Composting Changes

In about as many days this week, we changed our composting system 3 times. First, I had wanted to turn my pile, and decided that I would try turning it on the Berkeley method despite not having the right ratio and construction. It supposedly makes a very nice compost. Four days later, when I should have turned the pile again, I worked late and didn't do it.

So then I thought I'd forget that in favor of going full-in on letting the chickens turn it. So I emptied out the bins, carted all the material over near the chicken run, made a new pile, and popped one of my hoophouse tractors over it. I let the chickens in on it two separate afternoons. They seemed happy, and I thought this would be much easier than turning the pile every few days myself.

Then I hurt my knee. I hurt my knee because the chickens weren't cooperating with their frequent transfer, and I dove to catch one, landing on the frozen ground knee-first. It still hurts, and the birds got all frazzled. The conclusion was to then move all the compost material straight into the chicken run- no moving, no turning.

Only a few days after that, we got some really strong rain. I was worried about leaching out all the best stuff from the compost, so today I piled it up again- still inside the run, and walled it off with cinderblocks. I fully expect that the chickens will scratch the pile down, and I plan every so often to go in and pile it back up. We'll see how this goes for a while.