The Right Ingredients For a Chicken Compost

[@fakecubed]

I had to watch the second half of this video twice because the first time I wasn't listening; I was just enjoying watching the chickens having such a great time on the pile. Clearly the birds have endorsed this plan. Compost piles make for very happy chickens.

[@namnhan2003]

Agree with you 100%...happy chicken make happy Colonel Sanders.

[@maehay4065]

It looks like you got your workout for the day! I did also think it was amazing to see all that steam rising as you were working with compost. Keep up the good work you're very informative and I just enjoy watching you work on your farm.

[@cassityart7001]

Justin Rhodes channel features a man who is selling living compost for serious gardeners and this man keeps 500(?) hens that live only on the compost pile they maintain. They are literally his soil manufacturing workers. Eggs are just a bonus they sell as a side business. Incredible. Love your Channel. Great ideas. And your brother’s singing adds to the joy. Thanks.

[@lunaflamed]

Cassity ART Karl Hammer of Vermont Compost Company... 600 + Chickens. A number of EXCELLENT videos about him.

[@MsVan13]

Laughing. I am glad you paused your explanation so we could hear your brother's joyful singing. I had to rewind and listen to it again.

[@simeonandalex]

Hahaha

[@GROCKEFELLERBARRINGTONIV]

I don't have chickens but still find your videos very informative. Keep up the good work! Thanks Eric

[@mimisfavorites5269]

Love the impromptu singing! Love the information. It's taken my compost pile 3 years to establish.

[@atamanatlas3098]

LOL love this vid loved your brothers singing LOL

[@bigDH123]

Great info Simeon, looking forward to your updates.

[@namnhan2003]

I have to say, i love your channel...so informative, so fun to look at and best of all..some happy men singing is a bonus....

[@PermaPen]

Compost piles are so great! Food, heat. fertiliser... I think Ben Falk had one rigged to provide outdoor hot showers, which I loved. I'm going to use a pile for a hotbed this early Spring.

[@saa7742]

Great job, never except what others tell you is right, try for yourself. It might work for your situation. Keep on learning. God bless.

[@TheHardWayChannel]

Interesting stuff Simion. Definitely want to see how this progresses in the future!

[@danielschneider1504]

Thanks for another really interesting video: As some other people have suggested, I think that chopping the hay and straw into short bits, either with your wood shredder, or by running over it with a mower, would let the chickens scratch it up better. In terms of having the biomila/compostpile inside versus outside; yes, the compost pile is inside now, but I have a feeling that the compost itself is acting as insulation, and is keeping the heat trapped in the center of the pile. when you use pipes of water through the pile, the heat is brought out where it can radiate into the room. It's like a vattenburen varme from a vedpanna; even though the panna is in the house, the warmth in the house is from the water heated by the panna, running through the element. if you do put the mila outside. it will be interesting to see if it holds its warmth enough to keep going through the winter.

[@namnhan2003]

Chicken compost is the best for vegetables .....You are so lucky to have it...i bet your garden is booming with fruits and flower...And your chickens are so clean, they are so white, not like the caged chickens that are soiled with their own feces....good job, my friend.

[@donaldogara1289]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. At approximately 7:30 you discuss adding piping to the pile inside the GH and your assumption is correct, allowing the heat of the pile to directly radiate into the GH is more effective than transferring the heat through a piping system, e.g. the 2nd law of thermodynamics. If you create the massive wood chip pile outside and transfer heat into the GH, I'd love to see that video as well. Excellent work.

[@andrewyek]

i believe you are right too.. instead of channeling the pipe inside a pile of compost, so much work.. and need electricity.. what a MODEM nonsense. good for human use.. because compost stink.. i just hope compost in GH where chicken dwell over night won't have too much ammonia build up that will burn their eyes.... i have had that happened before... lost control of ammonia due to chicken bedding wetness..

[@andrewyek]

ya simeon, if you did something new to heat the chicken.. if it works. pls share and notify me as well.. :-)

[@JustinC905]

Great video. Have to make those chickens happy. Looked quite warm when you were turning the compost over! Laughed when I heard your brothers singing, and after you commented about it. :D Hope all the chicks hatch well, and you get what you want. Congrats on almost 11,000 subscribers!

[@simeonandalex]

Thanks. I've got some crazy brothers... ;)

[@ronanvanshookschookronshoo6271]

Thanks so much for making your videos......especially about the poultry. I live in the Adirondack mountain, upstate. NY. IT GETS VERY COLD HERE. Keep up the great work....farming is a never ending learning experience! Thats why we enjoy it so much...... Best of Luck to You, and your Family. Ron Shook

[@thenitpicker911]

You’re right about the heat. People who says you are wrong just don’t understand thermal dynamics :)

[@wandarettinger5674]

So thankful you share your successes and failures. I was going to add some old hay to my chickens compost....not now. Thank you.

[@dellasmom]

I believe it will be fine as long as you add it in thin layers as a previous commenter...........uh............commented.. :-) That way it won't get into such gigantic wodges that even a hungry chicken can't manage!!

[@atlas5919]

welcome back simeon,very nice video, I got to see my favorite chickens.

[@fernandoc7352]

I really enjoy your channel. What you do is what I dream to do one day. My parents have a little piece of land and I use to make some compost pile there. Once I wondered to make a chicken tractor (1,5m x 3,0m) to prepare the land for planting lettuce and other leaves, chickens eat the weeds and bugs and fertilize the soil. Here in Brazil its posible in almost tthe whole year since we have no heavy winter. But I didnt try it because I had no time yet, I live far away from my parents homesteady.well, great job you are doing there, hope you have success with your greenhouse, I wanna see more videos.greettings from Brazil!

[@simeonandalex]

Hope you will find time to fulfill your dream.

[@ImASurvivorNThriver]

GREAT UPDATE! Very informative! Thanks for sharing.

[@supertoecutter]

Thanks Man. Merry Christmas. Enjoying your channel from Michigan.

[@Travelgirl0224]

Keep up the great work 👍🏽 love to see the every day workings on a farm. (The good, the bad, the ugly) lol

[@jimh3500]

Mighty fine looking chickens. Keep up the great work

[@oldtimeengineer26]

Nice video and the chickens will thank you for all your hard work

[@kickinthegob]

If you live next to a butcher shop or slaughter house, you can often collect the cow's stomach contents for free. This material has the cow's flora in it and is also partially digested. If you mix this in to your compost you will accelerate the rate at which the compost breaks down. Also, don't worry about the heat as it kills any weed seeds that may be present in the straw, just keep turning it over regularly and don't be scared to add your kitchen scraps to the mix when you turn it. It provides the chickens a reward for turning it over.

[@mdpsi-run]

Looks warm & cozy in there, awesome

[@RollerPigg]

Love the musical intermission!

[@pitviper8795]

The heat produced is great but by circulating it you will heat more area. I would recommend using compost and wood stove combo ( separate of course ) along with COB around the wood stove as thermal mass to really hold that heat in. There's isn't one way that will do everything you need but you can incorporate several to get the result you want. Water barrels that are black are another great way to get extra thermal mass and it takes a lot of energy to both heat and cool water.

[@murray1284]

Enjoyed the update...

[@TealHouseFarm]

We're looking at getting chickens soon...thanks for the great info!

[@bondking501]

I agree with not using straw or hay. Luckily, we have large Post Oak trees on our property that supply us with an endless supply of leaves.

[@joansmith3492]

Seems like you could run your old hay through the shredder to cut it up so it would break down faster before you add it to the pile. I think the easiest way to get straw and other very dry things wet is to dunk it in a container of water to get all surfaces wet before you put it on the pile (saves water as well). Watering a dry pile of leaves or hay seems to just run off IMO. That pile was not evenly wet. It seemed too wet in some parts and too dry in others.

[@monmejares]

Very good idea, thanks for sharing!

[@gerrygold9273]

Keep up the good work. Your Chickens are happy.😂 👍✔

[@DaybirdAviaries]

That steam coming up is amazing.

[@MorganBrown]

regarding heat transfer, you could argue for a heat transfer system if you were trying to heat the soil under raised beds (for instance). This pile may be too small to heat the air, but it may be large enough to make a real difference in directly heating the soil. Cool greenhouse, compost, and videos. Thanks.

[@michelemorgan5118]

Love those feathered ladies. had chickens as a kid. also had one rooster named Picky Toes

[@matthausfrick5971]

Ich sehr gespannt auf euern Fortschritt im kommenden Jahr! Hört sich so an als ob der Kanal noch viel interessanter wird :)

[@papaal7014]

ya

[@chrisyoung732]

Generally the pipe is used to circulate water through the compost pile creating a it into a water heater. If hot enough the water then can be used in a radiator fashion to heat the green house. Keeping the compost pile in the green house means no heat loss in the transfer. Most of the heat in the compost pile is generated in the center so running the pipe through will bring it out of the compost pile and into the open air. You want to move the water into a better heat conductor (something that will off the heat into the open air quickly so you can return cooler water to the compost pile to be heated again. Especially if you want to get the temp up in your green house in winter, Offing the heat of the compost pile can be a way to regulate the burn of the compost.

[@naomidunbar719]

I have heard of people using hot compost for heating water in the summer for showers. You might think of using that if you choose to make guest cottages so you supply a renewable hot water supply on the cheap.

[@Pyropenant1]

Just a thought but it might have worked better still using the hay, straw and grass if they had been layered in thin layers rather than in large masses,

[@calistarlim3242]

Great info! Loved your brothers singing, that was hilarious. We talked about putting in a biogas thing in our school but we weren't allowed to due to the high risk of explosions. We were kids so we wouldn't have known how to deal with that properly, so just a heads up when you do that. Also if the gas is released into the greenhouse, you might want to have some method of ventilation and maybe watch out for sparks. I'm assuming it creates quite a bit of methane.

[@sirjimmy71]

Thumbs up for happy brothers.

[@TimBeverly]

If you have a wood chipper then run your hay and stray through it to make is smaller. Plus try adding leaves to the pile.

[@rabblepeasant2676]

I was thinking to run the hay through the wood chipper also!

[@TimBeverly]

I run everything through my small chipper in the fall right onto the garden and then till it in.

[@allencallender2205]

They are probably eating the mycelium growing in the compost . It's good nutrients for them. As the pile cools, it will grow more mycelium and more bugs. Instead of turning so often, wait for the pile to cool and get more mycelium and bugs. When it's time to turn the pile just remove the sides and let the chickens tear the pile apart. They will love it and find much more food in there than you can see. After they spread it around, throw in a few handfuls of whole grain and mix in, any kind of grain and it will sprout creating more chicken feed. Sprouted grain contains more than double the nutrients of dry grain.

[@namnhan2003]

And the chicken are looking for worms too..in the compost, there are heaps of them

[@goofyroofy]

If no ones mentioned it yet, you should check out Jean Pain, hes the king of compost heat. Also if youre looking at wood chips and chipping trees, if you have some deciduous trees, you could get goats and paddock shift them to eat the leafy material of small trees, then you can cut them for either wood chips, or if you build a rocket mass heater for the greenhouse and use the wood as fuel for it.

[@welshharlequin7722]

It IS so strange and miraculous how a stack of hay in a barn can catch fire because of moisture or whatever. I'm glad you discovered the grass/ hay/ straw wasn't ideal for chicken scratching....whew! ---- It IS also very crazy how your pile had ashes ...... amazing, really. Ignite! (crazy!)

[@LasseBlomgrenJrgensen]

@Swedish homestead, How about a one or more chimneys in and L shape going from the outside of the pile into the middle and out the top, then the heat will be circulated more easily.

[@CJFarm]

We have been looking into a climate battery greenhouse. One of the experts on this is about a 4 hours drive from us here in Colorado. Jerome Osentowski, Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute (CRMPI), Basalt, Colorado. Lots of upfront labor, but with your YT success, I bet you could easily gather together willing and joyful volunteers to help build with you!

[@nectcruiser]

Don't worry about the heat, I'm not sure you can make it too hot, Heat is what breaks down all your ingredients until it finally becomes soil and then move it to your garden and start the process all over again. The insects have moved away from the intense heat, worms have probably gone into the ground under the pile until it cools down some but they'll be back don't worry. Chickens are single minded in the pursuit of bugs it that is why they scratch the ground, looking for bugs You're right about hay and grass in the pile it always mats up like that. In your next pile use much thinner layers of hay, just sprinkle it lightly between your layers of other ingredients Your pile is doing wonderfully and will be ready to sift and put into pots to start seeds before you know it.

[@francogrosso6038]

i am a huge fan of your channel

[@nancyfahey7518]

I love happy farms. Met you over at the Lumnah Acres website.

[@rabblepeasant2676]

I can see that compost is like firewood. It warms you twice..

[@lionelmajor]

I am Canadian, And what I can tell you is if you stir something the chichens are there

[@douglaswatson3638]

great video

[@garymccoy2888]

Just a comment to support your channel.

[@kirstenwhitworth8079]

I am wondering if the white stuff was not ashes but rather mycelium. In all my years of composting, I have not seen ashes generated in compost piles - though I have added small amounts of ashes to many piles - but I have seen quite a bit of mycelium grow in compost.

[@simeonandalex]

I will look into that.

[@laevusHW]

Be careful with toxic molds growing in stuff like silage piles it's white and dusty(spores) use a mask and if you get symptoms like headaches red tea and milk might help your kidneys drive out the toxins.

[@melovescoffee]

It is and the white layer you see in there is of a particularly nasty anaerobic kind. It is because it was not turned fast enough the first/second time. A compost pile should be turned after about 2 days, then let it build up heat again, turn after 2-3 days and so on. You don't want to see that and you can smell it too. It will smell sour like a batch of kraut gone wrong, sour and poopy. A pile needs air and when it goes anaerobic like that, it can breed a lot of harmful pathogens. It's best to closely monitor the temperatures with a proper compost thermometer. The first buildup can happen within a short time. With too much manure added or too little oxygen available, even within hours. When the optimal temp has been reached, you should turn it immediately or it will go anaerobic very fast. There are plenty of ingenious ways to pump in oxygen as well. Doing this right is easy if you're willing to monitor closely and act quickly. The ideal ratios and temperatures can be found easy. There are a lot of great compost makers on youtube. As long as you don't go for the clickbait screaming titles, promising great compost in less than a second, you're in good hands. What you don't want is compost that burns up and gasses off all the goodies that you want to use for the veg. The less it shrinks, the browner it is, the better. Little slower is good. Look at what they started with, then look at what they ended up with. The less is left, the less goodies are left in the compost. All of that volume gassed off. All of that was garden food. I think Rick Larson has a really nice approach to composting. Really excellent permaculturist too and very enjoyable to watch. So incredibly involved and full of knowledge and enjoyment.

[@davidgaylord2035]

yes as Captn Jack says run everything thru a chipper shredder will start the decomposting sooner and give the smaller pieces

[@mikedormin1712]

How do we know how often to add water? And would it be ok to add the daily kitchen food scrap to the top of the pile and let the chickens at it or bury it in the pile?

[@demonrathunter]

interesting findings Simion.

[@lyndawilliams8434]

Do you use urine on your compost piles? Its a totally free source of NPK.

[@MorganBrown]

I sure do! ;-)

[@Dwatthaell]

Straw/hay could likely be used fine, but you'd most likely have to shred it up into small lengths.. a couple centimeters long perhaps.. don't know if you have equipment to do that though.. Any vegetation will compost faster when in small pieces. The only benefit I could perhaps see to adding piping is just in the efficiency of heat transfer.. it would effectively increase the surface area the heat is radiating from, so you'd get more of it out of the center of the pile quicker, and the pile itself would not get quite so hot. Obviously, you want to maintain a certain level of heat for the thermophilic bacteria to break everything down nicely, but too much just makes ash, so it's a balancing act..

[@antoinettegurdely8811]

A suggestion for a better operating pile.. shred it, or even put some rough material like pine bows under neath the pile for greater oxygen penetration ....best to have a greater diversity of material types in your pile. Another way of making good compost beds or piles... the las gun a bed method.......

[@KumiOriFarm]

Looks like your hoop house is made from wooden hoops. Could you share a video on how it is constructed?

[@mebhi2]

Lilac City Real Estate He has a video posted about the building of the greenhouse. Very fine build. Cathy

[@geraldswain3259]

I think you will find it is the hay and straw content that causes the pile to heat up so quickly!. Regards.

[@danielwilson6314]

very interesting way to do compost do you think that some pig manure would help break down the straw faster?

[@simeonandalex]

Maybe. I think any nitrogen would do the work.

[@raybankes7668]

The Chickens are eating fungi that is growing as part of the composting process. your wood chips will use more fungi to decompose so that will provide food for the chickens too. use some chopped straw or fine grass with the cow poop cuz you are needing the carbon too. your thought processes appeal to my thinking too. Your brothers are clowing your video lol enjoy their addition to the channel

[@jcbarber1750]

If you used perforated pipe it would make a way for oxygen to get into the compost as well as bring heat out.

[@salemthorup9536]

JC Barber , have you done this? I'm very curious about how well it works. I've thought about it before and wonder if the pipes are likely to get clogged or what not.

[@alexriddles492]

Salem Northrup I have done that. I used flexible plastic drain tile that was perforated and about 6 inches in diameter. The piece I used was about 20 feet long. I made three loops inside the pile with one end exposed at the bottom of the pile and the other end exposed at the top of the pile. The pile heated up very quickly. It stayed hot until the process was complete as long as I kept it wet. Because of the air flow through the pile it lost water very quickly. With the top of the pipe exposed it was very easy to water as the pipe distributed the water evenly through the pile.

[@RBMawby]

Will follow along.

[@noillucs3392]

The Chickens looks so healthy and happy. Have they always just lived off the compost?

[@namnhan2003]

they are looking for worms.

[@richardkochel9068]

While not claiming to be an expert, it is my opinion that primarily the chickens eat the insects etc that feed on the bacteria and the fungi, that is the predators of the microorgansisms. It really helps to have some access to the soil, either add dirt from outside or compost off the ground from outside, where these predators normally live. Also, your "ash" looked like actinomycetes which suggests that below that level your pile may be anaerobic, too low in oxygen, which is not good, so you need to turn your pile more often. Chickens will aerate the surface, but you need pigs to do it deeply, such as Salatin does by throwing maize seed which the pigs can smell into the pile.

[@simeonandalex]

Yes. I think I do need turn the pile more often. I added a bunch of mature compost when building the pile.

[@johnee1326]

Good video again :-)

[@johnglibota5472]

I use old hay but I put through my chipper first it's much easier to turn

[@Flexaret]

The hay and straw didn't look they work very well as you say, I think it's too dense and perhaps not enough air is getting into the pile. Anyway, it wasn't a waste of time as you've learned something along the way.

[@simeonandalex]

Yes. I think wood chips allow more heat in the pile as they don't pack as much.

[@johnee1326]

When will the hatching video be up?

[@simeonandalex]

Tomorrow

[@johnee1326]

Swedish Homestead oh ok thanks.

[@Mahyuddin-cf]

Thanks for idea.

[@tarlnobert4269]

Your technique of breaking up and turning that compost pile stresses me out LOLdo you not think that it would be easier on you and more efficient to have two locations for your pile side by side? I feel there are much more efficient ways that are easier on yourself and your tools.

[@cherriemckinstry131]

Good ideas for sustainability..

[@murchlk]

I am curious if you have had any predator problems in the greenhouse? I would like to do this but I feel like raccoons would rip through the plastic without a problem

[@matszz]

There are no racoons in Sweden, a fox might present a problem. Maybe an electric fence around the green house could prevent it?

[@annohman9371]

Do you have any problem with rats/mice in the compostarea?

[@dellasmom]

I have 2 suggestions, and honestly if they make you laugh out loud, I totally deserve it as I am currently still just an "arm chair farmer"..... First of all, I have also seen Justin Rhodes videos that feature the compost piles (REALLY clever stuff, BTW) and I am wondering if totally abandoning using the straw might be throwing the baby out with the bath water. I am thinking that the chickens could much better handle that sort of thing if you just didn't use a majority of that type of thing and included much more things of different textures to do a lot of the separating right off the bat. I remember even seeing tree branch ends in with Justin's compost mix and his girls went at the whole stack like there was an ice cream sundae in the middle of the pile!!! ;-) Second, what a STUPID (or at least very restrictive) policy about food scraps...... here's a little idea that might let you do an end run around it. What if you put the food scraps into the compose pile and if anyone should get their undies in a pinch about it, just say that it is perfectly sanitary to compost any sort of veggie matter!!! I have actually heard that if you do it correctly you can get away with protein in a compost pile, but I am sure that is much too controversial a subject to tackle here and also I haven't had any personal experience with that sort of thing. That might be the worst idea ever in the history of ideas, but I was pretty much compelled to share it as I have one of those annoying "gee, let me help you fix your problems" sort of natures. Apologies all around, and if any government type reads this................well, you will just have to forgive me........it really is a dumb law. I mean, a chicken will eat a cockroach with real enthusiasm....how bad can a few veggie scraps be for them, honestly!!! PS, I guess being long winded is another one of my character flaws......

[@calistarlim3242]

I'm an arm chair farmer too! Well not even, just an arm chair farmer wannabe. I will probably use that term again. Thanks for that. And I like your ideas too.

[@dellasmom]

Calister Lim - Gosh, thank you!! What a lovely surprise/compliment, you have made my day!!

[@perfectlife4u]

what is this smoke,is this hot or powder flying,what is this plastic sheet neccessory

[@mtmtodd]

Would leaves work better?

[@telinstrong6327]

Yes leaver work better leaves and wood chips both work great I use both

[@MorganBrown]

they clump a bit

[@luigiprovencher]

Swedish Homestead Check out Vermont Compost Company and Karl Hammer.

[@annabellavetra]

do you have to turn the compost often?

[@dhsneed3]

Maybe if you turn the pile more often

[@jeylyn7683]

trow feed on top of the compost and they will scratch through the hay to find the feed'

[@chipbhi]

Why not run your hay and straw through your woodchipper to help the chickens. Those things are so good for a compost pile!

[@jagex4me]

Don't forget to mention your Facebook page if you plan for that to be more than just a launching platform for your KZbin videos.

[@julioequinones]

the "ashes" are actinobactiria an indicator you are getting into low oxygen territory. very nice operation you have!

[@supertoecutter]

Lets find a way to turn over the compost with the tractor.

[@JessiesMailbox]

When you pause for your brothers singing what breed are two darker chickens at the bottom of the screen. There is one in the center and one to the left.

[@fakecubed]

If you're talking about the brown speckled chickens, those are Bielefelders. Great chickens from everything I've heard. The fully reddish brown ones with some black on their tails are New Hampshire Reds, and I also see some Black Australorps hanging out in the left corner.

[@ginoy007]

Are those white Plymouth Rock?

[@pippaseaspirit4415]

You can use hay and straw if you use a chaff cutter to cut it into small pieces first. Old-fashioned hand-turned chaff cutters cost nothing to run!

[@kathleenwalton3311]

Cooked chicken ala compost🤣

[@lopelopemazda1115]

How about the smell? Is that stinky??

[@annabellavetra]

is it?

[@antoinettegurdely8811]

When you are building a compost pile the rough ratio of carbon to nitrogen ratio would be 30:1 . So for one part green material to two parts brown material.....for every one inch of green materials materials that are (green plant clippings , coffee grounds, tea bags, and grass clippings ) two inches of brown material would of be required. Brown materials are paper, card board, saw dust, and dry plant material. Paper type materials should be used in small quantities. The greater amount of surface area the material has, or been shredded, gives the bacteria and other biological life. The pile goes through a number stages depending on the temperature of the pile. The pile can get to a temperature of 180 degrees f .......The pile should always have a moisture of a sponge wrung out... be sure to turn the pile to maintain the aeration by turning the pile...I found that if there are branches, twigs, pine bows laid out in a layer in a thickness 4-6 inches thick. Also, try to give the pile a height of approx 3 feet high , which would give you a base of about three feet wide......for more information, try looking up Rhodales organic gardening composting guide. There are also, many good composting books and manuals that are put out by agriculture college extensions.

[@dorascott8286]

Cut grass is OK, maybe a little more water....Chickens look great....

[@kevinschmidt5881]

don't discount old hay;run it through the woodchipper with the wood. smaller pieces mixed with woodchips ought to be better.

[@1voluntaryist]

I started composting in the fifties. Mixing the smallest pieces possible gives the quickest product. I noticed the pile was way too dry. I used to have a light spray going as I turned the pile. High heat the first week or so is needed in the first stage. I didn't have chickens to help but this is a great idea I would love to use. Under perfect conditions I have gone from raw materials to finished compost in 11 days. That was 1 time. The norm was 2 weeks. I turned every 3 days and carefully monitored the moisture content.