HELP--compost pile REEKING!

[l'abeille]

A couple of days ago I put the litter from a 5-week long brooding into my compost. Now the compost is stinking up the entire neighborhood!

It was pine shavings, enough to cover 28 sqft at 4" deep.

What quick fix steps can I take to reduce the smell? What should I do differently in the future?

Thanks

 

[ve]

Give wather and turn it for more oxigen.For 2-3 days smel will go

 

[dchickenman]

Shovel a couple inches of soil on top (after watering)

 

[Mahonri]

Throw some DE over the top, then dirt.

Works for me.

 

[RainbowBirds_of_a_Feather]

Throw water, leaves, dirt, and turn it with a pitchfork. Every time you turn it it oxygenates the decomposition. I put burlap sacks over it after a while so the bugs can aid in decomposition. Then I let the chooks loose after a month to eat the bugs and mix it up more.

 

[MareeZoCool]

Stinky compost piles means they need air and could be too rich in the "green" ( fresh) litter{manure,grass clippings,etc.} add some LEAVES, straw, and dirt, be sure to turn that pile every day. You should have some gardening enrichment in just a few months.

I'm working a pile too! I start by digging a hole, then dump everthing in, turning& mixing with each addition. I have clay, rocky soil, seriously a mess in spring!

 

[Akane]

Yep it's gone anaerobic. Bacteria that grows in places without oxygen produces gases like sulfur which smell horrible. Bacteria that grow in oxygen rich environments don't do that. Some of the other suggestions might actually kill the bacteria that are needed to compost which would also lessen the smell but will slow your composting down. Just turn it. Get oxygen down in there. Compost should be turned regularly if you want it to compost the quickest with the least smell.

 

[ElCuervo]

I've been composting since the '50s, and I currently have 4 giant piles of compost. I prefer above-ground composting because it allows more air into the pile, and even more importantly, it's easier for me to roll the piles over than it is when they're in a pit. Rolling them over is essential to good composting. I roll each pile completely over at least once a week. It gives me a chance to see if the material is too dry or too wet and adjust accordingly. It's also a good practice to put in as many different degradable materials as possible - never had much luck with just poop and grass clippings, for instance, but just add some chopped leaves and weeds and the pile starts shrinking (i.e. burning) fast.

I quit going to the gym, too, since I can easily get a great workout four or five times a week,. Instead of lifting dead weight and pointless elliptical motion, I can get a lot of real work done.

 

[patandchickens]

I will betcha anything that you had a substantial amount of spilled feed in that brooder litter. Feed does indeed REEK HORRIBLY when you put a pile out to decompose. The only solutions I know of are 1) spread it out more, 2) mix in more carbonaceous material (e.g. shavings, shredded paper, leaves, etc), and 3) mix in several shovelsful of soil to help it break down faster.

Good luck, "have fun"

,

Pat

 

[JimWWhite]

I've always added a little dolomite lime to my pile if I noticed it being a little smelly. Of course I then turn it over some with a pitchfork so maybe that is what gets it going again. But I doubt that the lime would hurt anything and it would help make the compost a little less acidic down the road.