Worm Composting With Chicken Manure And Pine Shavings?

[TheChickenQueen]

I've been looking at doing Worm Composting. And it is all around great sounding so I think I'll give it a try.

But, I would like to know if you can use chicken manure and pine shaving in it as that all around would work the best for disposing of it.

Also if anyone has some tips or anything please share them.

 

[lazy gardener]

That's why I have 2 ears. One to let the nonsense in, one to let it right back out again. You can waste your breath trying to educate them, or you can just say that if they're concerned, they don't need to be eating any of your fresh veggies. That being said, I wouldn't put fresh chicken poo on any crops that I will be eating raw. But if it's composted, or mixed into the soil, covered with mulch, all is good... better than good. Chicken compost is incredible fertilizer!!!

 

[Veg87]

I've been doing vermicomposting long before i got chickens (i'm impatient and regular compost takes too long for me). i personally use earthworms for my chicken poo, and i usually only feed those particular worms chicken poo and carbon (lots of carbon since manure is hot) as i've found that if they are given too many other food options they'll neglect the poo. i've found they fair better in the hotter manure compost than the redworms do (the reds are the best for garden and kitchen scraps, they seem to be much more efficient than the earthworms, the chickens seem to prefer eating the reds too plus i'd feel weird feeding earthworms that mostly eat poo back the the animals the poo came from [and i need as many as possible to take care of all that poo]). i've also read a handful of articles that stated the earthworms do a better job of destroying potentially harmful bacteria in the poo which is important for me because i like to grow a lot of root crops. just my thoughts and experience, hope it helps someone.

oh, i'm not really sure how good the pine shavings would be in qauntity, the acidity might bother the worms. i would include another more plentiful source of more neutral carbon just to be safe, or maybe use aspen bedding instead of pine. it seems people are fairly opinionated on types of shavings that they use. personally, i use sand and sift it frequently. i tried cut straw for a while and it was quickly all over the place where i didnt want it and in the water and food, so i never even considered shaving since i can only assume the same thing would happen but worse... thats just me though, to each their own, do whatever works best for you.

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes they are. You have an active colony of red worms.

 

[lazy gardener]

I don't think that the shavings and manure would be the best combination for worms. The shavings are quite abrasive, and the manure is too hot. They'll move out of the bin if things are too hot for them. A lot of folks use peat moss or shredded newspaper. I use the newspaper because it is free. My worms were harvested from under a pile of cardboard/newspaper in the garden. They've been happy in their bin for 2 winters.

 

[TheChickenQueen]

That's what I was wondering. Thank you.

 

[jruhle]

I use composting worms and they love the chicken litter! I had great results and dug out over 1000lbs of compost this spring and sold half of it and made a nice profit on my chicken poop! Going to plant a nice garden with the rest.

 

[lazy gardener]

So, can you give a bit more information? Were these the red compost worms? Outdoors, in a pile? Or in a bin? I may follow your example and inoculate a pile of litter this summer. But it's pretty rugged, strong ammonia right now. Any one have experience composting litter with PDZ? I'm thinking about using some of that in my coop.

 

[MelissaZeno]

If the chicken litter has time to break down in the compost with both yard waste and veggy food scraps can you use that on all gardens?

 

[lazy gardener]

Absolutely. That is the main reason why I got chickens.