I need composting help!

[Julene]

We are in our first year of composting. The do's and don'ts are hard to keep up with. I watch as many YT videos as I can on it. Everyone has different opinions on what you can and can't incorporate to you pile.
I love this couple! I follow them for just about everything. They have a much harsher climate than mine, so I figure, if they can make it work, then so can I!!
Good luck!!

I was just going to recommend this! Homesteading Family on Youtube has some great videos on composting.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

We're in something of a golden age of compost Youtube. Check out EdibleAcres (chicken run composting).

I also enjoy Diego Footer, David the Good, and many more I can't think of at the moment.

 

[Ascholten]

I was just going to recommend this! Homesteading Family on Youtube has some great videos on composting.

There are a lot of Do's and Dont's I find that everyone has their own opinions, just like with beekeeping and almost everyone tells you DO THIS OR DIE ! MY WAY OR YOU ARE A FOOL -- oh wait, that's just like fishing too !

There are some general rules to follow, which you can find in pretty much any video of any decent quality, which you should keep in mind, but after that, there are so many other nuances and things that you will just have to play with yourself to see what works best for you.

MY ADVICE (Do it MY way or you are a dum dum who does not know how to make food rod !!) <- Sarcasm, as some are a bit trolling impaired

Rule 1: Don't nuke it out. (Old Navy term for don't over think it or get too caught up in the pedantic little cubby holes) You'll never have fun and always be fretting that you did something wrong. Follow the basics and let it be. To be honest, besides for poisoning it, like literally! it's pretty hard to kill a compost pile.

Rule 2: I don't CARE what YOUR plans are, if there are worms involved, Just like having Oscars in the fish tank, THEY will tell YOU how it's going to be done ! Get your container, or corner of the garden, or however you are going to do it, set it up, and put a little effort into keeping it at that, but nature's little critters will do what they want with it.

Rule 3: Relax. This is supposed to be fun and rewarding, not a full time job !!
DON'T turn it into a job! It takes time, let nature run it's course, with you helping it along and a little nudge and bump here and there. It will all work out in the end for you.

One little comment I will add. IF your setup permits, ie you have a container your composting is happening in like me with my IBC totes. If you are able in your setup, set up some way to collect the squeezins that drip out of it. The Compost Tea. This stuff is Gardeners Gold, and then you truly are wasting NOTHING. Some stuff naturally will drop liquids, other times, rain water runs thru your stuff and wants to collect on the bottom of your composting container, let it, then drain it off and all those nutrients that are gathered. good Stuff!!

I don't want to side track you, but I know some people who sell compost tea (cough cough) and the few bucks can help you offset the cost of YOUR setup or get you that new tool you wanted. Yep, just like eggs can offset the price of your hens, compost tea can offset the cost of your gardening if you choose to follow that path.

Aaron

 

[Sally PB]

I had some oak trees taken down last November, and the <6" chipped and left in a pile. Yay! Now I'm finding slime mold on the pile. (Aka, dog vomit mold.) Boo!

I had plans to put a bunch of these chips in the chicken run, but am rethinking that. I've tried to find out if slime mold is toxic to chickens, but an not getting much info. Does anyone know?

This stuff grows on decaying vegetable matter, and seems to like wood. I've seen it around before. It's not toxic to mammals, but what about birds? I have never seen it on any of the stuff in the chickens' run, but I don't want to introduce it. It's bright yellow, then turns dark grey/brown. You can scoop it up when it's yellow (you won't get it all), but when it's brown, if you move it, you'll see clouds of spores.

Picture when it's yellow. It's kind of foamy and wet-ish.

 

[gtaus]

I had plans to put a bunch of these chips in the chicken run, but am rethinking that. I've tried to find out if slime mold is toxic to chickens, but an not getting much info. Does anyone know?

I put a thick layer of wood chips as mulch on one of my raised beds in the main garden, and it developed that dog vomit mold. From what I read at that time, the mold is actually beneficial to the breaking down of the wood, and it would not harm the plants, so I just left it to eventually dry up and go away on its own.

I don't know if the slime mold would be bad for the chickens, but let's assume that it could be. Here is what I am thinking. I have used wood chips in my chicken run for 3 years and have never seen and slime mold develop in the run. But, in my chicken run, I am also dumping in grass clippings and leaves. The chickens are constantly scratching and pecking all that material, mixing it up, and never letting it just sit in one place undisturbed.

I am no expert on this subject, so let me just offer a link I found on the subject. It indicates that the mold is not harmful to people or pets, but, as you mentioned, does not specifically mention chickens.

How to Get Rid of Dog Vomit Slime Mold

Quote from the article:

BEFORE YOU BEGIN​

It is important to emphasize that slime mold is not harmful to people, pets, plants, or the environment. When you’re trying to eliminate yellow mold growing in your yard, you want to avoid using any chemicals. The chemicals will likely do more harm than good by killing the grass or plants in the area and harming the environment.

 

[Sally PB]

Thank you, @gtaus. That pile of chips is sure moist under the top layer. As dry as the dirt is in my chicken run, I bet that stuff wouldn't stand a chance. Plus all the scratching up and mixing from the chickens.

 

[Ascholten]

I think chickens would be constantly digging and scratching in there so the slime mold really would not have a chance to colonize that much to grow that big. They need to be pretty undisturbed to get big. If chickens come across bugs in the yard and there are piles of mold by them, or other gungus and fungus, Ive yet to see them say, oh but that cricket is sitting next to a poop horn, I think I'll pass on it

Aaron

Edit: Not to mention, once you start throwing chicken crap mixed in with it, the whole chemistry of that now changes and the slime mold may not want to grow there anymore anyways.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

The mold is a moisture thing for sure. The chickens will get stuff moving and mold will go away.

I actually throw the occasional moldy item into the chicken compost system…and the process actually removes the mold.

 

[Eggstaticmom]

All I have is a bin full of mealworms at the moment - I have been trying to get the balance right for five years

 

[agarnp]

Oh and besides the green and the brown and the black I also put in my kitchen vegetable scraps (peels etc). I realize this could be a problem with pests coming around so we built 2 special bins with covers and sides that allow some ventilation...hardest part is turning it over so things dont get nasty & mushy---lets see how they turn out--- so far (3-4 months) it looks good. Good luck to you!