thermometers specificslly for compost: like a meat thermometer with a reeeeeally long spike. that said, ive never felt the need to use one...

i think you are on the right track...

but id definitely check out the "composting with chickens threads". i used to hot compost more with varying degrees of success, but now i do most comping in a special pen attached to the coop. its just so much easier. i also particularly recommend this article: http://www.nwedible.com/the-crappy-composters-secret-to-perfect-compost/

building monitoring and turning hot comp is just so much work and hassle on a human scale with handtools. im more inclined to use mulching, sheet composting, or till manure or greenmanure directly into the soil, along with what gets made in my compost pen.

Hot compost can be a great product, but in my experience is rarely worth the trouble on a household scale when there are easier options. Where it is useful is in industrial scale projects where heavy machinery is available, or in other situations where killing pathogens and/or weed seeds is important.