Composting

When we first got chickens, I immediately imagined the additional benefits beyond farm-fresh eggs. The flock would help with pest control (eat ticks), and all of the manure would be black gold for our garden. Oh, the lovely soil we would have! Oh, the beautiful vegetables and fruit we would grow! We would never have to purchase another bag of compost from the garden center. 

I imagined that almost as quickly as we removed shavings and manure from the coops and placed it in the bins, that it would begin its cycle, breaking down, and becoming usable fertilizer soon thereafter. Yes, we would be proud compost caretakers, and it would be yet, another way, that things would come full circle at our little homestead. For those of you who are experienced with composting, go ahead and give a good chuckle!

We began with one bin built using pallets, and then when we realized that we needed to turn the compost and age it a bit, my husband built two more. Now, with three compost bins, we thought that if we turned over the shavings and manure often, it would accelerate the process. This is just one of the three bins. As you can see, we have A LOT of shavings and manure thanks to our flock. We aren't ready to use this to fertilize the vegetable garden yet, but this WILL be the year that we figure this whole composting thing out.

With spring upon us, the good news is that there is still time to transform our raw manure into usable fertilizer. Imagine the conversation that proceeds our weekend. "Sweetheart, do you want to know what I would like to do this weekend...?" I am a lucky woman in many ways, and more often than not, my husband and I are in sync. So, this past weekend, in addition to a movie and dinner date night, we got busy with preparing our piles for some serious composting.

In preparation for our weekend, nighttime reading reminded us of the high concentrations of bacteria, including pathogenic salmonella, that exist in raw chicken manure. This, along with the rule of never applying raw poultry manure to an edible garden due to the bacteria, and the high level of nitrogen, which can actually burn your tender fruits and vegetables.

If you are anything like us starting out, then here is a basic list of steps to follow:

First, collect the materials. Aim for 25 percent manure and 75 percent of other materials like pine bedding, leaves, plant material, lawn clippings or kitchen scraps. You will need at least 1 cubic foot of material to allow the composting process to heat the pile to an internal temperature of 140 to 160 degrees F, which will kill those nasty pathogenic bacteria.

When you have a nice heap of materials, add water. Think about the texture of a wet sponge. 

You will want to purchase a composting thermometer. You can find these on-line or at a nursery. It sounds a bit scientific but you will need to keep a temperature log. The pile needs to reach a temperature between 140 to 160 degrees F and remain at that temperature for three days. When temperatures reach 160 degrees F or higher,  salmonella and common bacterial pathogens found in poultry manure will die. 

Heat and repeat! Once you have successfully maintained the temperature between 140 and 160 degrees F for three days, repeat the process at least two more times to ensure that the entire pile is cooked.

Once the compost is cooked, cover it for at least 80 days to ensure that the pathogenic bacteria are good and dead.

Once your compost has been cooked and cured, it is ready to use. Apply between 1 and 2 inches deep to your garden crops. Note: It is always important to wash freshly picked fruits and vegetables as even properly prepared compost will still contain low levels of salmonella, E. coli and other pathogens.

Last night, we tended to our two composting tumblers with a check for moisture and a few turns. It doesn't look like much now but it's hard to not feel optimistic this time.

Do you compost? Feel free to send any thoughts or suggestions my way.