Chicken TV - Compost Overload again!

www.edibleacres.org
Definitely a wonderful problem to have: too much compost. At different times of the year there are easy solutions in sharing with other folks, capping all sorts of beds, etc., etc. but as we get pummeled with even more snow it is becoming quite a significant bottleneck. Sharing this problem / design limitation with folks here so as you develop your own chicken composting system in a cold/snowy climate you can consider baking into the initial design more places to cache compost in the winter. I'm not complaining here at all, just realizing the upper limits of our finite 1/10th acre space to store the massive abundance this system seems to be generating. No 'off' switch to pause it right now either!
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Happy growing!

[@bnach2843]

m'I the only one who feels relaxed and chilled while watching happy, fat chickens clucking and enjoying their meal? .. makes me want to make chicken noodle soup!!

[@edibleacres]

ha!

[@anneboyd7811]

I'm just here to say that if you have the captions on, at 14:49 the captions identify a passing car as [APPLAUSE] and then chickens clucking as [MUSIC], and that is wonderful

[@edibleacres]

That is sweet. I don't normally think of the cars applauding but it's a nice take. Sometimes AI can be sentimental I guess :)

[@dezilen23]

This is really random but I have been binged watching your videos because there's something calming about your voice and the way you explain things. Have a great day, sir!

[@edibleacres]

Definitely had folks say similar things in the past. I'm really happy to know folks find the content calming :)

[@cedarchoppincartographer]

Hey Sean. You do a wonderful job with these videos and your birds. I've learned some good hacks from watching this channel. For instance, I'm sure you heard about the frigid temps in Texas. Using your recommendation, I collected some bags of leaves and when their coop and runs were full of snow, I was able to shovel paths and fill the trenches with the leaves to keep their feet warm. Also, feed them cat food for the fat and protein - I remember you fed them deer. They continued to lay through the week of snow. Cheers.

[@edibleacres]

So exciting to read that some of our wacky experiments helped set some ideas in motion for you to have more comfort for you and your hens during this crazy moment!

[@1incutheta]

I'm also in Texas. I doubled down on the worm feedings and my ladies never stopped laying either.

[@cedarchoppincartographer]

@@edibleacres My friend, you have great ideas that are practical and helpful. That's what draws people to your channel.

[@kristilisakleiner9384]

Very clever, good for you

[@simonkade7052]

i realize I'm pretty randomly asking but does anybody know of a good site to stream newly released movies online ?

[@thepouletbrothers4711]

I love this channel so knowledgeable ethical and calming great way to wind down and learn!! 😍🍃

[@gillsmoke]

It's that calm demeanor that keeps drawing me back. Well that and Chicken TV.

[@BaffMan]

Loving listening to my "Bob Ross" of chicken keeping in the morning. Keep up the good work!

[@lblake5653]

I am happy to watch and listen. I learn a lot.Happiest chickens on the planet.

[@Docuwreck]

As I watched this video for AT LEAST the second time, my wife asked me if the chickens' feet were warm. I said 'yes, their feathers keep their body warm, and the compost keeps their feet warm.' The very next shot was of you shoveling leaves to add to the run, at which point my wife said 'He's a very good chicken-daddy." 😆

[@yolylacy5416]

I enjoy watching how comfortable your chickens are with you. I live in a warm climate so I don't have this problem but watch it every time just to see how you deal with situations in a nice peaceful gentle way.

[@am2schmarvelous]

When you made your leaf bag plan, I had not considered the the fact that you would have to dig out snow just to get it.

[@dramatriangle]

Today in the snow I was dealing with the same thing, and I had the same thought you shared here! "Never thought I would have to be digging these composted leaves out!"

[@edibleacres]

Really easily could have avoided that with one big tarp and some cinder blocks in the fall... 10 minutes then would have saved 5 hours now!!!

[@terrykunst3883]

@@edibleacres Hindsight is always 20-20; but good to remember for next year. Your presentations are so engaging, creative, instructional I feel I need to be taking notes for every episode. Thank you for this opportunity to learn so much.

[@peterellis4262]

You need those driveway reflector poles to mark the spots for dumping compost ;)

[@ScouseJack]

Open a self-serve compost stand on that road outside. Five dollars a stack.

[@edibleacres]

One way to go :)

[@kristilisakleiner9384]

Good idea

[@ryanlove8242]

No wonder i haven't seen too much of your content lately. There's mountains of snow! I saw your DIY nursery video and your tip on mulching nursery pots was a GODSEND! Thank you! The plants are happy and don't dry out as fast. I guess i was worried about using straw and the wet straw around the base of the plant rotting it out. No problems yet. Just happy plants! 😊

[@gotelemwillyboyshere]

Don't know if already suggested but extend your tunnel x 2 and don't fall into the trap of growing into it , remember you will need it next winter .

[@lolitabonita08]

the few plants that survived the killer cold wave were the ones that have mulch...so i learned something new for next time.

[@maryhysong]

you need to make the high tunnel longer so you can have more space. Love watching your chicken system evolve

[@edibleacres]

I hear ya... The layout of the space makes that tough though...

[@brandencasey6761]

@@edibleacres I had a really nice idea for how I want to construct a bit taller high tunnel for myself being 6'4". I'm going to build up what's called a bond beam footing perimeter with adobe and recycled cans to about maybe 3ft up. With making two can walls fairly close together I can use those two short walls as a concrete form to then secure the cattle panels! Just the first idea that came to mind, I'm sure I'll rethink some aspects for air flow.

[@stevebreedlove9760]

@@brandencasey6761 that's a really good idea! I removed an old broken patio and have been devising ways to put it to use. Really like your upcycling idea for footings.

[@russlee650]

Your system is literally the best I've ever seen. Thanks Sean.

[@edibleacres]

So much more to evolve and figure out with it but we've been happy with the basic structure overall.

[@russlee650]

@@edibleacres that's the lesson I've learned watching you and Sasha- in permaculture everything is always evolving.

[@onlyintime9914]

I would raise the greenhouse up by 3 feet with wood and tin siding and then as your compost matures dump it along the outside longer greenhouse walls. I remember waking up and going outside in the snow as a kid just to admire my compost piles - I knew that stuff would be the bomb come spring.

[@edibleacres]

Great idea. Something for us to consider for next season when things thaw out.

[@kenyonbissett3512]

I really like chicken.tv. Cold coup vs 70 degree heated feeder, hmmm. They look outside at the snow while grabbing a snack in compost house. Such happy winter chickens.

[@talkorenlevy]

Stopped in the middle of the video to thank you for adding the metric system/celsius equivalent on the bottom, very much appreciated!

[@edibleacres]

My pleasure. I don't always remember to do it but I try.

[@nymbeats]

agreed that leaves are so much less bulking than woodchips. they're harder to fork in my opinion, too, due to matting. I think next year, for bulking, I'll try to do leaves in the summer, wood chips/leaves in the winter.

[@edibleacres]

Yeah, I think 50/50 of chips and leaves would really be ideal.

[@gillsmoke]

You could shred the leaves, that would reduce the bulk and make it closer to wood chips.

[@charlenekociuba7396]

Sean, you truly are amazing! To think that some folks are paying through the nose for chicken feed when all they need is food scraps from restaurants! And the leaves, well, I gathered all I could from my own place this year and made another composing ( no dig) area to manage and still there could be more leaves piled on. Next year, I'm going to grab from neighbors before letting them go to recycle. I'm also tempted to get chickens, if not so much for the eggs but to provide a retirement home for them. ( so many birds are just given away when they don't hatch anymore. Then some neighbors can come and grab a chicken when they need some). Seems like we can think outside the box in many ways. I feed my local wild birds because I can, make them suet etc. So thanks, this program is quite informative and encouraging. I wish I had some char to spread. I will look for a way to make some this year. I have referred to many your channel, just to help them save some money. Great job.

[@edibleacres]

Most of the chickens we have here are basically retirement chickens.... Most are 3 years or older. Not a huge amount of production but with 60 hens we are getting a dozen eggs a day in the dead of winter. Pretty happy with that. Looking forward to hearing how you evolve some new paths with all the 'waste' around you!

[@seiurkarl2433]

HI, ive been spreding compost on my fields/beds since september i let it sit for around 3weeks then just let it finish where it should end up, even if it cools down the constant freezing and thawing helps it break down. I think this next season will be my best so far using this method. Having too much compost is a great problem to have, altough i would recomend investing in an small/old tractor and a spreader for sure. Love the channel, been lurking since u had 10k subs and learning alot.

[@fortitudethedogwalker6273]

Get pallets, use them on ends by staking them. Cover them with plastic. Compost bins four feet high will keep warm.

[@edibleacres]

Definitely a way we could go... thanks for these notes.

[@ceecmb]

Just lay down a network of copper tubing under that hot compost and the heated water can probably heat your house in winter! Amazing stuff!

[@edibleacres]

Certainly one use for this compost will be compost heating systems for our high tunnels / greenhouses. We'll be sharing notes on that soon :)

[@tjeanvlogs9894]

Potable water safe hose works well too.

[@kateherr2893]

When you mentioned how you wanted a larger ceiling next year, I wondered if it might be useful to layer a larger build outside of the original smaller one - with plans to remove the smaller one when the problem arises next year. However, there could be potential for the open space between the two layers to be filled with bags filled with compost or dry leaves for shelter if that's needed. Don't know what next winter holds. Might make it easier to retrieve the leaves, too.

[@edibleacres]

Interesting idea, a double hoop setup!

[@nataashab5578]

Some brainstorming that I hope might be of some use to you: - Inside the wooden henhouse on top of an extra thick layer of woodchips to protect the floor from moisture. - in milk crate tower walls alongside your house/chook house, the woodshed, thick enough and roughly/messily filled enough that everything is touching through the gaps to get enough surface area - in your flippy- lidded bins making a ring around the garage warming bed thingy (you know the one lol) - in a tarped or wood chipped pile in the neighbours un-poly’d tunnel (taking the heat loss in trade for the energy saved by only moving it once). - put up a temporary gazebo somewhere? - “lend” it to a friend or neighbour who has the space and want the temporary nutrient deposit that will come from it resting/curing on top of their empty bed, then cart it off to where you are going to use it later. - the vacated half of leaf mountain, or on leaf mountain for extra carbon sponge.

[@edibleacres]

Wow, you are really putting some thought into this... Thanks so much for all these wonderful ideas!!!

[@Growveguk]

I'm always amazed at just how cold it gets where you are and for how long! We have had 3 weeks of cold weather here in the UK and the entire country comes to a grinding halt. I couldn't handle that much cold, not as a person, it shortens the growing season way too much! Fantastic video as always. 👍

[@edibleacres]

We certainly have real winters here most years. At least half our life is spent in a winter type world :)

[@1incutheta]

I live in the part of Texas that just got about 4 inches of snow and I definitely do not envy your feet of snow. We joined the thousands of people who had burst pipes and we are still dealing with that. I don't think I'll ever complain about the heat again. I hate the cold so much more now. (Any extreme weather accompanied by lack of power is awful.) I DO envy your compost problem.

[@edibleacres]

That seems like such a very scary thing to live through. Very sorry for your experience.

[@1incutheta]

@@edibleacres The scary part was the loss of power for sure. It was more enfuriaticng than anything to find out why we lost power. Plumbers are so booked now they are turning business away. We have successfully diy'd 2 pvc repairs and are waiting for some flex seal to dry before we test the 3rd one. Haha Thanks for your kindness. I now have a tad more reality on what true winter is like.

[@lepaysanmoderne]

Thank you for all the knowledge and wisdom you provide . I'm planning on using your composting system for my first hens ever this spring.

[@edibleacres]

Hope it goes beautifully for you!

[@dramatriangle]

Thank you so much for these videos. You are an inspiration to me! The community we have built here on KZbin help me to keep going, keep creating content, keep growing.

[@edibleacres]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, and we're thrilled that you are part of our supportive and positive community Elizabeth :)

[@marthadoelle7585]

I feel your pain as we have many months of snow and cold in NH. I plan to add an old caterpillar tunnel to my chicken run next summer and try some of your ideas. Thank you for creating great content!

[@edibleacres]

Good luck!

[@antiowarr9467]

Another relaxing vid for me, with a lot of helpful info both in the compost aspect and in looking after the little fellers lol To much heat in the middle of winter lol just gotta love it and I must day the best looking chickens for sure.. Was thinking the same think about the new green house coming on stream soon, not sure of ur plan but will exciting to hear and see it come together. Cheers

[@Maelee_jurgens]

Thank you for the very informative videos. I have learned and been affirmed through your sharing of information, knowledge, and experience. An idea might be if you could get some hay might you cover an area outside pile the most deloped compost on top and then cover with a tarp or plastic until the weather warms. Allowint the compost to continue to breakdown and opening for more room in your panel tunnel. Thank you again.

[@edibleacres]

Yesterday we did something a little like this. I spent an hour moving all the snow away from a nearby bay (lots of extra work!) and we built up a 'fresh' new pile there cut with a ton of leaves. I plan to tarp it and then insulate it so it can cook until spring. Hopefully that gets us to a thaw!

[@elainahancock5213]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge! Also, I love your mended sweater ❤️

[@amy3458]

Me, too!!!

[@edibleacres]

Not even mended, Sasha made it like that from the outset, it's wild!

[@elainahancock5213]

@@edibleacres love it!

[@amy3458]

EdibleAcres Sasha is SO awesome!

[@elainahancock5213]

@@edibleacres do you think Sasha would be willing to do a knit along?

[@Forestgump12able]

Houston area. Your Doing everything perfectly.

[@edibleacres]

Thanks! I don't agree, but thank you. So much more evolution to be had here.

[@debbiewood7718]

Sean, I don't know if you remember but I am in Northern Alberta zone 2a. You actually have more snow then I do right now. We just finished a week of -40°. Now I am at +4°C and the stubble is showing in the fields. This was a very informative video for me. When I set my systems up I think what I will do is have one high tunnel for active compost and one for carbon storage with a shed adjoining the two.

[@edibleacres]

That sounds like a great design approach. I'm really hoping these videos can help people see what sorts of issues can come up with a system like this so they can design out of the bottleneck in advance. Seems like you will be doing that!

[@nataliejohnson5148]

Thank you

[@JayBirdsDay]

love the composting system

[@crystalgalarsa3597]

Dirt patch heaven channel has a great hot bed compost setup

[@edibleacres]

I've seen it, really nice. We'll probably be setting up something like that pretty soon and documenting our experiments..

[@robertharcourt7650]

Another great video Sean ;) Thanks for sharing ;)

[@edibleacres]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@wordswritteninred7171]

Oh, no doubt, the girls appreciate what you do. Proof? Healthy eggs they leave you!

[@danielmarino1829]

In regards to the gas building we used to take a piece of flexible pipe and put holes in the middle of it before filling with charcoal pieces. At which point we would put the part with holes in the pile while leaving the opening of the pipe in areas we wanted to vent to. Which seemed to work as long as you kept it at the mid point. Since it would increase airflow inside the pile so you had less random build ups especially if ever now and again you moved it to make sure the holes didn't clog and the fact that it was colder air seemed to slow down the process enough for it more manageable while not stopping the process.

[@danielmarino1829]

To be honest i don't know how important the charcoal in the pipe is. We used it to make sure there wasn't a strong smell coming out of the pipe and to make sure the pipe didn't get pinched close from the weight. But i am sure there are other options for that

[@edibleacres]

I think figuring out more internal aeration would be super beneficial. These are good notes.

[@fourdayhomestead2839]

I'm doing a micro version of your system (1 rooster 🐓 /open side IBS tote) in my garage. It's worked quite well in -20 nights. Large hoop house setup in progress, so my hens can come home from the neighbors shortly.

[@edibleacres]

Nice!

[@gregpace6867]

Hi Sean. I have been enjoying your videos for quit some time and really appreciate your observational learning and sharing. We have a small farm in Nova Scotia and have a similar snow situation as you. Your technique has real potential for us, we will be experimenting with 8 X 20 foot concrete reinforcing panels to construct the roof with 1/2 rebar at 4 foot intervals for structural strength, all of which will sit on top of a 2 x 10 hemlock base. This should provide significantly more volume and height. Potentially the structure will be long enough so we can pile from the north end and just keep filling the tunnel until the spring when we pull the structure away for easier access to the compost. I would appreciate your comments on our plan.

[@edibleacres]

From the rough idea I get from your description it seems quite reasonable. . What we have in play here is overall quite a nice flow and approach I think, but just too cramped at the scale we're on. We can't use machines or move the coop/chickens easily but if we could we'd do compost in one area, then move the hens instead of all the compost!

[@markvandeven]

Really amazing to see how much heat is generated by the compost. With all the snow outside it must be quite a comfortable working environment for the chickens :-) One thing I keep wondering when I see your videos: how do you make sure your chickens don't get ill from the food scraps? In every chicken 101 book it's recommended to avoid giving moulding or rotting food to chickens, but with this amount of scraps I would assume that this is unavoidable? Same for (semi)toxic foods like potato peels or green tomato plants?

[@edibleacres]

Our own experience has been that with enough options of what could be eaten the hens make good decisions. If they were desperate or had limited resources I could imagine them making bad choices...

[@1incutheta]

This is one of those things that I'd consider a good problem to have. I do understand why it is a problem. I hope you're able to work it out. I think you're right and that larger high tunnel is the ticket.

[@edibleacres]

Yes, definitely a good problem, but still a challenge in this moment. We're chipping away at some solutions.

[@1incutheta]

@@edibleacres Absolutely. You made it clear. I didn't mean to sound like I was degrading your use of the word. "Good problem" It's what I call similar situations to just continually remind me that the laborious solution required is worth it in the long run. I'm still training myself to enjoy the hard labor.

[@grantraynard]

I pull material around on tarps on the snow and pile it in the walkways. Then spread it in the spring. Not ideal but thought i would throw that out there.... no pun intended

[@edibleacres]

Super smart. Let it mellow right near the bed and then get it on there come spring. I like it!

[@amy3458]

Excellent video again! LOVE those happy hens! 😁🙏🏼❤️ Sean, about how many 5-gallon buckets of food waste do you give to your chickens each week (now AND in the warmer months)? How many chickens do you have now? And finally, how many cubic yards of sawdust and woodchips do you go through in a year? Thank so much! Blessings to you, Sasha and all the animals! 😁🙏🏼❤️

[@edibleacres]

I don't have good specific numbers, so here are rough ideas... Right now... 60 or so hens Sawdust/woodchips/leafbags would be at least 100 yards in a year.. Average in 5 gallon bucket per week would be 20-30 buckets as a year round average, a bit more in summer, less in winter.

[@joannthompson765]

Thanks for chicken TV 😁

[@edibleacres]

Any time!

[@kenoguy10]

For me here in the Ozarks, (lower central Missouri) it would take quite a while before too much compost would ever be a problem. 11 acres; much of it overgrown with cedar trees and some mostly bare open area with not much soil at all atop gravel and inclines. I'll have trees felled and laid out to form tiers that will eventually fill making zig-zag swales to slow erosion and basically make for irrigation for plants and trees I plan to grow along those tiers/swales. Of course the chickens will be glad to be of help in the effort. Another idea I have is to cover some of the larger open areas with cardboard that will be perforated with a gizmo I'm going to make. Kind of a roller with nails or screws long enough to poke through but not so long as to aerate the ground below. (since there seems to be little point in trying to aerate gravel) Then the cardboard will get a good soaking, maybe given a thin cover of compost, seed of whatever kind broadcast over then covered with a light layer of straw.... Basically to establish a base of biomass to build up from. That's the plan... but I understand that nature sometimes doesn't work as well as hoped. It might work so I'll give it a try anyway. I am open to alternate/additional ideas of how to build soil in such an environment. Really liking the way you have complimentary growing going on.

[@edibleacres]

You may do well to skip the cardboard and just try adding compost... Are there places nearby you can source a huge amount of free wood chips? Maybe a mill nearby you can get sawdust? That would be what I would start adding!

[@Forestgump12able]

Hey Sean, a friend from Sourheast

[@denislosieroutdoors]

Love the chicken tv... Denis

[@bryanjohnson584]

I am in total awe of your chicken / veggie scraps / leafs compost system! What types of places do you get your veggie scraps from and how do you negotiate to get those scraps?

[@edibleacres]

We pick up from a few places, we make calls and check in and sometimes it doesn't work out but often we can make simple, healthy connections with small businesses to collect once or twice a week...

[@bryanjohnson584]

@@edibleacres So you don't have a scheduled pick up route so much as a list of small businesses you call when you have time to run around picking up kitchen waste for your hens?

[@HergerTheJoyous]

Paul Robinson has free plans for a unity dome greenhouse that would be an excellent addition to the end of that compost chicken run! I'm planning on building three or four of them, each with different a purpose. But one is definitely going to be a compost dome for my chickens! I get a lot of wood chips dumped on my small lot every summer and my chickens love nocking down the hills of wood chips! I'm also building an auto compost sifter with scrap things I've got.

[@edibleacres]

Sounds like some great things happening over there!

[@audpicc]

We are hoping to have a system like this one day! Right now our coop is getting about a 5 gallon bucket of shredded cardboard daily and we are giving the chickens access to the garage since we don't have a covered run or hoop house for them to play in. We too are in the "stack it all up and wait for the thaw" stage of late winter. Although not quite as dire as yours! haha

[@audpicc]

I have found that cheap post consumer paper shredders you can find on marketplace work pretty well for cardboard. And there's nobody in our area with unfrozen woodchips at this time of year.

[@edibleacres]

This is all a good reminder to make sure as we enter fall that we're really thinking through the caching of materials, relative locations, protection from elements, and ample room for buildup of composts, etc. The ultimate plan ahead scenario!

[@sarahbroussard7489]

I saw someone once use a compost piles high temperature to make black garlic in a jar, could be worth looking into since black garlic is so beneficial for us.

[@edibleacres]

Something for us to experiment with this winter. Yeah, that is a video with Karl Hammer I bellieve.

[@wesz45]

Ive never had a problem with too much green material for composting just because of what is available to me, but if you need more browns I had an idea the other day about soaking matting items like leaves or brown paper bags (which we have an abundance of but never seem to break down) in a barrel until they mash up into a carbon rich paste. You could even use some compost to melt snow to soak the bags in

[@edibleacres]

I would wonder about that. I could imagine them loosing their 'loft' and 'fluff' even more with that approach...

[@wesz45]

I guess my thought process is to balance out the c n ratio but i suppose that even mashed up and wet they would be pretty dense and mucky

[@Dontreallycare5]

I know in the past you haven't wanted to shred the leaves for various reasons, but in this context wouldn't it help to mix the pile more thoroughly without matting developing in certain areas? it seems like at the very least the shredded leaves would allow you to put more carbon material into the high tunnel with less space being taken up.

[@nymbeats]

I've thought about leaf shredding a lot and what stops me from pursuing it is the amount of work involved. as it is, it's a ton of work moving around ~200+ leaf bags. the work of drying, moving, and shredding them might be at least 3x times the work without a costly shredding setup. I think a better call would be what Canadian Permaculture Legacy does, which is go to fatcat neighborhoods and be selective about only taking shredded leaves.

[@nymbeats]

to add to this, in my 7b site I don't get this kind of freezing, so I might try actually storing leaf bags directly in the place where the chickens will scratch, instead of moving the increasingly disintegrating bags from storage to chickenyard

[@edibleacres]

Shredding would be quite a lot of extra work. . Certainly something to consider but I think the key is still getting massive leaf bag piles but ALSO wood chips and blending them 50/50 as bulking for the system from fall through winter. That would work nicely I suspect..

[@randall3685]

You should try your own version of a Johnson-Su Bioreactor! I would love to watch that video... SUBSCRIBED.

[@edibleacres]

Glad to have you along, thanks for subscribing :)

[@randall3685]

@@edibleacres Will you try the bioreactor with all your woodchips and chicken manure? I would like to compare your version since you are in the same Hardiness Zone as myself.

[@williamwalter8554]

Hi Sean and Sasha, I wonder if the solution for next season is an adjacent high tunnel (or 2)? This would provide more space for the chickens to loiter in and the compost to mellow out in. Cheers, Bill PS how are the ponds doing up at the main site? Are they holding water/snow? Do you have hip waders to work the ponds if they have a few feet of water in them?

[@edibleacres]

A good idea, but we'd need to figure out some better basic layout when the snow melts to design that in!

[@rosehavenfarm2969]

Yeah, the compost in our chicken compost house froze in the negative temps, and two feet of snow round about it.Very sad. Waiting for a light thaw this week, to perhaps turn in some straw to the pile. We realize we need to stockpile lots more carbon next fall. Except for our food forest (not a nursery like yours), we have decided "rows" work a lot better for us.

[@edibleacres]

I've found that if I have a compost pile that stalls out, mixing in the straw or hay is helpful, but pouring a few gallons of saved urine right into the middle is a surefire way to bring temps back up... I am learning that there is some real value in having at least some gardens be more 'straightforward' and even... We may have some re-thinking to do thiis spring!

[@jameskniskern2261]

I'm wondering if putting up a couple more cattle panel greenhouses for winter compost flow. Or even a larger temporary structure to keep the chickens, you and Sasha, and the compost out of the weather.

[@edibleacres]

I think about that sometimes but I think I'll need to re-envision the layout in there since it's just so compact and snug already. Not sure where to put more infrastructure!

[@jameskniskern2261]

You have loads of options. Even if you want to do it with fewer new materials. You could raise the entire structure up on a 2 foot black locust wood base. You could design a shack type structure, since sunlight isn't the driving force in your system. You could daisy chain raised up cattle panel structures, with walk through (shovel compost through temporary tunnels...) I feel that your compost yard has surpassed its usable volume in its current configuration. You may want to take some measurements of your site, and knowing your work-flow, redesign the whole thing to make it easier for you and Sasha to work. I'm sure that having to stoop over, to move your compost about inside the cattle panel structure is not going to be good on your back ergonomically for the long term. Anyway, I was just thinking....

[@barrypetejr5655]

U definitely need more space for ur wildly successful composting set up. Maybe with 3 ridge poles....end to end...u could put 2 cattle panels end to end.....so 6 panels to create one the length u have a much taller and much wider. Or maybe just a roof set up to store your compost under......either way it would be win win with ur awesome composting.....

[@voiceofmanywaters3720]

Just found your channel and I am really enjoying it. I am wondering if you enjoy having the Black Australorp breed?

[@edibleacres]

We love Black Australorp, they are a wonderful breed.

[@voiceofmanywaters3720]

@@edibleacres Thank you ! Glad to hear it. Our family has 9 female Australorp chicks and a roo coming soon We will also be breeding Dominiques. This breed is such a low feed breed (war time famous) and is friendly and broody + we are helping to bring it back as it is on the (endangered) watch list Cheers! :)

[@dulce0403]

In rural Arizona we can only dream of the problem of having too much compost. Maybe one day I'll convince my neighbors to give me their yard waste and kitchen waste and I'll have enough compost to complete all my projects in the mean time I may have to resort to guerilla gardening tactics by moonlight to gather all the leaves and other organic matter needed

[@edibleacres]

We do a fair bit of 'evening collections' to make this possible. You may also want to reach directly out to restaurants and see what could happen..

[@daskasspatzle2396]

How would you like your compost, sir? Well, turned, but not mixed. with a tiny bit of ice on top, please :-)

[@edibleacres]

:)

[@davidsimental7154]

How often do u let ur chickens out of the coop and into the chow hall at the compost . And small critters what’s the best advice on dealing with mice

[@gillsmoke]

Well for next year you are going to need a a compost lean to or hoop house. What about the banked compost by the sun room? can you shovel the snow off of that? I don't know why but I love Chicken TV, and was that my speckled friend in there?

[@edibleacres]

We are planning to re-vamp the compost heater attached to the greenhouse, maybe even today! I'll be making update videos on these upgrades and hopefully that will catch us up on all the backlog of compost that remains :)

[@dianecowles575]

Hi, thanks for all the information you give on chicken composting in such a calm manner. I do have a question though. Does all the food scraps draw rats and other rodents? If so, how do you deal with them?

[@edibleacres]

mice and voles are chicken food! Rats help aerate. All welcome :)

[@dianecowles575]

@@edibleacres thank you

[@lolthien]

I'm lucky enough to have a neighbor that runs a tree service (among other landscaping work) and he's always looking for a way to get rid of wood and branches and even wood chips. Might see if you can work something out with a local tree service or landscaping company? Also, it might not be a great idea, but what about using full size logs in the high tunnel? I guess it would take too long to break down probably.

[@edibleacres]

I think full sized logs would be best processed into firewood in our case. Yes, I've got local arborists that know we'd be interested for sure. . Pretty lean in the winter with all the snow though...

[@jessenoell2154]

Do you have a system for capturing the excess heat into piped water for heating your home and domestic water? If so, please share.

[@sustinchcombe]

Sorry if this has been asked and answered, but what is the creamy white block near the entrance, please? I have so many ideas im going yo use from watching this channel now 😆

[@edibleacres]

Ha... the creamy white block... a half bucket of old frozen milk :). Thawing slowly for the hens. Like an unflavored block of icecream :)

[@renaissancewomanfarm9175]

I wonder if it would help to combine your leaves, biochar and wood chips at the beginning. Perhaps it would help keep more air in the pile, though probably too late to manage this year. I think if it were me and I could even get to the spot, I would want to top dress some of the new hugelmounds over by your hand dug pond.... that is, if you could get to them with your current weather.

[@edibleacres]

We try to combine them a lot at the beginning, but somehow it is never enough!

[@renaissancewomanfarm9175]

@@edibleacres I have been trying very hard to find wood chips. Contacted the local utility company etc since they often are looking for places to dump chips after storm clean up. Anyway, no luck so far. But we have a local Hormel plant and they specialize in bacon. the neighbor told me he could get wood chips for me from the plant. I jumped on it. But they aren't really wood chips. I am getting bio char that was created by smoking bacon in pallet loads measuring roughly 4x4x4 foot. Right now, most is getting used for erosion control since that is a real problem on my hilly parcel. Having to rethink how I proceed and wish I had some natural wood chips to balance it out some.

[@jakes2221]

Chicken tv for me and Rosie on a Sunday morning! Nice! I don’t have a good idea for the rest of this season for the compost on hand as it doesn’t seem like this snow is going anywhere. I know space may be limited but maybe a covered finishing area similar to your woodshed in close vicinity that will keep out snow next winter? Also could you please give the info on the compost temp gauge that you use? I want to invest in one and there’s a kind of wide price range for my budget which I aim to be as close to zero as possible lol. Just wondering your experience with the different levels of quality out there. Thanks for the great content awesome as usual!

[@edibleacres]

The one you see in these videos I got from a local hardware store / garden store. It was $20 and has been just fine. We keep it in our garage when not in use so it doesn't have to deal with super rough weather. I don't remember the name but I bet you'll find something.

[@jakes2221]

Thanks!

[@drekfletch]

Would it be worth the effort to bring some of that hot compost to the various compost-heaters for the several greenhouses? If you begin to think about a complete rebuilding, would it work to replace the cattle panel brownhouse with a lean-to extension against a more raised coop? Or is the separation necessary for moisture control?

[@edibleacres]

Check out our most recent video, we installed a large hot bed in one high tunnel with this material and plan to use it extensively in the weeks to come... Moisture control seems very important. I thought they should be paired originially but that woudl have been a disaster.

[@WildflowerFarm417]

My chicken run and rabbit run are in stasis as I dump hay as fast as I can and wait for warm dry weather. Lol

[@edibleacres]

Hard to keep up with it all when winter has such a holding effect!

[@WildflowerFarm417]

@@edibleacres supposed to be in the 50s today in Springfield, mo. Quick! Lol

[@peterellis4262]

We have just about two feet of snow on the ground out here. If someone isn't dealing with moving through that, they really don't appreciate just how hard it is to do simple things ;) You pointed out not being able to even open gates, my poultry netting is mostly buried! Compost ice melt? :)

[@edibleacres]

Deep winter cold and snow with a thick ice crust, makes basic outside life SO much harder. It's amazing!

[@julielamb4062]

I’m wondering if there are any foods you don’t put in with the chickens with the compost. Are you putting meat products in as well as veg? Are you putting in things that are not “supposed” to go in with chickens…I’ve heard onions/citrus/avocado etc. Love the videos. Thank you!

[@edibleacres]

Meat we absolutely put in... When it is easy to avoid coffee grinds we always try to avoid those, if we have a bucket of lemon or other citrus we try to put that in it's own compost ring, etc., but we don't get too fussy about it and it seems the chickens are able to work around those elements so long as there is a good amount available for them of high quality food.

[@shenkbor]

Hey Sean! Too much of a good thing again! So I feel like I haven't heard you talk about blending your chicken manure in as fertilizer to the compost flow, or other ways of using the manure from the coop. I get that they're obviously adding some as they scratch all day, but regarding the build-up in the coop is my main question. Do you have a video on that, or have any best practices/ideas? Thanks!

[@edibleacres]

We work their deep bedding in through this system. I can make a video sharing notes on that soon...

[@shenkbor]

@@edibleacres that would be awesome! Can't be too many chicken videos!

[@beck5787]

Hmmm... 🤔 I can’t help but think of the hugel beds on your 6 acre site and wonder if they could take some of the unfinished compost from your home garden site. Or perhaps your neighbor could receive a load of wood chips to mulch his garden and you could take some for your chicken run. He seems to have more space to stage a wood chip pile. Great problem to have, for sure.

[@edibleacres]

Most certainly that would be a great destination once the snow reduces.

[@austinmesta9862]

For carbon, consider adding logs to pre-rot them for next spring's hugelkultur. Or maybe rounds or chunks of logs.

[@edibleacres]

Good idea, the only thing that is tough with that in this context is big chunks can be VERY hard to move through since it is a scene that gets actively moved most days...

[@austinmesta9862]

@@edibleacres ohh yeah, i forgot about that part. i do static compost pits so my mind is elsewhere lol but i used to turn and i can see how that would b tough. id turn too if i had chickens because im impressed and inspired by what you do there. very efficient and relaxed. i like it... hmm.. maybe some ringed trees off to the side or mexican sunflowers or something to eat up some nitrogen and make u some chop and drop for bedding/browns. lol.. chickens and machete vs giant pecan, can we keep it from poking the roof? id watch that for sure.

[@austinmesta9862]

@@edibleacres there's enough heat in there for bananas. maybe store some nitrogen inside banana plants.

[@MrDave8539]

I use the actual coop for a lot of my compost, I place the compost in the morning underneath their roost but I don’t turn anything I just bury it with carbon material every now and then. I’m building a new design this year...next I want to include worm composting to make liquid fertilizer along with the castings.

[@edibleacres]

Neat idea, although in our coop things are also super full just from the deep litter method!

[@davidakerlund3551]

while it wouldn't help you now and may not be possible in your context. What I do to avoid issues like this , is having a summer and winter chicken run. In the winter all my birds get moved into my annual market garden space{ home use only} all compost goes in for the winter. I then move them to a summer run and silage tarp the whole garden and repeat with the summer run. Come fall I move all the compost produced in the summer run to pallet bins to use on my perennials the following season. I pick the whole coop up over the deep litter every time so i just rake it flat. Never had to dig out my coop

[@edibleacres]

Great design idea. If we had the space we'd 100% want to move the hens/housing instead of all the compost, makes WAY more sense. Unfortunately we have a very limited total space to work with here, so different design constraints. I'm not complaining, and I'm happy to work on figuring it out because I feel there are many other folks with similar constraints. But yeah, your idea is definitely super smart!

[@peterellis4262]

Would it be an option or make sense for you to stack leaf bags along the sides of the tunnel when you gather them? Make it closer to where you need it and possibly less frozen when you want to move them inside?

[@edibleacres]

Definitely a possibility. although the space is limited.

[@margaretmurphy6546]

Invest in a leaf shredder and run the leaves through it. It will break down quicker. Chickens will make short work if it.

[@yvonnetan588]

Could you use shredded paper for the carbon? I know that with be easy to come by from any office

[@edibleacres]

Definitely an option I suppose, although I'd be a little concerned with the bleach and metals in the ink... But if that was what was available exclusively I'd work with it.

[@keralee]

Chicken paradise! You might need a pig to help with the scraps?

[@edibleacres]

We've thought about that but a pig would be too complex a layer in this system. We have so many trees and shrubs planted in here now!

[@nymbeats]

hey Sean I remember you once saying that you got sick from breathing in sour compost fumes... would you describe that in greater detail? Also, have you heard about how poultry workers are more susceptible to certain illnesses/cancers? I'm sure that is in reference to the awful factory environment, but it's giving me a little pause when I see how much particulate comes off a bird when they shake

[@nymbeats]

if only they made some sort of widely available, protecting, soft covering for the mouth and nose

[@edibleacres]

Not a ton more detail to offer, but yeah, if the compost ratios REALLY get off balance it can be ammonia heavy to a point where I think it is unhealthy (maybe dangerous?). This is the main reason I keep hammering the idea of "always more carbon!" seems to be the main fix for all this. The sickness was mainly sore throat and nasty feeling in my body. I could imagine repeated or extended exposure would be really bad for long term health. Luckily it can get back on track with the right materials and some effort... Could be good to wear a mask!

[@loosegear4345]

could you explain how to get a relationship with restaurants? Do you supply buckets?

[@edibleacres]

Sometimes we supply buckets, but they can be found in recycling bins sometimes. We just make calls or stop in and talk!

[@oldgold5848]

Great problem to have! How about bartering for other goods?

[@edibleacres]

For sure, that could be a nice route to take.

[@kriswhite1344]

Wow! Real dilemma perhaps extent the back of the hoop and just tarp the pile as a temp solution

[@edibleacres]

We did something a little like that yesterday, I plan to share notes as we evolve a temporary solution.

[@jasont6574]

what about using some 275 gallon totes with tops cut off to store some of the compost or get some free pallets and build a small structure to house over run of compost

[@edibleacres]

Pallets could be great. The totes would be impossible to handle once full of compost...

[@themaverickmechanic7240]

Are there any specific grains that are best for sprouting in the compost for the hens?

[@edibleacres]

We work with red winter wheat, millet and sunflower as the main grains, but I'm sure there are many more options.

[@lindapolle1665]

Looks like you need a pig-aerator, that is consider adding something like a mini potbelly sow. That will "stir things up".

[@truenorthhaven7676]

Hi, love your channel, do you sell or give away your compost?

[@edibleacres]

We never sell any, but we do share it with folks.

[@chrismunro4385]

What about using compost worms? Get a bag of the compost worm eggs and just before snow falls dump them on top and mix them under and let sit until spring. Or add horse manure and cow manure into the compost as well if you have access to pig manure that alone helps breaks down all the solids

[@edibleacres]

We have a pretty robust red wiggler population in this tunnel actually. I need to make a video showing some attempts to keep them healthy.

[@chrismunro4385]

Try adding some bread or some Brewers Yeast to keep them healthy and eating like crazy will help break things down faster as well the yeast keeps them hungry and makes them want to eat more

[@austinmesta9862]

If i had that much compost, id try to make a cob raised bed out of the earth where I want the bed and fill both the hole and the above ground portion of the bed with compost. Like three to five feet deep of it across the whole bed. Perfect for heavy feeding root crops like potatoes. I think melons would do great there too with some high carbon mulch on top.

[@edibleacres]

That would be some magical garden context to be sure!

[@madmesmith5187]

Have you try'd the Johnson Su Bioreactor ? or adapt it to your set up.

[@edibleacres]

Heard of it but haven't tried it.

[@madmesmith5187]

@@edibleacres I use to work in a warehouse years ago, when you run out of ground space go up :) just a idea :)

[@allendeanhuscusson459]

Sean I’m new and trying to get caught up .I’m trying to figure out how to start at the beginning

[@edibleacres]

You can organize the videos by date if you wanted... :)