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I want to start composting. At the moment I make leaf mulch but that it is about it. We have a green bin and grass cuttings etc go into that for recycling. Meat based waste ends up in labrador tummies and green veg/fruit waste goes to the chooks.

From the kitchen we usually have spare - potato/brussels peelings, bread and odd dinner leftovers from a toddler.
From the house we have plenty of newspaper (some used for chooks), and wipey towel sheets (although these have detergent on them).
From the chooks - I have poop on straw. Nest boxes full of woodshavings.

There are a couple of ponios (not mine) in the field behind us, so I have access to manure.

I can't make an open composter as such as we have to really be uber careful about rats. Do you think I could use one of those barrel type composters with this type of waste and turn it etc? Should I use all that I have mentioned above? Can anyone recommend a particularly good composter that maybe Father Christmas might pop down the chimney?

Sorry if this sounds all a bit obvious but I am not too sure where to start. The chicken poop takes a year to break down doesn't it ???and the pony poop longer? - would I shove all this in the same composter.....

Thanks all

Hi Moola - I'm no expert but it sounds like you are trying to do several different kinds of composting. Reading through recommendations on the vine, leaves are composted on their own in a wire container and can take up to a year to rot down.
Your green bin will take layers of grass cuttings, kitchen veg waste (no meat or cooked food) and I add horse poo, (I only get small bags of stable manure) shredded paper and annual weeds, trimmings etc as and when. If it is all rotting a bit slowly the chicken poop will speed it up (I get the pelleted stuff). I give mine a mix around with the garden fork whenever I remember and it is usually ready in 6 months. The tumble composter is a bit too expensive for me and looks like it takes up a lot of room which I don't have here at home. And you have to leave mixing room so it is not filled to the top. I have big wooden slatted compost bins on the lottie - I do the same thing as my green bin, and they have 'compost bin duvets' on the top to speed the rotting process.
It sounds like you could do with either a bokashi or a wormery for your food waste - but I know nothing about these! Hope this helps

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ok so it sounds like I have the leaf mulch done correctly (got a few batches on the go - masses of tree around us). a 'normal' composter would take care of veg/garden/chicken poo waste plus some papers. then I need something for the food waste ....will take a peek at options online. Mr M is a bit sceptical about it all saying why don't i just buy in compost? ....but with all this excess I'm thinking why should i?

I agree with you Moola - and it is much greener!

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Olliecentric Eulogy Minister

Binley knows Best
"Fan Of DarkCrow's Manipulation Of Words Society"
Courtier to the Queen of Baking

FYI:
Chicken, pigeon, and other bird manure is good for seeds, flowers and fruits, because their manure is rich in phosphorus. Chicken manure, which is sticky, wet, and odorous, is hard to compost. It is best made into a liquid compost by mixing it into ten parts water and letting it ferment in a barrel (stir regularly for 6-8 weeks).

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Moola the chicken poo can be added to your composter to speed everything up. You need a certain amount of brown waste - screwd up and shredded paper, cardboard to add to the green.

You can add cooked food to a tumbler because rats won't be able to get in. I have one but I find it a bit tricky to empty when it's full. It most certainly does not make beautiful crumbly brown stuff in 21 days.

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If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing to excess

I agree & when you get your first batch of crumbly stuff, it will be like growing your first veg. I compost almost everything I can get my hands on except meats, fish, oils etc. The fastest materials I have found to compost so far is shredded branches, they get so hot.

Ohh yummy!

So could I use some of this on my fruiting chillies instead of buying tomato fertilizer?

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CRIKEY! BM - that is some serious tumbler - well done !!! looks ace.
I've been reading stuff all afternoon and I think a tumbler is definately my best option simply due to our rat issues. We don't have rats now but we have had and they have demolished part of our cob outhouse as well as parts of our own - so we have to do as much as poss to avoid attracting them. The daleks are much much cheaper but the thought of warm, fermenting stuff on the ground and ickle rodents...nope - I just can't do it.
I'm not so worried about how fast stuff takes (i'm not that organised a gardener )so I guess I should be ok with it.
as for the chicken poo Ollie........eeeewwwww - what about the stench? surely you're knocked out as soon as the lid comes off!

I had a look at a bokashi - they look good but relatively expensive to run if you have to buy in the bran every few months. I guess if I can shove the food in the barrel thingy as EC mentions then p'haps I won't need one.

Thanks everyone - I reckon I'm sorted. Now the next question is whether I play father Christmas myself or rely on Mr M whose not overly keen on the whole idea.....(hmmmmmm)
guess I'll be growing myself a white beard then!

Got to be honest folks, that wasn't personal knowledge or experience, I just googled it.
It probably will smell, but then so does nettle tea which I've made, but if you put it in a corner somewhere it doesn't bother you.

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piskieinboots - Ambassador of 2-word Media Reviews

I've found an old plastic beer barrel that OH used to use when he was into beermaking. It has a tap on it so it could be good for the fermented chicken poo stuff. Pour it in ,put on lid , let it ferment away and then you've a tap to get it out with. Just an idea perhaps it'd work.

Thanks a lot Moola,
Just to save you a lot of work with the tumbler, I am a little confused about the connection between compost making & rats. I have 3 bins going & no sign of any rats. So long as you only compost vegetation , I would think you would be fine with daleks.

What do you mean by Cooked food?.............Cabbage or Chicken?.........

Yes, and keep the heaps on the damp side: then rodents won't try and nest in them. If they are dry and cosy, they will

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Cheers TS, that was the connection I was looking for.......I automatically thought of food not nesting..........I need to think outside the box.

I've had meeces in the heaps before, when I've let them get too dry. A good soak with the hose sees them off, and helps the decomp process too.

I currently have field voles in my pallet heap: they're cute, and they feed barn owls, so they can stay

__________________
~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkt82aeOCFo~

~ my allotment photos ~

All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments." -- Janet Kilburn Phillips

Thanks for that tip..........Field Voles, rats, there all the same to me but any kind of owl I adore.

You can't compost owls, but if you soak them in a bucket for 6 weeks they make great plant feed/soup

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Current Executive Board Members at Ollietopia Inc:
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RedThorn - Chief Interrobang Officer
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Jeanied - Olliecentric Eulogy Minister
piskieinboots - Ambassador of 2-word Media Reviews

I was thinking with 2 veg & yorkshires...........

Slept on it. Opted for one of those bokashi things for food waste, and the garden and a bit of chicken related stuff will go into main composting thingy. Might need to make something else up for long term decomposition of chicken poops (need to find a barrel and somewhere to site it). I'm sure it'll all be worth it in the long run

have a browse through this link for some ideas Composting Chicken Manure — Seattle Tilth

__________________
~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkt82aeOCFo~

~ my allotment photos ~

All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments." -- Janet Kilburn Phillips

and this is a good one, with photos: Chicken Manure Compost Bin | Keeping Chickens

__________________
~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkt82aeOCFo~

~ my allotment photos ~

All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments." -- Janet Kilburn Phillips

I have bokeshi bins, they are excellent!

The initial outlay is a bit much, but


It means that I can use my cooked waste to do something productive.

They dont smell (unless you dont put the bran on them) meaning You can keep them in the kitchen.

The liquid makes excellent plant food and drain unblocker!!


PLUS Green Gardener have £20 off....!!

Green Gardener - Specialists in Biological control inc Nemaslug Nemasys and ladybirds for controlling slugs, vine weevils, aphids, chafer grubs,leatherjackets plus home composting, wormeries and wildlife products.

What a strange combination............

Thanks for the link northepaul - just ordered my xmas pressie from me!

__________________

Olliecentric Eulogy Minister

Binley knows Best
"Fan Of DarkCrow's Manipulation Of Words Society"
Courtier to the Queen of Baking

Two Sheds - that UK based link is fantastic - really informative. Thank you
I had no idea that pig poo was a no-no (I raise weaners in the Spring). I would have thought that as mine have pelleted food and eat the grass their poop would have been fine.

I know....but it works

Cool
Glad to help

Moola,

If you put your dalek ontop of wire mesh that should stop rodents digging up and into the compost.

__________________
If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing to excess

[QUOTE=Bigmallly;566552]What do you mean by Cooked food?.............Cabbage or Chicken?.........[/QUOTE

I've occasionally put into the tumbler cooked veg, meat, rice, pasta and raw meat that I've not wanted to give to the dogs and cat for some reason.

Unlikely to need to do so again, but wouldn't hesitate to do so as there is so little that doesn't get scoffed up by two dogs, a cat and three chooks.

__________________
If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing to excess

Good idea. I have 2 daleks, a square one with no bottom & a cone shaped dalek that has a loose bottom fitted...............I like a loose bottom personally......

I prefer loose men with taut cheeks

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If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing to excess

Cheeky.......

Was just offered chicken bedding and straw by my neighbour and was wondering waht to do with it as we haven't managed to build a compo bin yet. Sounds like it will be ok in black binbags until we do? Didnt want to let the opportunity go by. Some good links too.

Now you have a reason to build your own compost bin.