What do you do with your poopy wood chips and bio-security

[TheSpiceGirls]

I used to put them into the compost bin. But they do take a while to break down.

Then I switched to sand in my house and that issue all went away. Now I use a kitty litter scoop and scoop up the droppings each morning and toss that into the compost.

But then I bought baby chicks back in December. They are on shavings. I don't want those in with the big girls (where my compost bin is located) and really my main concern is all the medicated feed they waste. The feed will mold in the compost bin. So I take the tarp with the pine shavings, wasted feed and poop and scatter it on my side yard where I have a low maintenance, low water yard. I scatter it all around along with all the leaves I've dumped there. Since all the plants there are bushes or shrubs, I'm not worried about the droppings burning anything. And I just let nature take it's course out there.

My chickens are never allowed out in that area as it's outside the backyard and along the sidewalk and street. So I'm not concerned about bio security there.

But if you are concerned about bio security, I would recommend composting thoroughly or tossing into the trash.

 

[202roosterlane]

Well a BIG THANK YOU for all of your replies. I think I will compost it then. Sound easy enough that's for sure. I do change 100% of my shavings/chips monthly and sometimes go in the and do unschedule mantenance. I really amounts to 1 and 1/2 of the (6 cubic meter all together I think

) of the shavings/chips. I am all for what ever saves money. BUT I do want to say, if a chicken comes down sick
(KNOCK ON WOOD) bloody stool etc. it will go on the burn pile instead. I hope I did not jinx myself. So far they have been really healthy.

Thanks again everyone, 202Roosterlane

 

[easteregger96]

Quote:
I do this too. Hasn't killed anything at my house yet. In the warmer months I mix it with the waste from our barn from the cows and pigs and the put it on the garden in the fall. Then during the winter on cleaning days it gets thrown on the garden. We have a really great garden every year. I have never tried it on my flowers though.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Quote:
I am a lazy composter too. I just put it in a big pile with a tarp over the top and then put it on the garden. The wood chips don't break down very quickly, but with the soil we have around here, it provides a good component for loosening it up a bit.

 

[bairo]

Fred's Hens :

Compost it. Simple as that. Within 6 months, it has degraded into pretty much black gold.

x2
Been doing this forever. Yes it is safe to use in vege garden as well. The composting process kills all the bad stuff.​

 

[hallerlake]

I have a three bin composting system. Depending on what kind of shavings I bought (pine take longer to break down than aspen), the shavings may still be pretty much whole, but it makes good mulch. I figure it's good to use when it starts smelling good.

 

[claudicles]

Quote:
If you have a nice hot compost, which you should if you are putting lots of chicken poop in there, the food should not mold, it should decompose like the rest of the stuff in your compost. Does your compost heat up?

Oh BTW, I use deep litter so I just dug out 20 wheelbarrow loads and it went straight around my fruit trees.

 

[kinsey228]

Quote:
I do this too. Hasn't killed anything at my house yet. In the warmer months I mix it with the waste from our barn from the cows and pigs and the put it on the garden in the fall. Then during the winter on cleaning days it gets thrown on the garden. We have a really great garden every year. I have never tried it on my flowers though.

The nitrogen in it is GREAT for green beans and other vegetables ! I haven't tried it on my flowers yet either. Maybe I'll try after the snow melts up here and we thaw out

 

[202roosterlane]