Mobile compost bin(s) in the chicken run

[gtaus]

If you want to save at least some of the grass in your run area, you can make frames of 1x4 or 2x4 painted or cedar/redwood/etc. and staple 1/2” hardware cloth over the top. Set the frames wire side up inside the run. Scatter them around wherever you want to leave a patch of grass. The grass will grow up through the hardware cloth mesh. It’s a small enough mesh that the chickens’ feet won’t slip through when they walk on it, but grasses and forbs can still grow through for the birds to eat.

Yes, if I decide to make the run more permanent, I think I would add some feeder frames to the run. Probably seed it with barley, oats, and such rather than just lawn grass. I've seen others do this on YouTube and it looks like a great idea. Right now, the grass is still green and growing, but if/when it gets scratched down to bare dirt, I think the feeding frames would be great.

 

[gtaus]

We have a lot of aerial predators. As of yet I haven’t had a problem though I’m sure it’s just a matter of time. I like having them out on grass.

I would love to be able to let my chickens free range. However, I live on a lake and it is common for us to have as many as 10 or 12 bald eagles soaring overhead looking for dead fish, or anything else they can make a meal out of. We also have a number of hawks overhead most every day. I know some "former" chicken owners around here who have tried free ranging their chickens. For now, I plan on keeping my birds in a fenced in pasture area with bird netting on top for protection. As the hens get older, and replaced, maybe I'll retire them to a free range situation and let nature run its course. But for the active laying hens, I can't see any advantage in not protecting them.

 

[Sequel]

What a great thread! I love kicking around ideas like that! I think moving to fresh grass is a great idea if you can do it without too much ordeal. That's great for the growing season.

You're in cold snow country and there will be no substitute for a sturdy coop and a run that's secure with as much covered area as you can afford. LOL! I live in dreary wet country and there is no such thing as too much covered run, imo. Plus we keep having to leave town for funerals etc and it's nice to know they're safe, contained and easy for someone else to care for if needed. Good luck whatever you decide to do, I hope you keep the thread going!

 

[gtaus]

What a great thread! I love kicking around ideas like that! ...I hope you keep the thread going!

I really like the BYC forums because the people here are so willing to offer their thoughts and advice. I don't know where I will take this concept, but it's great to hear from other people and consider their input.

I did go out and measure the gate opening for the chicken run to see if my garden cart will fit, and it will. Then I remembered that last year someone came into my yard and stole my garden cart. My chicken coop is in my backyard, but visible from the road, where the same type of person might be tempted to steal another garden cart from me. So I think I will maybe get a lock and chain for the cart just to make it a bit more less tempting to steal. These carts cost almost $150.00, so I can't afford to lose them every year. People - probably the worst predators....

 

[gtaus]

Just a little update: I put the garden cart in the chicken run this morning. I raked up all the grass clippings and kitchen scraps from last night and put them in the cart. I also threw a little chicken scratch into the cart to give them something extra to consider. So far, the chicks have warmed up to the cart and are checking it out. They are pecking at the grass clippings from the bottom and sides of the wire mesh. But they have not actually jumped into the cart itself yet. If they don't figure it out by the end of the day, maybe I'll drop down the sides and/or put in a ramp for them to walk up to the sides of the cart. I'll try to post a picture later.

 

[aart]

But they have not actually jumped into the cart itself yet.

Grab a couple and set them up there, they may jump right back down...but they'll go back up.

 

[gtaus]

Success! I put a couple chickens in the cart, but they flew out after a few moments. So I dropped one of the side panels and am using it as a ramp. Within minutes, the chicks were up there scratching around and the chicks below were picking up the stuff that fell on the ground. They also like going underneath the cart for shade.

So it looks like this idea is working out. I don't really want to sacrifice my (wife's) garden cart for the chicken run, so I might build something like it out of 2x4s and wire, using some old lawn mower wheels from a broken down lawn mower. This was a concept design and so far I'm happy with the results. I don't know if you can call it exactly a mobile composting bin, but it is like a small compost pile on wheels.

 

[gtaus]

Grab a couple and set them up there, they may jump right back down...but they'll go back up.

After they get used to going into the cart with the side down, I am sure they will get back in there when I put the side panel back up. My idea is to have the side panels up so when they scratch around the cart looking for things to eat, they do not throw everything out and on to the ground. So, the compost pile gets turned but not spread out everywhere.

 

[gtaus]

I’m following your thread in case anyone has a genius idea.

I don't know if you are still following this thread, but after reading all the responses and thinking about this idea some more, I have refined the concept and came up with using a 4 wheeled garden cart. I don't know if it is a genius idea, but the chicks are really loving it and it accomplishes almost all the goals I had in mind. I guess it's not a true compost pile, but it much closer to what I had in mind and could not express at the start of this thread.

 

[gtaus]

But what I've found from decades of composting is that a BIG pile -- rather than one that could be moved -- is far more effective. I would also imagine that even a small pile -- at least one big enough to generate any heat and real decomposition -- would be pretty heavy and difficult to move. What's more, composting happens not only in the pile but well beneath it as well.

You are, of course, correct. I hope you get a chance to look at the pictures I uploaded here on the refined garden cart idea. I don't suppose it would be proper to call it a compost bin, but it is meeting the goals I had in mind. Right now, I only have a small pile of grass clippings and some kitchen scraps in the cart, but it can hold much more. As for weight, this cart can carry 1,200 lbs., which is much more than I could physically put in the cart. Anyway, when the cart gets full and needs to be dumped out, I'll just bring it down to my "big" garden compost bin and dump it there. Should be good broken down material full of chicken droppings in the cart.