Food debris in run

[Ted Brown]

For past 2-3 years I served feed in my covered run year round. Water also. Run floor is dirt & gravel with artificial mixture of mulch, deciduous leaves, pine shavings, droppings 8-12" deep on top. Six years, no maintenance.

I now have an accumulation of food debris on the ground.

Should I remove the debris to the compost box or turn it under?

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Yes i would definitely remove it, as it could attract animals possibly or start to inhabit bacteria or mold which would not be good for chicken health i would imagine.

 

[Ted Brown]

Animals not permitted. Fully enclosed run excludes everything including birds & squirrels (probably not bears but they do not come on property).

Now about "bacterial and mold". I am happy to have it decompose along with the leaves, pine shavings, etc.. Am I missing something?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Six years, no maintenance.

Why is this now an issue? Ascetics? Some health concern? Is it holding water and keeping your run wet?

I now have an accumulation of food debris on the ground.

Could you please describe that debris? What does it consist of? I'm trying to understand your motivation.

Should I remove the debris to the compost box or turn it under?

I don't see an issue with either one if you feel like you have to do something. If you remove it to the compost box it will eventually get reused. What eventually happens if you turn it under?

 

[Ted Brown]

Why is this now an issue? Ascetics? Some health concern? Is it holding water and keeping your run wet?


Could you please describe that debris? What does it consist of? I'm trying to understand your motivation.


I don't see an issue with either one if you feel like you have to do something. If you remove it to the compost box it will eventually get reused. What eventually happens if you turn it under?

It is not an issue but it has been accumulating for a couple of years in a circle around the feeder. It is chaff "... dry, scale-like plant material such as the protective seed casings of cereal grains, the scale-like parts of flowers, or finely chopped straw. Chaff cannot be digested by humans, but it may be fed to livestock, ploughed into soil, or burned.". My hens do not eat it, so is building up nor do they dig it into the run bedding.

I have lots of work, do not need extra with no benefit.

I thought first about raking it into the soil +, just for looks may still do that. Then I wondered about negatives... I could not think of any as I assume it will decompose over time.

Thought someone may have other thoughts so posted here.

Thanks.

 

[Sefirothe]

My mother likes to toss corn cobs in the run after cooking and cutting the kernels off. They really don’t decompose well so every now and then I make a sweep and pick them up to be tossed in the garbage.

Edit to add: sounds like your waste is much finer. I’d probably grab a dirt rake to bust it up, spread it around and mix it in to the rest of the run.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Then I wondered about negatives... I could not think of any as I assume it will decompose over time.

I can't think of any negatives.

That stuff will compost over time as long as it gets buried so it stays damp. Even corn cobs will. I can 50 to 60 pints of corn every year. All of those cobs wind up in my compost pile.

When I bag my compost I sieve it through a 1/2" hardware cloth sieve I made to remove the big chunks and take out any gravel that finds its way in. The compostable stuff goes back in the compost pile when I start my next batch, buried at the bottom. Even sticks eventually break down. By burying that stuff I seed the compost pile with the right organisms to break down the stuff to compost.

Ted, I think it is a matter of personal preference as to how you manage it.

 

[perkolator]

Personally I agree with not giving myself more tasks, so I'd just let it compost in place. If I didn't want to see it anymore, I'd consider hosing it down to get it all damp and help break up the hard-pan, then toss a bunch of scratch on top and let the chickens move it around

 

[Ted Brown]

I will take a rake and spread it around.

Except around the edges the run does not get water so bedding is largely dry. I don't think it is composting because it is so dry.

Thinking I will spray it on the regular this summer and see what happens...

Thanks all!