Question: wood chips from coop and composting

[5 Points Wingfeather]

I just made this compost pile today and for “brown stuff” I used leaves and cardboard like normal but I also used wood chips that were used in the chicken coop for a couple months and then sat out in a pile and got rained on for another month. So they were much more broken down than wood shavings right out of a bag from the store. Will all the chicken poop on them be too much nitrogen for my pile? Since they are broken down a lot already does that affect how good or bad they will be as a source of “brown stuff” for my pile?



Thanks for any advice. We have sort of composted before but this is first time I’ve gotten serious about it and am going to try for “hot compost”

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

That's a good looking pile!

They'll probably be OK, especially with some added leaves and cardboard. Give it a few days to get cooking, and then turn a little bit. If you get a strong odor, add more leaves/cardboard. Otherwise, you're probably good to go.

 

[5 Points Wingfeather]

That's a good looking pile!

They'll probably be OK, especially with some added leaves and cardboard. Give it a few days to get cooking, and then turn a little bit. If you get a strong odor, add more leaves/cardboard. Otherwise, you're probably good to go.

Thank you! I plan on stirring maybe on Monday and see what it looks like.

I know you can stir it about every day—but how often should I water it

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Thank you! I plan on stirring maybe on Monday and see what it looks like.

I know you can stir it about every day—but how often should I water it

You don't HAVE to stir it every day...once a week is probably fine.

As far as water, I'd say when you stir it up if it feels dry, water it. If you live in a dry region or have dry stretch, maybe check it a couple times a week.

 

[5 Points Wingfeather]

You don't HAVE to stir it every day...once a week is probably fine.

As far as water, I'd say when you stir it up if it feels dry, water it. If you live in a dry region or have dry stretch, maybe check it a couple times a week.

Thank you so much. I’m in Mississippi so we definitely have hot and dry spells

 

[5 Points Wingfeather]

A week in and it was smoking today. Feeling good about it.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

A week in and it was smoking today. Feeling good about it.

Awesome! Sounds like you’re on the right track!

 

[gtaus]

Will all the chicken poop on them be too much nitrogen for my pile? Since they are broken down a lot already does that affect how good or bad they will be as a source of “brown stuff” for my pile?

Nice compost pile you have going there.

As far as too much nitrogen from chicken poo, I would say that as long as your compost pile does not smell like a pile of poo, then you should be OK. If your compost pile smells bad, it is almost always too much "green" material and you just need to add more "brown" material to the pile to bring it into balance.

I know some people use poop boards under the roosting bar, and then scoop up that poo into a bucket. That would really be some highly concentrated poo. I use a deep bedding approach and my chicken poo is mix in with lots and lots of dry bedding material (wood chips, leaves, shavings, paper shreds, etc....). I throw out my old bedding directly into the chicken run and just let it cold compost in place for about 6 months. If you are using a hot compost pile, turning it more frequently, and keeping it moist, then I suspect you could use the chicken poo compost much earlier.

Chicken poo is considered a great manure source for composting, but it does need some time to "cool" down before applying to your garden. Contrast that to rabbit pellets (poo) that can be used immediately in the garden. I would certainly encourage you to continue using your chicken poo in your composting system.

I turned my chicken run into a chicken run composting system, where I dump all my grass clippings, leaves, weeds from the lawn and garden, spent coop bedding with chicken poo, etc.. The chickens will naturally scratch and peck in the chicken run compost litter, turning and mixing the material, breaking it down, allowing it to cold compost in about 6 months. Then I can harvest the chicken run compost for use anywhere I want.

Over the past 3 years, I have built up more stored compost in the chicken run then I can use at one time. So, by the time I harvest some chicken run compost from the chicken run, I could use it directly in the garden. My finished chicken run compost has aged enough on its own and I don't worry about it being too hot for use.

The same principle applies to my pallet compost bins. I have enough pallet compost bins so that by the time I harvest the oldest bin, it has aged enough to use directly in the garden. I fill my pallet compost bins with excess material, or stuff I don't want to go into the chicken run, and just let it sit for a year or longer. I don't turn my pallet compost bins. I harvest the bin when the compost is ready. I currently have 5 pallet compost bins and just harvest compost from the oldest bin. In my case, I fill up maybe only 1-2 pallet compost bins a year. Most of my compost material goes into the chicken run.

You have a great looking compost pile started there. As long as you let it age for some time, you should have some great compost. Turning the pile more frequently, letting it heat up, and repeating that process will allow you to use that compost sooner. I hope you follow up in the future and let us know how well your composting system is working for you. Everyone lives in different climates, so I always like to hear what works from them where they live (I live in northern Minnesota - cold climate composting).

 

[gtaus]

A week in and it was smoking today. Feeling good about it.

View attachment 3135525

That's fantastic! If you want to monitor your compost pile temps, I would suggest getting a Compost Thermometer like the one I got from Amazon. It has a 20 inch probe to stick it way down into the compost pile to get a good reading of the heat in the center of the pile. If you want to do hot composting, then you will want to monitor the temp of the pile, because when the pile cools down, that is when you would turn it and add more water to heat everything back up again. A compost thermometer is not required, but I think the thermometer helps to monitor how well your system is cooking.

Although I bought this thermometer, I mainly just use a cold composting system and that means I really don't have to monitor the temps. I just let the compost sit for months longer.

 

[HensInTheForest]

Nice compost pile you have going there.

As far as too much nitrogen from chicken poo, I would say that as long as your compost pile does not smell like a pile of poo, then you should be OK. If your compost pile smells bad, it is almost always too much "green" material and you just need to add more "brown" material to the pile to bring it into balance.

I know some people use poop boards under the roosting bar, and then scoop up that poo into a bucket. That would really be some highly concentrated poo. I use a deep bedding approach and my chicken poo is mix in with lots and lots of dry bedding material (wood chips, leaves, shavings, paper shreds, etc....). I throw out my old bedding directly into the chicken run and just let it cold compost in place for about 6 months. If you are using a hot compost pile, turning it more frequently, and keeping it moist, then I suspect you could use the chicken poo compost much earlier.

Chicken poo is considered a great manure source for composting, but it does need some time to "cool" down before applying to your garden. Contrast that to rabbit pellets (poo) that can be used immediately in the garden. I would certainly encourage you to continue using your chicken poo in your composting system.

I turned my chicken run into a chicken run composting system, where I dump all my grass clippings, leaves, weeds from the lawn and garden, spent coop bedding with chicken poo, etc.. The chickens will naturally scratch and peck in the chicken run compost litter, turning and mixing the material, breaking it down, allowing it to cold compost in about 6 months. Then I can harvest the chicken run compost for use anywhere I want.

Over the past 3 years, I have built up more stored compost in the chicken run then I can use at one time. So, by the time I harvest some chicken run compost from the chicken run, I could use it directly in the garden. My finished chicken run compost has aged enough on its own and I don't worry about it being too hot for use.

The same principle applies to my pallet compost bins. I have enough pallet compost bins so that by the time I harvest the oldest bin, it has aged enough to use directly in the garden. I fill my pallet compost bins with excess material, or stuff I don't want to go into the chicken run, and just let it sit for a year or longer. I don't turn my pallet compost bins. I harvest the bin when the compost is ready. I currently have 5 pallet compost bins and just harvest compost from the oldest bin. In my case, I fill up maybe only 1-2 pallet compost bins a year. Most of my compost material goes into the chicken run.

You have a great looking compost pile started there. As long as you let it age for some time, you should have some great compost. Turning the pile more frequently, letting it heat up, and repeating that process will allow you to use that compost sooner. I hope you follow up in the future and let us know how well your composting system is working for you. Everyone lives in different climates, so I always like to hear what works from them where they live (I live in northern Minnesota - cold climate composting).

Is it too late to start this in our run this year? 6 months cold composting?

Run is done this weekend we have piles of dry leaves, pine needles and a small amount of used shavings - just 3 bales full that's soiled was going to compost in a side area until reading this today.

Mn here as well!

Assume we should remove the pinecone. . .