I have a plan

I am going to have to start all over on my composting. But at least we are moving to a place big enough that I can rotate my gardens. I have been piling bags of leaves in the fall in the chicken coop and run-they are my composters. I dig it out in the spring and add more leaves. Moving-going to have to rethink this process.

Do you add leaves in the spring where you are going to plant?

Gardening with Rabbits said:

Do you add leaves in the spring where you are going to plant?

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No, I have always put them in the chicken coop and run for them to break the leaves down for me. Now that we are moving to acreage, I might go to hoop coop style chicken tractors and rotate my garden. Cleaning the coop for the tiny garden I had wasn't that much work, but for a bigger garden, I have to do something different.

bay, I've always been interested in how you use those leaves in the coop. By coop do you mean run? Do the leaves and pieces fly out of the wired run? Do you have leaves year round to add? I find that I only have leaves in the fall. Every fall I have the good intention to round up leaves in the neighborhood but it doesn't happen. Even if it did, I have no space to store them. How many bags of leaves do you use in a year? I'm wondering how many I would need for my small coop. Any ideas? Right now the coop is wet and soil packed. I've tried leveling the ground with a shovel and I keep hitting poop! When it was built about 4 years ago I added 6 bags of sand for drainage. But when it rains it smells. I'm going to buy tarps and cover it for when it rains. There was a small section that bumps out that didn't have a roof and boy did it make a mess in there!

Mary

Mary dig out your coop, use your compost on the garden and flower beds. Resand your coop and start over. That should take care of the smell. In the fall, pile leaves in 3 feet deep. They don't blow out and your girls will have a blast in them. It won't take long for them to reduce 3 feet to 6 inches. You can add leaves all winter as long as you can find any. Dig out in spring and put in sand for the summer. I put leaves in the coop and run.

bay, I can't put the stuff that's in the coop because the poop hasn't broken down. It's too fresh. I guess I can add it to my compost bin though.

Mary

@ninnymary you can use wood chips, but they take way too long to break down for compost, that's why I like leaves so well. I have the room to stake up some bags for the spring cleanout, so not a problem for me.

This coming fall, try the leaves in the coop/run and let the girls go to work on them. Does anybody in your neighborhood mow the grass with a clippings catcher? Maybe you could put the clipped grass in the coop, the girls would enjoy that too.

@ninnymary, to help control the odor of the wet droppings/sand mix you can add some diatomaceous earth (DE) to the area. I always put it in my coop under the new bedding and then periodically sprinkle it on top. Or you can pick up a bag of Sweet PDZ at the feed store next time you get feed. It absorbs stall oders and works great in the chicken area.
It's totally safe for animals and gardens.

Thistle, I do use DE occasionally inside the enclosed area where they roost. I scrape the vinly floor everyday so I don't use chips. I used to sprinkle it on the coop ground. I guess I need to go back to that. It just seemed that it didn't last there very long since they are walking all around it.

Mary