? for those garden savvy types out there...

[TurtleChick]

i hope i'm posting this in the right place!

now that our peeps are almost 4 weeks old (4 of them), i've got a half-full garbage can of brooder-box detritus.... heavy on the white pine, some chick poop and aLOT of chick starter (naughty peeps, throwing food all over the place!)... my poor garden needs serious work before it's worth investing in a composter and mulching, etc.etc.etc. however, i'd hate to throw it all away if this is usable compost/mulch material! as i said, it's not super chock-full of poops (yet), but it is what it is - is it worth posting on craig's list or somewhere as free stuffs??? it seems like it'd be valuable for winterizing, but as i say - i'm gardenDUMB!!!

thanks in advance!

 

[MissPrissy]

Half a bag isn't much so I don't know how many people would come get it. You can compost it yourself and use it around any of your plants.

 

[ozark hen]

you bet it is worth posting. I have two rooms in my coop "gathering" and I cannot wait to use it in my yard and gardens. We will use lots of it soon so it has all winter to decompose.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

It should compost really fast, if your weather is fairly warm. Is there anywhere you could just throw it in a pile, cover it with soil and let it go until spring? My guess is you'd see steam coming out of it on cooler nights this winter.

If you turned it with a pitch fork, it'd go even faster.

Edited to add: Oh, you live relatively close to me. I'd put it out there now and cover it with soil and maybe a tarp if you have one and then maybe turn it once or twice before spring.

 

[patandchickens]

Enh, compost it yourself, you'll be glad really of it in a year or two. If you have any green-type material to add to it (like lawn clippings, weeds, tall grass along a fence that you hack down to the ground with a bread knife, whatever), it'll compost even better. Just chuck it all in a compact flat-topped pile in the corner, preferably somewhere without too much weeds or grass underneath, and forget about it til you need it. Really truly, compost material is awfully valuable to be giving away

Pat

 

[eggzettera]

Your giving away chicken poop?

Chicken poop is one reason I got chickens. Yes, its very "hot" so adding alot to a little area is a no-no, but for that amount I would just spread it around and throw grass clippings and some leaves (I admit to stealing from neighbors) on top and you soil health will be greatly improved. If you do not feel comfortable doing that, I would use Craig's list or freecycle it. You may even have a neighbor that is secretly coveting.....yes, we walk among you.....I use the lasagna method and by spring this will be very usable.......if you are not familiar with that method try googling or try Dave's Garden website.....

 

[silkiechicken]

I just move my coops every year and grow directly out of it. I know it's hot but boy do I get wayy to many zuch's the first year under the coop plots. I only grow non nitrogen fixers out of where the chicken poo is concentrated and just toss the stuff on the ground if it is in a brooder. Not so elegant but I don't have any burning problems... or worries of stench due to neighbors...

Nothing beats the time I poured and shoveled, yes poured, about 100 gallons of pony poo onto the ground in front of the house.

 

[Wildsky]

Can a person compost in winter (snow) ?

I have horse poop to add to my growing collection.... for the time being I take the poop out as far as possible, and dump it down a little hill on the side of our driveway - I've been spreading it as much as possible as I don't want a smell or flies laying eggs etc...

If I just pile it all up somewhere will it still compost over winter? Should I bother?

(sorry to hi-jack your thread Turtlechick!)

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I think with the horse variety, pile it in a big pile and wait for spring. That is what I've read recommended for my area, anyway.

Composting is slower in the winter. It helps if it isn't saturated with water (that is why I recommend a tarp), and if the pile has the right ratio of carbon to nitrogen.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

There is no need to invest in a composter. Composting is just letting stuff decompose. If you want to start composting just make a small bin of chicken wire in a corner of the yard and throw the stuff in it. Keep it moist and turn it once in a great while to let some air in and it will compost.

Yes, you can compost in the winter. Keep the pile moist and turned and it is self insulating, the core will stay warm and do its thing. In the winter its best to keep the pile in a sunny area, to let the sun help warm the pile.