Hello, thinking about composting with chicken manure, any advice on how to begin, already have the chickens!

[RoyalChick]

Sorry, what is a water butt?

Just a barrel or drum. Often used to store rainwater to use in the garden.
I am lazy so my compost method is to tip stuff in an enclosure made of scrap wood, pallets, chicken wire (whatever I have) and leave it to do its thing. I have three in a row. One being filled, one cooking, and one ready for use.

 

[DobieLover]

https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/2010/05/08/hot-compost-composting-in-18-days/

I made compost in 3 weeks using this method. It is, however, a lot of physical work.

I don't need fast. All my soil (veggie and flower gardens) are heavily amended. I actually still have some of last years black gold in a small pile next to the blended stuff that is still cooking for this year. I didn't need it.
I'm rebuilding my raised veggie garden beds this spring so I will be able to make use of all of it this year.
I don't turn the piles. I have no time for that. I still end up with excellent compost by just waiting until spring and then use the pile wherever it's needed. 2 years ago, I sold the pile! That is how much compost I get annually.

 

[Perris]

Nowadays I mainly use these, which are sort of open-bottomed conical and oval versions of a water butt. Once it's filled, the top goes on, and when it has rotted down I can just lift it off, so easy as pie to access - by me or the chickens, as here

then I just pop it down where I want the next compost shot to go (next to a hungry plant, or where I plan to plant, for example) and start filling again, layers of chicken poo, bedding and vegetation. Simple.

 

[RoyalChick]

Nowadays I mainly use these, which are sort of open-bottomed conical and oval versions of a water butt. Once it's filled, the top goes on, and when it has rotted down I can just lift it off, so easy as pie to access - by me or the chickens, as here
View attachment 4029817
then I just pop it down where I want the next compost shot to go (next to a hungry plant, or where I plan to plant, for example) and start filling again, layers of chicken poo, bedding and vegetation. Simple.

I love that. But doesn’t it dry out with a lid on? Mine are open to the rain and snow.

 

[Perris]

I love that. But doesn’t it dry out with a lid on? Mine are open to the rain and snow.

no it doesn't; I try to make sure it's properly wetted before I close up, and then the moisture that evaporates during the cooking condenses on the top and sides and drips back onto it - that's very evident while filling for example and I lift the lid to put more in. It might also wick up moisture from the ground; I don't know.

 

[Sally PB]

they are sometimes called tumbler composters. I had one and it worked well but the metal frame rotted. If I were getting another I'd avoid any with a flimsy metal frame. And when just filled they can be heavy, so probably the ones on rollers work easier if you're getting old like me.

I'm glad you had a good one. Mine had no easy way to turn it. Finger grooves in the barrel? Uh, no. Not when you have it half full. When we get a 20 yard dumpster next spring, that eye sore is going away.

I try to make sure it's properly wetted before I close up,

Yes, moisture is one of the elements needed for the magic to happen.

All the comments show that there are many ways to make good compost!

 

[JPadronMiami]

I've been composting it for coming on 7 years.
I have poop boards so I put nearly all poop in when the buckets are dumped. One bay will have nearly all poop with a little zeolite/DE and wood ash. This gets layered in with the 1 year old pine shavings from the coop during the annual clean out. This layered pile will sit for another year before it is incorporated into garden soil. Then I start filling up the empty bay with poop/zeolite/DE/wood ash again for another year.
The compost is excellent and my gardens grow incredibly well.

ok, i understand, how do you feel about also adding in or combining horse poop thats been sitting out for a year or more into the Chicken compost? we dont use chemical's on the grounds, however the horses get dewormed every 3 months and we rotate the dewormer. The majority of the compost is for growing veggies and such, concern here is the deworming products being absorbed into the vegetables, My chickens get dewormed organically using garlic, ginger, pumkin, and Habanero pepper's (very hot peppers) and some ACV, My JG rooster recently had Gape Worms, 2 applications of this mixture within 2 weeks cleaned him up.

 

[JPadronMiami]

Hello, thinking about composting with chicken manure, any advice on how to begin, already have the chickens!

ok, i understand, how do you feel about also adding in or combining horse poop thats been sitting out for a year or more into the Chicken compost? we dont use chemical's on the grounds, however the horses get dewormed every 3 months and we rotate the dewormer. The majority of the compost is for growing veggies and such, concern here is the deworming products being absorbed into the vegetables, My chickens get dewormed organically using garlic, ginger, pumkin, and Habanero pepper's (very hot peppers) and some ACV, My JG rooster recently had Gape Worms, 2 applications of this mixture within 2 weeks cleaned him up.

All great suggestions thank you folks!

 

[Penpal]

I know they make them now commercially. We had one that tipped over, on a sawhorse kind of thing. You turn it every day. In order to get a fast compost you need quite a bit of material. To put in enough material makes it so heavy that I couldn't do it. And turning once every 24 hours is nowhere near as efficient as turning every couple of minutes.

I don't know if I would ever get the kind of contraption that FIL used. I'm using worms right now.

 

[jreardon1918]

My composting is a long term little work option. Here is my process.

• Early spring I remove "finished" compost from the chicken run. I shovel out as much as I need to add to gardens. I also remove some for friends and family. I quoted "finished" as there is some chicken poop that is quite new and perhaps has not combined. One family member choses to take this combo and let it further cook near her garden until fall.
• Spring and summer I remove all pine shavings and poop from the coop and dump it into the run. The girls turn it for me.
• Throughout the year I dump yard waste into the run. This includes, cut grass (not fertilized), Garden trimmings, Leaves and pine needles (many), kitchen scraps. The girls turn it form me. Of course the girls contribute poop to the run throughout the year. They do not free range.

This is not very scientific. But it all looks like black gold to me. The veggie and flower gardens are quite nice. If I do say so myself.