Feeding compost

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

In my defense, I did say “with all due respect”

You did say “by its nature”, not “has the potential”…I know it’s mostly semantics, but it’s not the same thing.

And I don’t doubt some chickens have gotten into bad compost and died. Is it common? I’d guess not. Like, more than get killed by lightening in a year, but not many more.

If there’s a bunch of folks out there who have confirmed compost chicken deaths, speak up though…let’s get the info out there!

 

[Alagirl]

By nature, compost isn't piled up in huge mounts.
Alas, that is neither here nor there.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

By nature, compost isn't piled up in huge mounts.
Alas, that is neither here nor there.

True…nature is more like a lot of folks “deep litter” compost run systems.

That being said, a compost pile by adding volume simply speeds up the process.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Of note is that in the early US settlement period (and prior in England) chickens were known as dung hill fowl.

Why? They found their food on the “dung hills” made of manure, bedding, and other organic waste. Those would be compost piles!

 

[Alagirl]

True…nature is more like a lot of folks “deep litter” compost run systems.

That being said, a compost pile by adding volume simply speeds up the process.

'sheet compost'
among other things, the mix of material and controlled water and air supply speeds the process up considerably.
For several reasons, I would not want one in the coop and none have anything to do with the birds.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

'sheet compost'
among other things, the mix of material and controlled water and air supply speeds the process up considerably.
For several reasons, I would not want one in the coop and none have anything to do with the birds.

I don't think anyone would put compost in their coop, as the moisture would likely cause issues...although in situations where moisture isn't an issue, like a greenhouse, some people do heat these spaces at least partially with compost.

Composting in the chicken run has the added "speed" of the chickens constantly turning the material, which speeds decomposition. Plus, they eat carbohydrates and protein and poop nitrogen, which in gardening terms is pretty amazing.

 

[NatJ]

1) It is often stated not to feed chickens mouldy or food that had gone bad. Well that is exactly what happens in a compost pile. So do people that compost with chickens just ignore that rule?

When I compost with chickens, I toss many things into the chicken run. Yes, that includes some things with mold and some food that smells a bit off. No, I don't give them anything completely covered with mold or anything that is really awful.

I've been tossing occasional pieces of moldy bread or moldy cheese to chickens for decades, and it hasn't hurt them yet. The bite I sometimes take before I realize it's moldy hasn't hurt me, either. The chickens have also not been hurt by the tomato with a moldy edge, and the apple that went all squishy, and the overripe banana, and the wilty lettuce, and the slightly-slimy carrot, and the bruised chunk from the cantelope, and the macaroni and cheese that sat in the fridge long enough to smell a little bit off, and the spaghetti sauce that had a little mold on the edges, and the lunchmeat that smelled a little bit off, etc.

The chickens eat some stuff, and the other stuff gets scratched into the mix of compost/bedding/manure. Sometimes the chickens dig it up and eat it later, and sometimes they do not.

I grew up tossing all sorts of things to chickens, and only later saw the lists of what not to feed them. I mostly ignore such lists, and I have never had a chicken death or illness that could plausibly have been caused by what they ate.

2) Is there any concern with poop mixing with food? If chickens are climbing and scratching through the compost pile, they are pooping on it. Also, I see people mixing poop from under the roost bar in the compost pile. Is this a health concern for the chickens that are pecking through and eating from the poop contaminated pile?

It does not seem to be a problem

 

[Alagirl]

I don't think anyone would put compost in their coop, as the moisture would likely cause issues...although in situations where moisture isn't an issue, like a greenhouse, some people do heat these spaces at least partially with compost.

Composting in the chicken run has the added "speed" of the chickens constantly turning the material, which speeds decomposition. Plus, they eat carbohydrates and protein and poop nitrogen, which in gardening terms is pretty amazing.

well, heating with manure is another matter. the poop has to be specific (slightly aged horse manure in straw is best) and has some issues. Like the setup has to air out a week or so, because of ammonia emissions.
However, to me it seems the matter from the coop needs to be also then aged, as the chicken poop is harsh on plants

I shall give various scenarios a try I suppose, as there is a lot of material out there.
(and I am considering whether my plan of adding rabbits is sound enough or if I should look for Guinea Pigs, as those don't dig...)

 

[gtaus]

Apart from the composting many of us do (deep litter, an AEROBIC slow compost method where the chickens themselves help ensure a shallow pile is frequently turned over), I'm not a huge fan of "feeding" from what we are trying to break down to turn back into soil.

BSFL composters and other compoosters to produce insect larvae for chickens are also AEROBIC composting systems, with the birds eating a byproduct - the grubs. While its "a step removed", there are still pathogenic concerns - mostly managed by strict control of what goes into the composter to be broken down.
There are people who do feed their birds on compost - the one guy has a business and a youtube channel about it - I can only assume his birds only have access to the recently deposited, still well aerated sections and/or he uses some large scale mechanical aeration process to reduce risks. Since he sells the compost when done, I'm inclined to think he's doing something to make it more efficient than the typical landfill.

As Azygous says above, Anaerobic breakdown is where most of the concerns arise from the process itself. So concerning that, in places where septic is impractical , but sewer is too costly, aerobic composters (ATS) are being installed to deal with household human "waste". When the system stops working, a bright light (usually mounted on the house) flashes and a klaxon sounds that would put a burglar alarm to shame. Its that important.

As to chickens eating poop - they do it all the time. They aren't injesting anything not already present in their environment. In a closed system, that's not cause for concern beyond their ability to spread things (for good or ill) from one chicken to another. Heck, its one of the ways they share beneficial bacteria. In an open system? If you can't control the inputs, poop eating only speeds the rate of exposure - but the problem is the open system, not the poop eating behavior.

As long as your garden waste is spread in very thin layers, over large areas, I'd not be concerned. Big thick piles? NO GOOD.

What he said.

 

[gtaus]

Love the conversations so far. Here is my two bits of whatever I have learned....

1) It is often stated not to feed chickens mouldy or food that had gone bad. Well that is exactly what happens in a compost pile. So do people that compost with chickens just ignore that rule?

If I have really bad, moldy, food, then I'll dump it into a pallet compost bin that my chickens do not have access to. Other than that, almost all food waste we have at home gets tossed into the chicken run.

Composting does not mean that food goes bad. In fact, bad food smells terrible. If you have a well maintained compost system, it will not smell at all.

Many of us have chicken run composting systems, where we dump all kinds of organics into the run. But my chicken run never, ever, smells bad. In other words, my composting in the chicken run is aerobic. I might have anywhere from 12 to 18 inches deep of material, but it does not smell even when I dig deep down into the material.

If I had a stinky pile of rotting material, then I would not want my chickens to be eating that stuff. But that has never happened in my chicken run.

Finally, my chickens don't eat the compost, they scratch and peck through the compost looking for tasty worms and bugs. It's all that scratching and pecking action that breaks down all the organic material in the chicken run, turns the material to keep it well aeriated, and prevents the system from going anaerobic.

2) Is there any concern with poop mixing with food? If chickens are climbing and scratching through the compost pile, they are pooping on it. Also, I see people mixing poop from under the roost bar in the compost pile. Is this a health concern for the chickens that are pecking through and eating from the poop contaminated pile?

Short answer: No. Chickens will tear apart a cow manure pile looking for worms and bugs to eat. I have never seen my chickens eat their own poo. Don't know if they even would. Nothing I have ever worried about.

FUN FACT: (I used to raise rabbits) A mother rabbit will poo out mushy droppings that her young kits will eat in the nest. Top 10 Really Weird Facts About Poop