New to Composting - Lots of questions

[jomoncon]

I'm pretty new to composting & seem to be confused about some things. I recently got 8 chickens & with all their poop, realized that I should compost it for use in my gardens. Since I don't have any trees, I've picked up about 20 bags of leaves from my neighbors. So I have chicken poop, leaves, & some chicken scraps. I also bought a large plastic compost bin from Sams.

Here are my questions. Everything I've read says to put all your material at once in the compost pile. Well, I get about 2 gallons of chicken poop per week, and I add that, along with am equal amount of leaves and kitchen scraps. I keep the pile watered, and kind of turn it around inside the bin with a fork. But there's no way I can't fill the entire composter at once. I've been doing this for about 2 months now.

Will this eventually turn into compost that I can use? Will it just take longer since I'm not adding everything at once? I guess sooner or later I'll fill the bin up & then can I just let it sit until done? I feel kind of lost about what I'm doing. Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[patandchickens]

"Start it all at once" just isn't possible in a lot of situations. If you only get a bit of chicken poo at a time, well, that's just the way it IS (well unless you want to acquire a whole big lot more chickens... LOL)

Really the only consequence is that you can't make your pile heat up as hot or as quickly. So you have less ability to kill off weed seeds or pathogens with heat.

(But frankly even with doing it all at once, you have to be really religious about turning the compost frequently and *properly* if you want to ensure that ALL the "outside" material gets its turn on the inside of the pile for long enough and hot enough, and it's real easy for some to get missed.)

The stuff will still compost just fine. Don't worry about it. In fact it is basically-impossible, short of an icehouse, to PREVENT stuff from composting. It's only a question of how long it takes and the *details* of how it ends up.

The main thing, if you want usable compost in a reasonable time frame, is to make sure that your C:N ratio is vaguely reasonable. That means not too much high-nitrogen stuff (fresh greens, or straight chicken poo) and not too much high-carbon stuff (chicken bedding, leaves, shredded paper, etc). But if you are not in a hurry then there is no need to even worry about THAT if you don't want to. Eventually everything composts

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[hoodat]

You can make a real project out of compost or just take the relaxed aproach, as I do. Getting a nice hot pile is great but sometimes easier said than done. My point is that no matter what you do organic material will eventually turn into compost so long as it has some moisture. The problem with leaves is that, because of their shape and texture, they will mat down like the thatch on an old fashioned roof and shed moisture instead of absorbing it. Try to turn the pile as often as possible to break up that mat.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

I have never "put everything in at once". I do not use any kind of container - I use 4 piles way in the back of our property. Just about every day something new is added to the newest pile. Any kitchen vegetable scraps that the chickens don't get go into the compost pile. We don't bag our grass when we mow but I do bag some for the chickens and the compost once a week. In the fall I grind up leaves with the mower and pile them onto the compost. I use a pitchfork to turn the pile about three or four times a year. I really do not worry about the compost piles at all. They do their own thing without my help and the compost turns out great. Oh yeah, I have a gallon milk bottle in my shop and when nature calls I use it for #1 and about once a week I dump about a gallon of urine on the new pile.

We have made a compost sifter with 1x4 boards for a frame and 1/4" hardware cloth for the screen. The fines go for DW's flower gardens and all the rest goes into my vegetable gardens.

I think that one thing is key to my compost success - my compost is at least 3 yr. old when I use it. Remember I have 4 piles and use only one each year.

Relax and enjoy playing with your compost. Put everything under the sun in it as long as it's from a plant. No meat, fat, oil, dog or cat poop. And obviously no chemicals. Human urine may seem gross but it is an excellent source of ammonia.

 

[Warthog]

Yes it will compost down eventually, unless you are in a hurry for it, I wouldn't worry, just let it do it's thing. You mentioned putting chicken scraps in. Do you mean left over bits of chicken meat/bones?

Some people do put meat in, I don't, I don't want the bother of rats etc. You could always feed the chicken bits back to the chickens, again I no some would not approve of this, I don't, but my chicken scraps go to the dogs.

Just do what works for you.

Mine just gets thrown into a big heap, and to be honest I don't turn it that much.

 

[vfem]

Yep... I'm a lazy composter too! I just toss it in a pile and turn it once in a blue moon.

Somehow I still end up with a nice pile of black stuff.

I think when you think about it the least, it does the most. Or at least that's my view.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

. . . I think when you think about it the least, it does the most . . .

Yup, that has been my experience also.

 

[shadetech]

best treatise on composting is IMHO
by Joseph Jenkins and has an online link to his book for free. I guess when I'm a member in good standing I can post the link without it being spam. Though it has to do with "night soil" it is a very interesting read.
Simple, no turning, build on 1 pile each year and use the next. Not necessary to add human wastes as many would cringe at the thought.

Nice blog, been reading for a while and thought I would join. Always willing and looking to learn more.

henry