Solitary chicken - need advice

[Angels4]

I hear Bokashi Bran is used as a compost accelerator, and as you know can be mixed in your chooks feed to cut down on the poop oder.

[Egluntyne]

You need to add some"brown" stuff like shredded paper, small twigs etc. You have too much "green" stuff in there .It will just go slimy and putrid.

 

You need to layer it , and add the odd shovelful of good old earth, which is full of useful bacteria and will help activate the heap.

 

Chicken poo will help activate it too. Do you know anywhere where you can get some.

 

Whilst it is probably not practical for you to demolish the existing pile and start again, it might be a good odea to aereate it by giving it a good stir and then start your layering.

 

Human urine is a good activator too.

 

Also if the heap is very dry it needs to be wet a little. A couple of watering cans full should do the trick.

[Matthew]

Hi .. we have a compost bin .. but it isn't doing much composting atm. Had it for a while now, and its full of straw, grass cuttings veg peelings etc .. just doesnt seem to be rotting down very quick.

Any tips to speed it up?

Laura x

 

When did you start composting?

[Lewis]

I have 2 either side of the garden, one in the shade and one in full sun, and the one in the sun seems to compost much quicker, and exactly the same stuff goes into both of them! So that might help you

[chickenanne]

Yep, they like to be hot and damp for quickest rotting. I think turning it over is a really good idea (i.e. stir it about). And adding something with carbon (grass is high notrogen, so needs something more carbon-based to help rotting - so paper, woody stuff (hemcore?) etc).

It also rots quickest if it's on soil which has more worms, bacteria etc in it - maybe the house wall has really poor soil with lots of rubble at its foot?This shouldn't be a disaster, but doesn't help.

It is on soil, isn't it? Not paving slabs or gravel etc?

[AJuff]

I bought a compost stirrer for my compost bin. It turns it over adding air into it. It also brings worms to the top to help out with new stuff. Tt has speeded things along nicely.

[redhotchick]

I quite enjoy taking the plastic bin that holds the compost and moving it along to the next available space. Then filling it up again with the original pile of stuff, at the same time removing any that looks ready. It incorporates lots of air and gives it a good mix. It's useful to have a bit of space to make piles.

I do it about twice a year on a cool day. It feels like a useful thing to do.

I only have one bin, I'm thinking about getting another now.

[Valkyrie]

I can't remember where I read it (either Practical Poultry or Country Smallholder) that a person used to get his/her chickens to turn over their compost before putting it back into the compost bin (or it might have been Bob Flowerdew). The girls give it a good kick about, eat what they want and add more poo to it - saves turning it all over by hand, just s"Ooops, word censored!"e it out the bin and rake it back when the girls have finished.