Single hen

[nicholas]

Does anyone have any experience of 'hot composting'? I've been researching what to do with the bark chips and chicken droppings from our run and came across this idea and it sounded ideal. Basically you put the waste into a sealed insulated barrel that has a turning handle. By turning it once a day the waste breaks down more quickly than a normal compost heap and being a sealed unit it wont smell. It all sounds perfect, however the price is putting me off. The leading company Henchman charges £285 for a 340 litre drum, which seems expensive. Does anyone know where I can get one cheaper that is still good quality?

[cherryblossom]

A proper compost heap will get to high temperatures without being sealed. The trick is to add a large amount of compostable material all in one go. And to use different types of stuff.

 

I am studying at an agricultural school where the compost is all done in 3 sided huge thingies, and apparently they catch fire every now and again as they get so hot. They took us on a day trip to a compost 'farm' and they also said it was not uncommon to have fires.

 

I remember going past a compost pile one place I worked when we has been snowed in and the steam coming off it was amazing.

 

The problem with most home compost systems is you just do not produce enough waste in one go, so they never get to the temperature which they would need to to kill weed seeds etc.

 

The turning ones are supposed to be good, because they get more air through the heap, but I wouldn't have thought they were worth spending that much money on.

 

Good luck

[Olly]

That sounds a lot of money! I honestly don't think my compost heap smells, and it's about 80% chicken poop at this time of year as there are no grass cuttings to add to it.

 

I use aubiose in the run, and it composts really well, I should think bark chippings take a while to rot down. I have considered those tumbler ones, and if I were short of space I might think it was worth it, but I just keep adding a new compost bin. I have three now, and the one I haven't touched for a year should be full of lovely crumbly black stuff, going to find out on Sunday!

[Redwing]

How about this one?

 

http://www.scottsofstow.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product1_17055_-1_17627_10551?gcid=S18994x034-compostt&keyword=compost%20tumbler&cm_mmc=PPC-_-Google-_-CompostTumbler-_-compost%20tumbler

[Snowy]

I've found since adding the chicken poo to my compost that it does compost much quicker, there are no smells and it does make lovely compost! I did need another composter though, adding the chicken poo does help to fill them up quicker.

[Charlottechicken]

Wiggly Wigglers used to sell those too

[Happy chickens!]

I was given one of those turning types - was really looking forward to quick compost, but oh dear, what a disappointment!

 

Firstly, they can get heavy and difficult to turn.

Secondly, you can only really half fill, or you don't get much mixing of the compost.

Thirdly the bar in the middle that it rotated around stopped anything long from mixing up, so only any use for small bits of waste

Fourthly they get unbalanced and hard to empty

Finally the nuts rusted after a year or two as did some of the struts......I still use it, wedged upright as a 'normal' compost bin!!

 

Sorry, didn't mean to rant so perhaps my expectations of a compost bin were too high!!

[Chook n Boo Mum]

How about this one?

 

http://www.scottsofstow.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product1_17055_-1_17627_10551?gcid=S18994x034-compostt&keyword=compost%20tumbler&cm_mmc=PPC-_-Google-_-CompostTumbler-_-compost%20tumbler

 

I got one of those on Freecycle yesterday - got it to see if it worked, Happy Chickens experience suggests not, but it was free so I'll give it a go.

 

Sha x

[AJuff]

Just a thought, can hot composters be used to heat a small greenhouse?

[Willow]

We've got a tumbler one halfway down the garden and 4 large wooden bins at the end. We had the tumbler in our previous garden as it was too small for a permanent compost bin but it had a tendency to get slimy there as it was more grass cuttings than anything else. Now I find it works very well to 'start off' the compost. We chuck everything in the tumbler first and evey few weeks transfer a couple of wheelbarrow loads from it to the large bins at the end of the garden.

[Olly]

Just a thought, can hot composters be used to heat a small greenhouse?

 

Yes I believe they can, I've seen this somewhere - try looking on the Newhouse Farm (formerly It's not Easy Being Green) website. I'm sure someone, possibly Dick Strawbridge himself, piled up compost to warm the greenhouse.

[chickenanne]

Compost does rot much quicker if you turn it: personally I give it a good stir with a garden fork every week or so in the summer, and much less often when the weather is cooler. I reckon that should to the trick, and does save huge £££ on one of the drum ones. (would you really turn it daily? I know there's no chance I would).

[Chook n Boo Mum]

I'm not turning mine daily & it's sitting beside the cubes

 

Sha x