Sooo much pooping

[Burtie14]

Hello everyone!

 

We need a few tips on composting generally and how to get rid of our 'soiled' aubiose.

 

We've had our hens for about 5 months, they mostly live in a walk-in-run, and we have been putting our scooped up daily poop/aubiose in a compost bin. That bin is now full, and we had a look in the bottom to find.... a lot of slightly-brown aubiose. I hadn't been putting anything else into the compost bin - just poopy aubiose. Is there other stuff I should be adding to get it to rot down? Roughly how long will I need to wait before it's ok to sprinkle liberally on the plants?

 

Secondly, we have the problem of our 'deep clean' every couple of months. We end up with about 8 bin liners full of old aubiose, and don't quite know what to do with it. The bin men took it once, but have now started ignoring it. Is there a way of recycling it?? What do other people do?

 

Thanks!

 

Burtie

[Egluntyne]

I freecycle mine. I now have a regular couple of 'customers' who have allotments and eagerly await the next consignment.

[Cinnamon]

Same here....... I have a waiting list for it.

If there is no freecycle / freegle set up by you,let the local allotments know,they will snap it up.

[Daphne]

And any that you put in your own bin needs to be well mixed with other stuff - I'd suggest soft green garden waste and kitchen waste as the aubiose is quite tough. Really it needs to be in layers of equal thickness, make sure you aerate from time to time by sticking the fork in (or transferring to another bin if you can be bothered) and also make sure there's some liquid in there (eg water, left over cold black tea etc) to help the rotting particularly the aubiose. I have 8 bins (for 0.25 acre) and kind of reckon on 9-12 months before I can use it. What happens is that in Spring I get all the rotted stuff out and fling on the veg patches and borders. This is usually the bottom half of the bins. Then what was on the top goes to the bottom of the bin and I might combine several half-rotted bins into one and leave well alone to rot down. I start afresh filling new bins with new material. You could also use in Autumn or use half rotted aubiose/poo as a mulch in Spring if you can hide it away at the back of a border as its not very attractive and you don't have delicate plants for which the poo might be too strong.

[chickencam]

I have some very scary looking fungi growing on the Aubiose in one of my compost bins. They are tall thin and pale with narrow powdery caps???

 

I need to find a way of transporting the rotted stuff to our allotment without making too much mess in the car, any tips?

[Daphne]

We get all sorts of funghi in there too - mostly some sort of shaggy inkcap or miscellaneous elongated mushroomy coloured mushroom. I take it as a good sign - something is growing in my compost

 

Not sure about transporting - I'd put a massive tarp or sheet over the floor and then maybe use those woven plasticky round cyclinder things you get for collecting up leaves or prunings; they squash flat when not in use. I guess trugs and plastic feed sacks are a bit small?

[Cinnamon]

Save up the Aubiose bags,open them carefully & fold them to store.

Just fill them about 3/4 full & tie or use a clip for the top.

They are perfect for people coming to collect the soiled stuff. Feed bags are pretty good too.

[Olly]

I agree with Daphne, you need to add vegetable waste/grass clippings. I've found aubiose composts brilliantly when mixed with lawn clippings, my problem this year has been that the grass didn't grow much due to the long dry spell, and I haven't had enough clippings to mix in. In the winter, I spread it straight onto the borders but don't do this where you have any seedlings as it may be too hot and kill them - it's ideal around trees, or on empty vegetable plots though.

[LottieR]

For transporting it, how about one of those big bags from builders merchants that they deliver sand and stuff in.

[chickencam]

I knew that i had kept my feed bags for a reason, then OH made me throw them away in the spring when he sorted out the summerhouse Never mind plenty more where they came from and the Aubiose bags. I don't get through it that quickly because I only use it in the houses. I have used more recently with my red mite problem, I have been changing their bedding every 3 days trying to break the cycle and it seems to be working.

[dancing cloud]

I have a tumbling composter and put all the used aubiose/similar in that and add water if it looks dry, emptying it when it gets too heavy to turn (about 2/3 full). It doesn't seem to rot down much in the composter though it disappears very quickly once it's put on the beds - and I don't need to worry about spreading it out with 7 willing pairs of feet all very eager to help. Just dump a trug-full and run for cover!