Compost pile...in chicken run

[Anny]

Does any one on here have a compost bin/pile inside of their chicken run???

I was trying to figure out if I could do something like this with out it getting gross.

The chickens would shift thru the pile turning and mixing it and eating all the goodies as they go. Is this a good idea or could it get really gross really fast??

 

[robbobbin]

Hi, I do not have an enclosed run, I freerange my flock. But I do have my compost near my coop and my chickens do exactly as you'd think. They help the pile immensely-imo
I know they eat some of the pile-but it's a even trade as far as I'm concerned.
I say-go for it.

 

[blurose]

When I free ranged my flock several years ago I set up my compost bin (3 wood pallets screwed together keeping it open on the front side) across the driveway from the henhouse. My chickens made routine visits to the compost bin, churned up the makings and kept it well mixed. It was sure fun to watch them do all of the "hard labor" involved in composting.

 

[patandchickens]

They say (you know, "They" ) that it can be risky giving chickens access to a real compost pile b/c they may eat spoiled food or inhale too many mold spores. I have no practical experience with this one way or the other but I don't think I'd do it myself except with truly freerange chickens that had enough other things to do with their time that they wouldn't be so likely to overindulge in the compost pile.

One sort of intermediate position that works for me, though, is to toss stuff into the chicken pen as it becomes available, and let them pick and nibble and scratch and dismember and POO at it for a few weeks (or even longer I guess) til you have a well-thrashed well-manured layer of dead organics that can then be forked out and put on the real compost pile. Lather rinse repeat.

Pat

 

[akyramoto]

i used to have a system where the chickens would break down the straw that they have in the coop.

first the straw starts out in the coop, then the next i push it out to the middle of the run - pile it up, they break it down, I'd do that for about a week or so. Everyday going out & raking it into a pile again. Fresh straw is put in the coop. the next week everything moves down, the stuff in the middle goes to the end, the stuff from the coop goes to the middle.

the chickens ended up getting the straw broken down from12" or more 'stalks' to about 2" or 3" long. and the poo was all mixed in.

then it'd go to my compost pile for more composting.

it worked well when I had an actual run for the chickens.