Hi, I have built two 55 gallon drum, "tumbler" composting units to generate much more compost than I have been producing in a ground bin.
My intention is to not only use all household scraps but to shred my now abundant "Amazon" cartons and have arranged with my local Dunkin Donuts shop for coffee grounds.
I have 4 chickens that provide me with poop but can not find "amount" info.
If anyone has experience with something similar, please help.
My main question is how much chicken poop can I regularly add?
I use a poop shelf with a dusting of Pine Shavings. Any and all suggestions re: "Tumbler" blends and use welcome.
Ken
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Vanisle_BC
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I don’t have experience with fresh manure (chicken or others …well, horse manure at one time), but a very generalized recommendation — as I have heard it — is to limit to approx 10% at a time.
I’m also wondering if something like chicken manure might not tend to fall out of the tumbler as it is tumbled?
I’d always thought the method to release your chickens to scratch around in an on-ground compost pile to turn it and “season it” if you will, while giving them a chance to forage for insect protein, etc. was a practical plan — in the video I watched, once the pile was sufficiently worked on, then they kept the birds out for I think over 3 months or maybe longer — whatever the safety margin is — while the pile heated up and fully composted/treated the chicken poop.
I suppose you will be adding a mixture of chicken manure with their bedding, so I guess you could figure the bedding as part of the carbon material, and if you are scraping out the coop, etc. it might be possible to guess the % based on the original bedding weight or volume vs. mixed?
…What material do they use? I imagine that may influence how quickly they might compost down as well as size that would pass through the tumbler holes more easily?
I’m also wondering if something like chicken manure might not tend to fall out of the tumbler as it is tumbled?
I’d always thought the method to release your chickens to scratch around in an on-ground compost pile to turn it and “season it” if you will, while giving them a chance to forage for insect protein, etc. was a practical plan — in the video I watched, once the pile was sufficiently worked on, then they kept the birds out for I think over 3 months or maybe longer — whatever the safety margin is — while the pile heated up and fully composted/treated the chicken poop.
I suppose you will be adding a mixture of chicken manure with their bedding, so I guess you could figure the bedding as part of the carbon material, and if you are scraping out the coop, etc. it might be possible to guess the % based on the original bedding weight or volume vs. mixed?
…What material do they use? I imagine that may influence how quickly they might compost down as well as size that would pass through the tumbler holes more easily?