How to determine quality of different types of compost?

[Sally PB]

So do I. Excellent job. And I bet your chickens are happy with it too.

 

[gtaus]

The stuff that comes out of the chicken pen will be richer but also serve a similar purpose.

Yes, that is what I am thinking, too. I plan on tilling some of the finished compost into the garden beds this fall and let it winter over. That should give the compost with the chicken poo plenty of time to age over the winter. Adding the biomass should help for next year's garden.

 

[gtaus]

Rest assured, my chicken pen looks just like yours. Brown wood chips, dry leaves, cut grass and weeds, dead plants. They love it and it NEVER smells.

Thanks for this pics. Just about everything organic from my yard goes into my chicken run, too.

It has been a process for me. I started out with a nice green grass chicken run and that looked really nice. But the chickens scratched up and ate all the grass over the course of the summer, leaving bare dirt in the run. That turned to mud after a good rain. So I started using wood chips on the ground and that cleaned up that mess. Since there was no more grass in the chicken run, I started dumping grass clippings in run and the chickens loved that. In the fall, I added leaves to the mix and chickens had great fun "swimming" through the leaves. Somewhere along the process I got to thinking that what I was creating was like a layered compost system. So now I just think of it as a larger, flatter, slower, compost system.

And yes, my chicken run never smells and never gets muddy. Even after the heaviest rains, my chickens are outside in no time enjoying their run because the rain water filters through the material and does not pool up making a mess. They are also constantly digging into the material and finding new things to eat, all day long, every day. I don't know what they eat, but they seem to enjoy the scratching and pecking in the compost litter.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I was doing "deep litter in the run" for a number of years...mostly with fall leaves as the carbon source. I've harvested quite a bit of great compost out from under the leaves over the last couple of years. My run is quite a bit bigger than 10 x 10 - we're talking over 100 32-gallon barrels of leaves a year.

This year I switched over to the "pile in the run" method. It started with cleaning out a wet area of the run and piling it up...from there, I found that the "pile" method decomposed a lot faster.

I'm actually building a larger area for a pile in the run this fall, but also hope to get access to some wood chips to put several inches deep in the run to keep mud and waste under control.

So, I guess my dream is a "hybrid model" of sorts.

 

[gtaus]

This year I switched over to the "pile in the run" method. It started with cleaning out a wet area of the run and piling it up...from there, I found that the "pile" method decomposed a lot faster.

Thanks for the picture. As you noticed, my current run is just over 10X10, so big enough for my 10 chickens but not really all that big. I too considered trying to pile my deep litter in the run for faster composting. However, my chickens will not let a pile stand and they will flatten out any pile I make in less time than it takes me to pile it up. So, I decided to try a layered compost system alternating between carbons and grass clippings.

As I stated, I expected to get maybe as much as 133 cubic feet (bags of compost equivalent) out of my small run, which should be more than I need. But wholly cow, you are getting about 400 bags of compost equivalent from your setup! If you could sell some of that compost, you could buy lots of chicken feed. I used to buy compost in the big box stores for about $5.00 per bag, but was never too impressed with the quality I bought. I always had to sift the store bought compost to remove large items, and yes, even sometimes garbage (metal, plastics, etc...). At least I know the compost I am making with my chickens does not contain garbage.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Thanks for the picture. As you noticed, my current run is just over 10X10, so big enough for my 10 chickens but not really all that big. I too considered trying to pile my deep litter in the run for faster composting. However, my chickens will not let a pile stand and they will flatten out any pile I make in less time than it takes me to pile it up. So, I decided to try a layered compost system alternating between carbons and grass clippings.

As I stated, I expected to get maybe as much as 133 cubic feet (bags of compost equivalent) out of my small run, which should be more than I need. But wholly cow, you are getting about 400 bags of compost equivalent from your setup! If you could sell some of that compost, you could buy lots of chicken feed. I used to buy compost in the big box stores for about $5.00 per bag, but was never too impressed with the quality I bought. I always had to sift the store bought compost to remove large items, and yes, even sometimes garbage (metal, plastics, etc...). At least I know the compost I am making with my chickens does not contain garbage.

Yes, to keep up with the chickens tearing/turning the pile requires some significant bulk to the pile and a LOT of work re-piling and turning. Thankfully I had room and materials for the pile AND the need for the exercise.

Once I get the new pile area built (hopefully in time for fall leaf collection) I'll let the current pile "rest" for the winter and sift it in the spring.

What I'll do with this much compost is still a bit of an unknown. I'll use as much as I can on my property, but I'm on less than a half acre. I may try to find a local non-profit that can use it...I have a few in mind.

But yes, like you, I expect the stuff we're making will be cleaner and more full of nutrients and life than the stuff you buy at the big box store.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

So, six weeks into a broken forearm has slowed my food waste and compost work by about 95%, I'm seeing that my flock's intake of chicken feed has easily doubled.

I always have food available free-choice to my flock...but without food waste and compost in large quantities....ouch. The folks at TSC are going to know me by name if I'm not healed up soon!

 

[gtaus]

So, six weeks into a broken forearm has slowed my food waste and compost work by about 95%, I'm seeing that my flock's intake of chicken feed has easily doubled.

I always have food available free-choice to my flock...but without food waste and compost in large quantities....ouch. The folks at TSC are going to know me by name if I'm not healed up soon!

Sorry about the broken arm. Been there, done that myself.....

Just curious, if you keep an egg log so you can see what difference feeding the chickens on food waste and compost gives compared to feeding the chickens commercial feed. I have noticed that my egg production has gone down about 40% this spring and summer when the chickens have been outside eating grass, compost, kitchen scraps, etc... Of course, their commercial feed consumption has gone done probably more than half.

This past winter, when they mostly ate only commercial feed with a half bin of barely fodder every day, I would get 8-9 eggs per day. This summer, I am getting about 5 eggs per day when they feed primarily on free kitchen scraps, grass clippings, and digging in the compost. I really am not concerned because we get more eggs than we can eat so I am willing to lose some egg production and save on feed costs. But I am trying to learn how much the egg production is affected by not eating the balanced commercial feed.

From my initial observation, egg production does decline when the chickens forage for their food. I still have my commercial feed available to them 24/7, it's just that they prefer to scratch and peck around the chicken run compost instead of eating their commercial feed. So my commercial feed hopper lasts about twice as long these days. For my part, I enjoy watching them scratching and pecking around the chicken run for food.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

@gtaus - Thanks! Got the go-ahead from doc today to stop wearing the cast/brace. Hopefully I can ease into some compost turning over the next few days and maybe some food waste pickups in in a week or so.

I don't keep an egg log. I kind of figure there's too many variables (time of year, flock makeup, etc.) to make them all that useful. For example, this summer I had old birds, some 2nd year layers, and some 1st year layers come into lay and then hit their stride. I guess I could track eggs/bird/day, but that's too much like math.

That being said, your 40% number sounds about right, based on what I've seen online from people who feed mostly compost/food waste (Edible Acres on YouTube comes to mind).

I agree with you that the chickens just seem happier eating a mix of food waste, compost, grasses, etc.

For me, the motivation is using the chickens to make a positive impact by keeping food waste out of the landfill. And create a lot of great compost. And get some exercise. And donate a bunch of eggs to food pantries. I figure if I can do all that good with some chickens, I can live with less than optimal egg production.

 

[gtaus]

@gtaus - Thanks! Got the go-ahead from doc today to stop wearing the cast/brace. Hopefully I can ease into some compost turning over the next few days and maybe some food waste pickups in in a week or so.

I don't keep an egg log. I kind of figure there's too many variables (time of year, flock makeup, etc.) to make them all that useful. For example, this summer I had old birds, some 2nd year layers, and some 1st year layers come into lay and then hit their stride. I guess I could track eggs/bird/day, but that's too much like math.

That being said, your 40% number sounds about right, based on what I've seen online from people who feed mostly compost/food waste (Edible Acres on YouTube comes to mind).

I agree with you that the chickens just seem happier eating a mix of food waste, compost, grasses, etc.

For me, the motivation is using the chickens to make a positive impact by keeping food waste out of the landfill. And create a lot of great compost. And get some exercise. And donate a bunch of eggs to food pantries. I figure if I can do all that good with some chickens, I can live with less than optimal egg production.

Glad to hear that you are on the mend. It takes time to fully heal, so take it slow and steady as you recover.

All my chickens are the same year/batch, so I don't have that variable to consider. But, I am learning that egg production is reduced by feeding compost, food scraps, etc... I got more eggs in the middle of winter at -20F when the chickens were basically on commercial feed 24/7 than I am getting now in the summer months with temps in the 70-80's F but the chickens are eating anything and everything before they touch their commercial feed.

In addition to keeping waste out of the landfill, dear wife and I also enjoy the idea that unwanted leftovers, slightly expired food, and food we just did not like the taste are all pretty much welcomed by our chickens. We used to throw out half a loaf of bread each week because it would get old before me finished the loaf, now dear wife buys a fresh loaf when she wants and the chickens get to enjoy the older bread that was left over from the previous week. If we make too much food for leftovers, we just give it to the chickens guilt free and let them turn it into eggs and compost for us. In many ways, chickens are better at cleaning up food scraps then we had a dog. Chickens eat just about anything.

I watched a YouTube video sometime last year and the guy there was saying that he thought every restaurant should have a small chicken pen out back to dump their food waste. That would significantly reduce the food waste heading to the landfills and the chicken pens could produce fresh eggs, compost, and meat for the restaurant. I suppose current health laws would make that impossible for most places, but I still liked the idea if feasible.