Using Chickens to Make Compost

So do you want chickens for the eggs or for compost? Today we're going to make a compost chicken ring. All right, I got this ring set up with some zip ties and these pieces of these logs were already in the chicken run and I kind of just put them on both sides just to kind of help the chickens be able to jump over to get to it faster even though they don't need them to get in there but I think it'll kind of encourage them to kind of help get in there and scratch and do the work for us. I really just do a deep cleaning in the coop once a year because I do deep litter method. I just keep piling on material whether it's hay or pine shavings and I mean you could even do leaves actually if that's what you got but I kind of just kind of I did not do a very good job tying this up. I need to we need to work on this system but at least I've got it pulled up a little so that I can rake better under there to get the bedding out and they really want to know what I'm doing. We got two rubbermaid totes of the bedding from inside the coop and oops so I just scared the heck out of the chickens. Bless their hearts. Anyway, we're gonna wet this down good just kind of help start the breaking down and then I'm gonna go get my husband cut the bagged up some grass for me yesterday and there's also some leaves. I'm gonna bring that in. I'm gonna put that in here next and we're just gonna keep layering. Now we're gonna wet this down. I'm gonna wet this down really well. Got two more rubbermaids of the bedding. Chickens are very interested in those bubbles. Bubbles, you're interested? She's gotta have some waters. She's a sweet girl. I'm gonna wet this down real good too. Just did another layer of leaves and grass clippings so it looks like a lasagna here. I'm gonna do one more big layer of the chicken bedding and let them start working on it. I'm hoping this works. I've never let my chickens have as many grass clippings. My only concern is if they eat too much of it and get it like you know the compacted crop things I've heard of but I haven't experienced it. I hope we don't but anyway I have had them help me make compost like this before just not with glass grass clippings just with leaves and the bedding. So the rest of the bedding from the coop we will put into the run. I like to keep bedding leaves whatever I have and I'll put the old bedding into the run just for some carbon out here to keep the flies at bay and when it rains so it doesn't get washed out and every now and then I keep it really thick in their covered run and every now and then I will harvest some of the dirt under it because it's really good stuff and I'll kind of sprinkle it on my beds in the garden. Are you playing bubbles? Does that feel good? I came out of the coop with more bedding and they're already at it and I forgot to add that I will also throw food compost and kind of bury it in there too daily and also what I don't put in the actual run I will put in that bin over there. This has been breaking down for a while and I've just been leaving it be I need to stir it again because it's actually getting really good in there and I'll be able to put that on the beds this fall and that bedding over there can break down for it'll take probably 10 months or so usually to break down on its own without help from the chickens although right now the baby chicks are coming over and into the compost they can still fit through the fence but they're about not able to do that and the reason I'm not stirring the stuff up with my pitchfork is because the chickens are going to do the work chickens love they get bored and they'll cause trouble if they don't have activities so anything you can add to their run for them to do and this is a job so we're giving them a job here and they're going to help us make some compost I'll keep y'all posted on how it goes I think I have room for maybe a little bit more in here because this is going to fall down a lot you wouldn't think it will but it will. I wanted to add there is some hay in here too so it's not just pine shavings whenever you're doing this kind of thing it's important to kind of cover your nose I didn't have a mask so I'm kind of using one of my husband's neck gaiters that he uses when he goes fishing so just because the dust gets really bad and you don't want to be breathing that in I think we can get one more in the ring and the rest like I said we're going to dump in the run and in the compost bin over there I think that's about it for today I'm going to keep y'all posted on how the chicken compost ring goes and hopefully we're going to end up with some great compost thanks for hanging out with me and have a beautiful day