Composting with Chickens

[sunflour]

I really would like to start composting for my raised gardens next year but need a solution that will appease my hubby.. he does not want an open pile like my dad has and does not want to smell it Any Ideas?

We have been using metal lidded garbage cans with drilled holes. They work and only smell if not aerated or some dumb new chicken owner places manure and thinks it is too dry and hoses it down…was horrible, smelled like sewage in a few days. Yes, I really did that and it is right by my deck. I added shredded paper, aerated and no more smell. There are numerous on line directions on how to do these.

We have a larger area we placed remote from our house out of pallets, supported them with u metal posts for larger garden plants and foundation shrub pruned limbs.

I bought four metal compost posts from Lee Valley Tools, added 4 ' cedar boards and placed it next to my chicken coop this week. I think it will be my best and easiest attempt at compost. Soon as I can decide on fencing, my girls will be doing the aerating.

 

[holm25]

I really would like to start composting for my raised gardens next year but need a solution that will appease my hubby.. he does not want an open pile like my dad has and does not want to smell it Any Ideas?

You could make bins like these .

 

[adventerousone]

Ok so another question.. I have been out pulling the weeds out of my lawn that I read were harmful for chickens should I throw those away or can I add them to my compost without harming my chickens if they forage?

 

[sunflour]

Personally, I don't want to place anything known to be poisonous or harmful in their area. Things we grow - veggies, shrubs, flowers are easy to research, but weed identification is not. I have bought books on weed identification and still cannot identify most of the weeds I pull. So, I place them in a different compost area, just to be safe.


Also, be careful about placing weeds with seeds in any compost piles you plan to use in your gardens. We have always thrown everything in our general compost, used it in our vegetable garden and had sprouts of previous crops and weeds grow all over the place. The veggie sprouts were easy to remove, but the WEEDS are still giving us a hassle even 2 years later. So, now I discard seeding weeds in trash areas or bags to the dump. Still throw veggie discards - seeds and all - in compost.

Eggshells are another issue, we have always just thrown them in the bin, but they do not break down. I read you should rinse and crush if placing in chicken run compost, so I am trying this and see how it does.

 

[adventerousone]

Ok Thank you that is really what I was wanting to know )

 

[papachips]

I have a chicken walk over my compost box between the coop and run....the idea is the poop will enhance the compost strength....any ideas

 

[holm25]

I have a chicken walk over my compost box between the coop and run....the idea is the poop will enhance the compost strength....any ideas

It sounds like a good idea!!