elpolloloco! Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 hi, will adding all the chicken poo and dirty straw to my compost bin mean i have to add anything else to neutralise it?? or just dig it into the veg plot in spring as normal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I was listening to a gardening programme on Radio 4 yesterday and they were talking about composting poo actually not chicken poo, but they mentioned that it covered all animal and poultry waste. It is really important to make sure that it has composted right down so it looks like earth, non-composted poo is very corrosive apparently and will kill off plants. My compost bin is completely full now and doesn't seem to be doing what it is supposed too I am going to have to buy a second bin and just hope that when the warmer weather arrives it will heat up the contents of the bins Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 My compost bin is completely full now and doesn't seem to be doing what it is supposed too I am going to have to buy a second bin and just hope that when the warmer weather arrives it will heat up the contents of the bins Tessa Male urine is an excellent compost activator. If your other half is too shy to go an dpee in the bin, get him to pee in a jug or bottle and then go and pour it on. When your new bin arrives, empty the old one into it. By doing this you will turn the compost and aerate it, which will also help. Also, turning it in this way gves you the opportunity to put extra material in, so if it's a bit wet then you can put some dry material in. Finally, cover the compost with a piece of old carpet. PS Female urine doesn't work. Too much oestrogen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 My compost bin is full too. If i empty it out, turn it over and put it back in the bin again it reduces by a third!! A bit of a messy, smelly job but better than a garden full of bins!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Put a good shovelful of earth, and some paper in between the layers of poo, straw etc. Cover it to keep it warm and dry. Stir it every couple of weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Stir it every couple of weeks. The stuff in my bin is packed solid I couldn't possibly stir it neither could I tip it out, I am not strong enough to tip it over When the new bin arrives, 8 quid from the council, bargain I will get Son No. 1 who is a landscape gardner and strong as an ox to transfer some from the old bin into the new one, might have to buy him a drink or two I do try and layer the compost, kitchen and garden waste in between poo layer, I will try putting a shovelful of earth in and covering it with a piece of carpet. DH swears up and down that he pees in it Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 DO you put dog poo in the compost bin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 DO you put dog poo in the compost bin? No....it could be dangerous. The heaps in the UK don't get hot enough for long enough to kill the bacteria and possible parasites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 DO you put dog poo in the compost bin? No, for the same reason as Egluntine gave. You can buy special dog poo bins which are buried in the soil in the garden you put the poo in and some special stuff, sorry to be vague but I saw it ages ago on Groundforce, and the poo gets treated and composts the garden. I have often thought about buying one as I dog poo pick, put it in a plastic bag and then walk with a big bag of poo to the local park and deposit it in the the special poo bin What does everyone else do with their dog poo? Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisnrob Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Chris got one of these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290197418048 and says that it helps speed the bin up. We got ours from CAT for £4.99 but they don't do them any more Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 You can put shredded paper (or just scrunched up newspaper) in to your compost bin, it will let a bit of air get in between the layers which helps it to 'digest'. Chicken poo is particularly 'hot', it needs to rot down well or it can burn the plants, although if you've got an empty bit of garden, say a veg patch waiting for spring, you can just dig it in and let it rot there. both my bins are nearly full, every time I go to empty the poo trays I think 'will it fit', but I'm looking forward to spring with eager anticipation when I start getting the compost out - the bottom layer is a year old, and should be lovely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 WitchHazel wrote: PS Female urine doesn't work. Too much oestrogen What about post-menopausal women??? I put all my chicken waste in the compost, along with the shavings, hay and poo from my rabbit. It makes the most fabulous compost. But, as others have said, it is important to aerate it by turning the heap or forking into another bin to really get the process going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 WitchHazel] wrote: PS Female urine doesn't work. Too much oestrogen What about post-menopausal women??? Not enough testosterone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 I noticed yesterday that I have something living in my smallest most established compost bin. There are tunnels in it and it has been turned over by the tunnelling and I have a nasty feeling that it may be a rat so I will have to be brave and empty it out and try with the help of my good for nothing felines to get rid of him. On the plus side the compost that has been brought to the surface looks great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 dog poo goes in nappy bags and then into the council red poo bins, they incinerate it properly. I have dug a runfull of hemcore straight into my allotment this winter and it is decomposing nicely - my compost bin is full too!! Going to grow spuds on that bit this season and they are pretty bomb proof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Not enough testosterone? Good point Egluntine! Well my compost seems to do OK without either, but still working on OH to pee in the garden to keep the foxes at bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 My normal compost bin doesn't seem to be evolving much either, and is getting quite full... I was assuming it was to do with the colder weather... it's a bit like putting things in the fridge really... I have not long ago acquired another one, which you can roll around on a stand to mix the stuff, and it does work better... like others, I couldn't possibly stir the contents of the stand up bin... though both bins, and the wormery (good thing we have a large garden!!) don't seem to do much at this season... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 We have loads of the stripy worms in the most established of our bins and they either hibernate or die off at this time of the year but as soon as the weather warms up the bin contents suddenly reduce by about half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Ooh, stripy worms, I'll swap them for some spotty slugs we found in our compost heap last year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 coffee grouts also make good compost. I believe that Starbucks provide bags of used grouts free if you ask them. See here for more info http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=206846&highlight=starbucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 They don't give it to you if you ask. They only give it to you if they have a basket out for it - I know a couple of Startbucks that do give out grouts and have a basket near the counter but whenever I've not seen a basket and asked I've been told they don't do that a this branch. Chelsmford do thoug so we always pick some up in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 You can also get a dog poo wormery. Although some people just set up a seperate wormery for dog poo. According to my composting with worms book these are really popular down under. http://www.amazon.co.uk/JUST-GREEN-PET-CONVERTER-WORMERY/dp/B000OR61C0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 DO you put dog poo in the compost bin? No, for the same reason as Egluntine gave. You can buy special dog poo bins which are buried in the soil in the garden you put the poo in and some special stuff, sorry to be vague but I saw it ages ago on Groundforce, and the poo gets treated and composts the garden. I have often thought about buying one as I dog poo pick, put it in a plastic bag and then walk with a big bag of poo to the local park and deposit it in the the special poo bin What does everyone else do with their dog poo? Tessa I pick it up from the garden and turf it into the field behind the house - there are sheep and horses and loads of poo anyway!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 What does everyone else do with their dog poo? We pick it up in the garden and bin it but in the woods I always pick it up (unless it's right off the path and wouldn't be trodden on) but put it under bushes or in amongst tree roots where it's out of reach of feet/children . I'm hoping it's more environmentally friendly to let it biodegrade naturally then leave it stewing in a plastic bag in landfill ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
