Thinking about composting...need advice

[chickyboomboom]

So as I'm researching and understanding, you shouldn't use worms and chicken manure together? I only have 5 chickens so it's not so much manure, so I thought the worms would help... but it seems like the amount of ammonia would kill the worms? I use sand as bedding, no pine shavings.

 

[yinzerchick]

I have 2 piles. I put all the manure from the goats, donkeys and chickens in, plus all veggie scraps from the kitchen, weeds, leaves, dead flowers, etc... I never use dairy or meat, just don't think it's worth the hassle. I let my chickens do all the mixing for me. They turn it into great looking compost! I haven't had to deal with the donkey manure in the pasture at all, I love how they run over and scratch it all up and leave me easy to manage broken up compost material! Coffee grounds, tea bags and even the filters can go in too, along with egg shells. Unless you're using them else where.
Mine does tend to get on the dry side, we are drought stricken and I don't feel like dragging the hose way out there. It never stinks, but I think it has a very mushroomy smell.
Don't know if it's the "correct" way, but it's the way I do it, and seems to work pretty well. Good luck!

 

[OwensMom]

I compost alot and use a ComposTumbler(brand name). It is a barrel with a handle. Makes great compost, My chicken manure is full of pine shavings and my compost is light and fluffy. The misconception about pine shavings is that they rob nitrogen. While it is true that the breakdown of pine shavings uses nitrogen, pine shavings break down slowly over years thus using nitrogen slowly over time. In my opinion, the addition of pine shavings makes terrific compost.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You don't need to add the worms. If you get your mix of browns to greens and the moisture close, it will heat up. The heat would kill the worms. In the tumbler bin, you do not need them. Don't worry about worms.

Some people keep worm bins where they feed the vegetable scraps to the worms. That is a different concept. it is not what you are talking about doing.

If you keep the compost in a heap on the ground like yinzerchick and I do, the worms will find it.

It is not a misconception. Pine shavings and any other browns tie up available nitrogen during the composting process. Some tie up more nitrogen than others. Wood shavings are slow to compost, some wood shavings slower than others, but once they are composted, the compost is very good. Once the composting process is over, that nitrogen is available for plants to use.

Something else to remember. The smaller pieces (more surface area) they are in, the faster they compost. Pine wood shavings compost a lot faster than pine wood chips.

 

[Kazzandra]

I use cedar and pine shavings with my chickens and have my compost in relatively open piles with fencing keeping them in the piles. The eastern red cedar takes a while to decompose, but it keep mites away and makes me WANT to go in the chicken coop.

It does rob the manure of nitrogen, but it is chicken manure, which is probably too rich to begin with. I usually let the mostly cedar shavings decompose for about three months and then use them as mulch with fertilizing benefits!

This fencing around the compost can be crossed by the chickens. Why? Because the chickens do most of the work for me-- they turn the compost searching for worms and maggots. I may not allow this circumstance if I wasn't in a third of an acre with all pests and birds scared away by our very close presence. There's very little chance of parasite pick-up, and I treat them regularly anyway.

A year ago, I thought this was unhealthy for my birds so I closed up the compost, but not in a closed-air bin. That was the year of the flies. I didn't even think about all of the bugs that the chickens had been eating out of the compost. And they begged and begged until I gave in and gave them back their sand pile. XD

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
I don't think I would use cedar shavings as bedding for poultry.
Cedar shavings are high in phenols (the stuff that makes them smell good). Phenols are caustic, poisonous, acidic compounds that cause constant irritation to the nasal passages, throat, and lungs of some animals (humans included).

I know that I wouldn't use it (cedar shavings) in the garden.

Chris

 

[chicshackmama]

We have a black barrel that rolls and sets in a frame. My 5 yo son takes our compost out each evening as one of his chores. I have a small silver bucket with a lid in the kitchen. I put egg shells, coffee grounds, nut shells and all veggie and fruit scraps in there that I do not give to our chickens or guinea pigs. When we clean the chicken coop that goes in there as well with the pine shavings from the coop. When it is full we lock down the lid and let it brew. Then my husband mixes it with pine straw from our trees and throws in on our garden beds. I also have noticed- when I am changing the chicken water each day I always pour it on flowers in my yard and the chickens do get their mess in the water. Those plants go crazy with growth so it must be the chicken poo!

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

We follow these rules here in Ohio to compost day-to-day poultry mortality on the big farms around here.
http://www.epa.state.oh.us/portals/34/document/guidance/gd_666.pdf
It seems to work well and everyone is happy.
You might find a thing or two that is useful for a scaled down version. For years I used three wodden pallates wired together on a concrete slab and turned the manure and litter fairly often with a shovel. Everyone wanted the compost as it had several different types of litter in it and seem to do well for garden and flower propogation. Mrs. Awwiler was my favorite "customer". She paid for the compost with peanut butter cookies.

 

[classicsredone]

Worms will get the heck out of Dodge if you add them to fresh manure. Once the manure has composted some and isn't "hot", it is okay to use worms. I learned by adding some from our chicks to the worm bin...and then I wondered why there was a mass exodus.

 

[kareninthesun]

I have a big barrel composter with a handle. I put anything that is not meat related or has greasein/on it inside. Since I mow once a week, every two weeks the clippings go in, along with the veggie/fruit scraps (I organically grow produce). Set aside all things relalated to corn for mulch layering, along with newsprint. Junk mail goes through the shredder then dumped in the composter along with yard clippings, things raked. The composter stays where it gets the most sun, kept damp inside. I use deep layered hay in the coop, add extra every morning. When changing, make sure what you use from the chickens is completely dry. Wet materials from chickens applied to plants will burn them. Adding hay to the composter seems to help break all down faster. Normally, depending on the internal heat of the composter(about 160 degrees) will kill most negative bacteria. I also apply (twice monthly) layers of clipped dried out grass on the plants. Retains moisture, cuts way down on weeding, a soft mattress for vine foods and nitrogen. Don't use it around tomatos until the weather is consistently warm, same with tomatillos and peppers. Artichokes, all squash, corn, all onions love and go crazy with this. No chemicals!