Chicken Compost System - Summer Update!

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Happy growing!

[@steph6337]

I love when he steps in and the ladies follow him, so cute! 🥰

[@edibleacres]

They really follow us around all over!

[@steph6337]

@@edibleacres Mine do too! I love it! They even stand around like my husband is giving a speech when he's grilling, lol! ( Mostly because he tosses veggie scraps when he does. 😉 )

[@antiowarr9467]

It is hard to dispatch chickens when you had them so long, feeding them watching them for enjoyment and getting to recognize some of them by sound and or look. My mom and dad would separate the ones they wanted to dispatch and they get someone else to do it and clean and bag. But the replacement with younger one made it fun again and you knew it was the right thing to do. cheers

[@A21twentyone]

Right thing to do?

[@antiowarr9467]

@@A21twentyone YES right thing to do, they are there for our food also. What would you do???

[@michellebarbour5777]

@@A21twentyone Yes, right thing to do. As owners of animals, it is the wrong thing to do to keep them alive for our own feelings. It's right to allow well loved animals to reach the end of their life and prevent them from suffering. A key part of honourable animal husbandry.

[@A21twentyone]

@@antiowarr9467 I would keep them as pets the same I do/did with my dog and cats

[@A21twentyone]

@@michellebarbour5777 You wouldn't say "to keep them from suffering" about a horse or dogs but to each their own.

[@carlafawcett6494]

I love chicken TV : )

[@nataliejohnson5148]

Yeah it's the best

[@edibleacres]

So glad!

[@amykinnell2837]

I’d keep the plastic on it year round. I’ve been doing that with a 10x10 pop up tent & the compost is so much nicer than compost exposed to the weather. My hens love the covered area also. Mine is khaki color so provides shade but my experience is keeping the rain off the compost is the best benefit. Love the update on your whole system. Thanks for posting!

[@edibleacres]

Good notes, we may end up doing that.

[@francineclave2207]

God bless you for being so good to all these bird “friends” ❤️❤️❤️

[@edibleacres]

It's so important!

[@neens1369]

i always love your chickens and compost videos

[@edibleacres]

So glad!

[@dneyder]

Canadian Permaculture Legacy recently showed an update of his chicken plans and said you were his inspiration. I can see why! Such happy, healthy, unstressed chooks. You should be very proud.

[@edibleacres]

So nice, thank you!

[@wmo1234]

There is always a wonderful mix of creativity, "resourcefullness" and most importantly - a high degree of respect for the plants and animals you take care of there - in your video work here Sean. Thank you for your hard work, tips and amazing example of how things should be.

[@ratedmark4704]

I've been taking a lot of concepts that you've laid out over many of your videos. I decided to keep a small 300 gallon tank which the chickens have full access to use as a water source. I'm going to stock it with fish that reproduce heavily to out weigh eating, and to manage waste in the tank would be done by crawdads and some water lettuce. I have a 900 gallon tank at another location which is an aqua system for my garden that I pulled about 10 lbs of lettuce from that made the ladies day. Would like to duplicate that system here.

[@edibleacres]

Interesting ideas, good luck!

[@apteryx7080]

I'm very lucky to live next to the ocean, I can harvest baby prawns and bait fish regularly with a cast net. My chickens and baby chicks love this protein ! with that and the pumpkins, Moringa and conpost system, they hardly like to eat grain ! I throw them a little, they prefer everything else if they have the choice.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

10:45 Love the random fork in the fence. LOL

[@positiveheart656]

yeay... I just love the idea of chicken roaming around their own garden... It gives me ideas what I wan to do at my own house... Love your videos especially chicken videos...

[@edibleacres]

So glad!

[@davidwear1461]

I took some of your advice and planted amaranth and currants on the outside of my chicken yard in Wood chips. I’m excited to continue to try and feed my chickens more sustainably or more cost affective.

[@edibleacres]

GOod luck!

[@TheNorthBranchWI]

This is so cool!! I’m about to build my chicken run and composting systems. I hope they can be as successful as yours one day. Thanks for the video!

[@SeeStuDo]

Wonderful way to spend my morning, watching this with some good coffee. 💚

[@edibleacres]

Enjoy!

[@DerekScottOHara]

Fantastic setup! Your garden is so inspiring.

[@edibleacres]

Thanks

[@growingwithfungi]

Absolutely wonderful as always! Thank you so much. 😁🌱💚🙏✨🔥🐥

[@williambronson2935]

Consider keeping the plastic on and establish grapes or kiwi on an arbor, to deal with the late day sun. This will keep the tunnel cooler, the compost dry, the old hens happy and extend the life of the plastic . The shade will be there when you need it, and gone when you don't, and the plants will soak up all kinds of nutrients. A chocolate vine might be even better for shade, and you can plant things that might otherwise get out of hand, knowing the hens will keep whatever it is in check.

[@edibleacres]

Thanks for these ideas, nicely thought out!

[@carolyncarlon9870]

Food…and fun! Love your mantra! Carolyn/Vermont Cat Lady

[@judyjewels1961]

I love it. I aspire to do something very similar. The coop is finished, our chickens are 9 weeks old. I started teaching them to forage and work compost since about 4 weeks old. I'm now furnishing the chicken yard. I've planted a fig tree, a black lace elderberry and a Bob Gordon elderberry. I have a small compost working pile and they work it. They are adorable. They enjoy it. They don't know what worms are yet. Lol I'm raising them right. Your set up is amazing. Love to you and Sasha. Oh yeah, I'm in central Arkansas.

[@edibleacres]

Sounds like a great system you are evolving, kudos!

[@allonesame6467]

The food stuffs that you regularly get from area preparers of food, have good moisture content--all those greens, vegetable pairings, spoiled melons, squash etc. probably work to keep the moisture in the working pile. The Egg Ladies Compost-Side Home for Weary Worn Out Hens--from rehab to thriving, just a forkfull away -- accomplished in this actively integrated "weed" friendly approach! Wow! Love the forks & spoons woven into the fence! Reminds me of my grandma -- used to lash old baby dolls to each of her chicken yard posts as scare crows to keep the hawks and crows away. She had a playful spirit...like you guys. Love what you do! Thanks for sharing!

[@calhoun1968]

Yay!!! Peace, Love and Light my friends!

[@gardensforliferiverton]

Loved seeing the chickens tumble out, gives a good sense of the scale of flock you have.

[@edibleacres]

It is a pretty large flock of old ladies!

[@Bright_iiii_s]

I love, love, love, your chicken yard nursery! It is awesome and true genius, thank you for sharing.

[@edibleacres]

Happy to share!

[@RR-vg5hg]

Wonderful garden

[@scottslinger1003]

Thank you.

[@AndrewCastellanoReal]

Great notes, especially commenting on the limiting factors for transformation

[@edibleacres]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@scsherm]

This is so awesome. I’m just starting to plant things again. Started cooking biochar in December and just shook some out in may. No idea what I’m doing, but sites like this guide me along. Keep it up, please!

[@edibleacres]

Happy to keep sharing, and so glad you are experimenting!

[@paulatwood998]

When I sift compost I use either half inch or 1/4 in screen wire ( hardware cloth) at approximately 3 ft by 4 ft and hang it in a wooden frame hanging from a tree limb. I then Park the wheelbarrow underneath the screen and shake it back and forth to sift my compost. It seems to do quite well and it is also portable.

[@edibleacres]

I bet that sifts to a very fine material. More fine than we need but I'm sure a lovely end product!

[@geoffk229]

@edibleacres would love to see a video of your hen house and nesting box set up!

[@edibleacres]

We'd need to do some deep cleaning before we did a video on that!

[@peterellis4262]

I noticed a fork and spoon in the wire of the fence. Those don't seem like random objects that get blown up against your chicken run, so now I'm curious why you have a fork and a spoon wrapped into the fence? ;)

[@jessicaj8148]

LOL I saw that too and wondering same

[@AmelieHarms]

My guess is that they're found in the compost, originally from the restaurants they get the food from. And they stick them in the wire when found to get them up from the ground.

[@edibleacres]

No function, just fun!

[@peterellis4262]

@@edibleacres whimsy is good ;)

[@cltier7257]

Me encanta como supervisan tu trabajo 😍🙈

[@JanColdwater]

I hope you decide to keep the plastic on since your chickie babies seem to love it so much. Love everything you guys do!

[@edibleacres]

Thanks!

[@michellebarbour5777]

Great that you both shared another 'chicken and compost update'. Love them! I'd suggest that the car-port is not a binary choice. You asked for suggestions - mine is: keep the plastic top on for the older hens and a dry place for girls to hide in Summer and early Autumn showers BUT roll up the sides of the plastic to shoulder height. Tie with something as simple as string. Let some rain get in, more air to ventilate but keep that area in the middle totally dry for your 'oldies and vulnerable'. I try to do this in my tiny UK South coast area.

[@edibleacres]

Nice compromise!

[@johntrainor107]

Always benefit from and enjoy your 'chicken system' videos. Was curious as to your take on Avian Flu risk. At the present time we have (sadly) sequestered all our birds in covered enclosures (i.e. they are missing out on their yards and are not able to help us with our compost). Wondered at your ladies being out and about.

[@RobBertholf]

Love your channel

[@edibleacres]

Thanks kindly!

[@the_other_apg]

Hi Shasha & Shaun, Re plastic port cover, the obvious answer, I guess, is go 50/50 or leave 25% covered! See how it evolves this year and next you'll be more the wiser. Great catch-up, great to see you both and the chickens! Dafydd & Ann x

[@edibleacres]

Thanks for your input, much apprechated!

[@tantrictami]

Why not use some of that conduit to wrap the sides around and roll them up so you have rain cover but good airflow. You could even do a 90 degree attachment on the end and make yourself a crank handle.

[@kenyonbissett3512]

How make your chickens happy? Turn over your winter compost with a hay fork! In late fall, dock is easy to harvest to make dock flour that can be processed with just a hand held coffee grinder and used 1/2 and 1/2 with wheat flour for breads. Or just feed it too the chickens as winter feed.

[@jonrev5630]

Incredible rich dark compost. Lots of good ideas here in your system with simple materials.

[@edibleacres]

Glad you enjoyed.

[@TheEmbrio]

That is nice compost and happy hens ! Ideas of ’summer functionality’ : Perhps at least partially replace the plastic with tin roofing or planks of wood that make slatted roofing, perhaps polycarbonate or other rigid roof depending on your sourcing of materials ?? You have canes growing by the roadside, a tiki style roof could be beautiful, but of course biodgraded in a season or two... but you like to have ongoing projects ;)

[@edibleacres]

Fun ideas here thanks

[@yolantadianow1584]

LOVE CHICKENS 🐔 ❤. Thank you

[@jessicaj8148]

Wow! You have such a great system going! I have 18 chickens now (1 rooster, 3 chicks and the rest hens), and would love to do something like this...

[@matiasishere1487]

Do you like having a rooster? I just started a flock and have 4 hens 1 rooster. He’s pretty chill so far.

[@jessicaj8148]

@@matiasishere1487 there are some pluses and minuses to having him. He is loud so I had to put a rooster collar on him to help tone his voice down. I’m technically not supposed to have him here. But I give my neighbor eggs to help and she says she doesn’t hear him in early morning. Also he has a few favorites he likes to mount. This has caused feather damage and loss. I tried to get aprons on the girls to protect them however the apron would shift a lot and caused some of the girls to not be able to roost. He is a good protector though. He warns the girls of hawks or when my dogs get too close to the chicken fence. He’s also very good at letting the ladies eat things he finds. I have seen him on occasion break up some hen pecking too.

[@jessicaj8148]

@@matiasishere1487 the best part I forgot to mention in my earlier reply is that I get fertile eggs now!! Can be hatched with a broody or with an incubator

[@flatsville1]

Consider reinforcing your carport roof with cattle panel so it holds up better under snow load. UV zip tie it in place. Run at least one series of horizontal 1/2 or 3/4 in emt conduit about half way down the long side walls using UV zip ties to keep the frame from spreading, moving or buckling. Those converted carports get cattywampus pretty easily as they age.

[@miabagley2202]

Wonderful video! A bit envious of your metal roof. We recently had to replace our and would loved to have done metal. The cost was not in our budget unfortunately.

[@antiowarr9467]

YUP; I know long time no see my chicken friends.... they warble and purr and chirp for their dinner.... lol lol

[@summerhill_homestead]

I love your channel so much. Can you keep it as it is but add some tropical fruit trees inside, lemons, oranges, avocados... and then the chickens could still have their rain cover and dirt bath house? Not sure if they’ll grow on a NY green house setting, but it seems like it could.🤷‍♀️

[@edibleacres]

That would be fun... I can't imagine those surviving where we are but a neat idea for sure :)

[@sandykemp7080]

Would love to see a rough drawing of your whole site!

[@edibleacres]

That would be helpful. Maybe we can do some drone footage one of these days

[@Gabi-lt4mx]

great system. do you have less waste food as before?

[@agrarianarc]

Wonderful video. Did you just fill the winter compost run with woodchips before it got cold? I’m guessing a pile would freeze solid and be immovable unless you got it in there ahead of time? I just need to add that I truly appreciate your content and ideas and imagine you’re a lot of fun to collaborate with. Sometimes the planning and flow of ideas are the best part.

[@edibleacres]

THanks for the kind words! We continually add to this system all year. We try to get a huge bulk of material coming in later fall to create enough mass/inertia to go through the coldest parts of winter...

[@derek2757]

How big is the chicken yard as a whole? Its tough to get a full idea of the space when it has such amazing plant diversity!

[@edibleacres]

I would venture a guess of .1 acre in total space.

[@ThePdidds]

I've been thinking who you remind me of and it finally came to me. John Malkovich!

[@edibleacres]

Interesting

[@ThePdidds]

@@edibleacres hahaha. Sorry hope it doesn't offend. Malkovich is all charm so it shouldn't. Maybe its a voice and mannerism thing,

[@growingwithfungi]

Maybe 🍄 cultivation | soil building but guessing chief 🙏✨

[@TheEmbrio]

I’d seed sunflowers in some of the pots !

[@edibleacres]

I plan to do that!

[@loriwestern9103]

Question, do you ever feed your chickens scratch with corn etc. I'm learning that can cause inflammation when eating their eggs or meat, I'm suspecting that could be what is causing a rash that I get.

[@nathaliewood5087]

I really appreciate your composting system and was wondering if you or anyone in this community has done this on a more micro scale ? 5-6 bantam chickens or maybe quail?

[@edibleacres]

I think it would scale down in a very reasonable way.

[@Gabriel-sj9tq]

So inspirational - I'd love to adopt some of these principles in my smaller chicken run. Do you also feed them with any purchased chicken food?

[@edibleacres]

We offer soaked whole grain most days from a local organic farmer we trade with

[@Gabriel-sj9tq]

Great! I'd really like to have other options than feeding them layers. They are organic, but the price has nearly doubled in the last 6 months and I worry that it will become too expensive. Also want the chooks to have the best I can offer and like all processed foods, there are always ingredients that I'd rather avoid like sunflower oil which is pro-inflammatory. 🙏

[@dagardener]

How big is that space and how many chickens do you keep in it?

[@edibleacres]

Roughly .1 acre of space, roughly 70-80 chickens depending on time of year.

[@sandrabrown4993]

Do you have a video on installing your IBC tote to your gutter and the overflow? Do you use a transfer pump to distribute the water for irrigation? I just have a 1/3 acre house/yard and would love to set up an IBC tote to use for drip irrigation in my food forest during the dry season here in FL and for my veggie beds.

[@edibleacres]

No pump, the tank is upslope just a bit... kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXmmlaWggJKBq9E - video on how we install these.

[@sandrabrown4993]

@@edibleacres thank you!

[@yvetteknott1862]

I would love to do plants for my flock

[@ruabadkitty]

is there a special reason for the fork in the fence at 10:45 ? I wouldn't bother asking, but I think I also see one in the bottom right corner.

[@edibleacres]

Just for fun :)

[@annburge291]

Eat the amaranth leaves by boiling, draining, slicing and adding to the dinner. Amaranth leaves are much more valuable than the seeds.

[@LandmadeFL]

Can you update us on the green wall?

[@edibleacres]

Working on that video right now actually!

[@winjoda]

What (if anything) do you use to prep your IBC totes to use for watering garden/food and chickens? We found some used totes locally that are “food grade” but without knowing precisely what was in there (and without a way to verify what the seller says) I’m just feeling a bit cautious…

[@edibleacres]

These IBC totes held Agave syrup so they are pretty darn safe...

[@winjoda]

@@edibleacres thanks for the info! Yeah, that’s pretty darn safe. I guess I will just have to keep looking out for ones that originally had similarly safe contents.

[@judyedwards7597]

What do you do about hawks? I have a very small flock an lost 4 hens to a hawk, now I'm afraid to let them out of their covered run.

[@edibleacres]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/maOxnaJoer6ri5I - We shared notes in this video about hawks and what we do about them. Absolutely not a perfect solution but some ideas perhaps...

[@chadjones4236]

I'm so jealous you live the way I want too🤔

[@edibleacres]

Hoping that can line up for you

[@justinsane7128]

Repurposed a free trampoline into a chicken tractor.

[@madelinekeeling7144]

Hey I was wondering about your duckweed in the stock tank. I noticed you are now using it as rainwater collection only. I have a tank I was wanting to grow duckweed in for them. Can you give me a little info on why you changed yours please🤗

[@edibleacres]

Duckweed seems like it isn't happy in a container, so we've taken those experiments offline for now...

[@madelinekeeling7144]

@@edibleacres thanks for the reply. Hope you have a great day!

[@delphine88313]

When will you start selling the Comfrey? I thought you said in june.When I check the store EVERYTHING is sold out.Thanks

[@edibleacres]

We update our inventory again September 1st for fall shipping. Thanks for your interest!

[@giverny28]

I would totally agree with Sasha about keeping it covered or...pulling it back possibly as a 50/50 compromise. Why? PARASITES. In the growing season you are talking about warmth & moisture; prime environments for mites & lice. Summer storms can be quite aggressive and that mulch will hold quite a bit of moisture possibly rendering dust options usless for days or weeks at a time. Your girls need to stay clean & healthy & why build & readjust when you have a structure in place. That's just my take. Ultimately, there is no wrong answer, just preferred situations. I know you'll take care of them no matter what.

[@edibleacres]

Thank you kindly for sharing your notes!

[@bryanbeast8662]

Is all of the charcoal in the compost biochar, or is some of it regular charcoal? Would regular fire it black charcoal bits work in compost?

[@paulatwood998]

Brian you wouldn't want to use store-bought charcoal due to the amount of chemicals that are put into it to make it fire up quicker.

[@bryanbeast8662]

@@paulatwood998 Thank you. That's a really good point. Fortunately for me, this charcoal is left over from burning wood grown on my own property. So it is clean.

[@edibleacres]

It is all material we made to be charcoal, using the wood stove as I talked about in other videos... Pretty dry, clean and ready to go...

[@bryanbeast8662]

@@edibleacres Sounds like I'm good to go with charcoal from my fire pit?

[@bettinaripperger4159]

Yes you are good to put charcoal in your compost

[@Limogi]

Keep the plastic until just before it crumbles, but look at alternatives.

[@edibleacres]

I think thats the plan.

[@cathierose2009]

Is Sasha from Michigan? Just noticing some language similarities.

[@edibleacres]

Not from Michigan...

[@cariedeneau5150]

do you have any roosters? do you have issues with predators ... fox, hawks ?

[@edibleacres]

We had roosters but neighbors complained so we killed them. We would love to have them again

[@brm1279]

Rain? I haven´t been able to feel rain for eight months now.

[@edibleacres]

I'm really sorry to hear that :(

[@Dontreallycare5]

So what's with the eating utensils in the fencing? XD

[@edibleacres]

Just for fun :)

[@Dontreallycare5]

@@edibleacres The best kind of reason.

[@bunzilla19]

Hello, I'll offer some bits of wisdom I've accumulated in support of you and your situation. Death, destruction, and collapse are just as important and valid of an energy as life, creation, and expansion. There is not one better than the other, there is much that exists within this paradoxical understanding. As modern humans, who are living heavily in the ego/ reasoning/ intellectual context of reality, we project our own suffering, fears, inadequacies, or sadness onto other life forms-- if we can balance ourselves and do some of the self work that gets us more in touch with our body (instincts) and spirits (intuition) then we can see more clearly whatever is presently concerning our development or situation. Be joyful to feed healthy chicken meat to your family or friends or to the bacteria populating the earth. Death is merely a gateway to another life and part of existence. Energy is always cycling and stagnation is not conducive to the flow of energy. If you feel, instinctively, that it is time to butcher some hens, that is okay. You do not need to carry around guilt about it!

[@edibleacres]

Thanks!

[@chulasexychica11]

What was that white liquid ur wife poured?

[@edibleacres]

old milk

[@mr.skipper4544]

Chicken TV 😜👍🐓🐔🐣🐥🐔🐤🐓🐣🐔

[@NezumiWorks]

I think I saw The Chicken Situation on tour with the Grateful Dead, but I was pretty wasted at the time.

[@pinky2502]

They are not pets... You need to realize that.

[@edibleacres]

Not sure why this comment. We definitely don't consider our chickens as pets, but even if we did I'm not sure I understand why that would be a problem. It seems treating creatures that help us feed ourselves pretty much every day can and should be treated with a ton of respect and care. I'm happy to model that way of being around them. If it ends up having a pet kind-of feeling I guess maybe thats a good thing!

[@VanderlyndenJengold]

@@edibleacres I class my chickens as 'working girls' yet treat them as well as I can. I'm smiling at your chickens getting under your feet as you dig - mine do too. It sometimes drives me crazy as I'm always nearly tripping over them. That greenhouse plastic comes up a treat if you wash it. I throw some soapy water and mop it off and I'm amazed at how much more light gets in. I only do it once in late winter each year.