INSIDE a Chicken COMPOSTING Yard: What I've Learned after TWO YEARS!

[@sunriseeyes0]

This is such an amazing setup! I only have two hens right now but I want to make a small version of this in my yard too 💗🙏🏽

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

Awesome! Glad you enjoyed the video and with a little planning to stay ahead of their destructive nature your girls can help you make some great compost!

[@potpourrioflife]

Love the sleepy hen. Obviously works hard everyday.

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

Haha she does indeed! She was catching some 💤 😴! The triple digits definitely curtail the afternoon activities.

[@joannc147]

You have the healthiest group of fruit and nut trees that I’ve ever seen! You are working some magic fertility with that chicken workforce. I’ve got oodles of shade on my ppty and my five hens have lots of shade and hiding areas as they free range. Enjoyed your video, thank you! Would love to see you include a glimpse into their dust-bathing. I was initially horrified when hens started to remove mulch in certain areas in my garden. They found plenty of sandy soil to roll around in and enjoy. 🐓🐓🐓

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

Thanks for watching and thanks for the idea on dust Bathing. I have videos showing them Bathing but maybe going in more detail would be a good idea. Everything planted in proximity to the chicken yard seems very happy. Thanks again!

[@holly1391]

I learned so much out of this one video! Thx for sharing it! I was thinking of putting two fruit trees into my chicken yard and now I will for sure! I only have 3 hens but they have a large yard and they cover every inch of it, about 100 x 40…mine has oak trees and my little tiny compost bucket…but now I will dump my compost straight onto the ground for them to sort through. Thanks again.!

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

So you got something from the video. Build your own system and refine what will work best for you. Thanks for watching:)

[@buckstarchaser2376]

I did not know that you could detect hornworms with UV light. Learning that has made my day.

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

You are welcome! 👍

[@PriceOfLibertyEternalVigilance]

I noticed you have the Brown Novagens in the majority, but you also have what appears to be a leghorn rooster, an australorp and barred rock. How do the leghorns and barre rock fair when it comes to the daily digging compared to the novagens. Also, have you ever had Rhode Island reds and how do they compare to the Novagens in relation to working the compost and egg laying?

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

Yes I have had Rhode island reds and they are a great bird which is one half of the genetic cross that makes a Novogen Brown. A little bigger doesn't lay as many eggs as the NB but a great choice. Yes we have a couple black australorps, and the barred rock looking birds are Dominique. The roosters are also Novogen Browns however they are white at birth and when they mature making them easy to determine sex right when they hatch.

[@PriceOfLibertyEternalVigilance]

@@therealprtrhsenteal Thank you! I was wondering, makes sense now. Correct me if I"m wrong, but are BN 1/2 RIR and 1/2 Leghorn or 1/2 Rhode Island white?

[@ritcheymt]

I love how actively you evolve this system! Thanks for sharing with us!

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

You are so welcome! Thanks for watching 😉

[@teriguerin8371]

Love your set up.

[@JustMe-ju3je]

Do you have, or can you do a video on how a very beginner can start a chicken composting yard like this? I just raised 8 chicks and placed them in their coop and yard. I have been composting yard waste on a small scale for my garden but love what you have done here and would like to establish something similar but am not sure where to start! I have on hand fresh wood chips from two trees that just fell in a recent storm and loads of weeds from areas I am clearing. What is safe to use to start their composing area? I heard you cannot put wood chips in their yard until they are dry and aged. Do I need to start with a purchased, aged product? What would you advise to begin this process on my small “in town” property?

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

Hey thanks for questions. I have other videos in my composting with chickens Playlist that you might find something useful which may help you get started. Wood chips do not have to be aged before the chickens access them. I used both aged and not in the chicken yard. Chickens are pretty resilient despite all the warnings of what some say chickens should not eat, be exposed to etc. The best way to compost is to start small and scale up. Good luck:)

[@harlankraft578]

Thanks Bill Jolly for sending me the link!!!! I ask doing similar here on Gruene Road Farm in Texas

[@1051_fam]

Beautiful setup, very inspiring

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

Thank you:)

[@SuerteDelMolinoFarm]

Greetings from the LooseNatural farm in Andalusia Spain where we currently live through a drought and we are looking into having chickens. Thanks for sharing this video

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

You are very welcome! Thanks for watching and I hope you get those chickens soon!

[@anonperson3972]

They look like very healthy happy chickens

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

They are pretty happy to get out in the yard everyday. I believe that this is what keeps them so healthy. Thank you:)

[@l0gic23]

Can you show the nighttime feeding and AM transition in a future video. Curious how much they eat of the feed and how they behave 1st thing in the morning. Also, how.long did it take for them to adopt to this system and timing.

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

Yeah I will try to include that in a future video for sure. It is not hard for them to learn where the food is once shown but the piles do need to be prepared daily to keep them interested. Thanks for the question.

[@carolynethrasher4527]

Your birds look so healthy! Love your system.

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

Thank you! 😊

[@cindyhebberd7352]

You do such a wonderful job explaining the processes of your set up. Thank you for detailing the way you run your farm.

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

You are so welcome! Thanks for the kind words:)

[@oklahomesteader]

Howdy from Central Oklahoma! New subscriber, Billy from Perma Pastures Farm sent me!

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

Welcome to our channel. Thanks for checking us out! 👋

[@charleywalker2982]

Love it, thanks for sharing knowledge and keep your videos coming please, we really appreciate them.

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

Thank you!

[@Poppa_Bob]

Love it!

[@winnipegnick]

It would be nice if all commercial chicken farms also had commercial compost piles on the farm. It would be a second revenue stream for farmers, better for the planet, and it produces healthier happier chickens and eggs.

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

100% true. Unfortunately the industry is 100% driven by the bottom line hence the rise of the CAFO and less consideration is given for the happiness of the chicken. Thanks for the comment.

[@carolynethrasher4527]

Love it

[@workshopvillage]

Great video! How do you keep your material so moist in the hot dry summer? My chicken yard is a dust bowl right now, and it seems like a waste to water it down.

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

I water the piles with a sprinkler at least a few times per week during the summer. It would be dust bowl otherwise!

[@henrycraig8367]

Thanks for all your great info!! Do you put woodash in your compost too?

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

No. Adding woodash will alter p.h. and trend it towards alkaline. My soil is pretty neutral however it would be something useful to add for soils trending acidic. It can be used sparingly for the nutrient benefit but sparingly should be the key until the soil p.h.. is known.

[@56BIGM]

thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

You're welcome!

[@babu7141]

Which kitchen food scraps won't chickens eat?

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

Let me know if you find any.

[@HelenEk7]

How do you catch larva in a bucket during the night?

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

I'm not sure I understand your question but the larvae are in the bucket 24 hours a day until there is no more carcass for them to feed upon.

[@raincoast9010]

No bug stands a chance!

[@gertiem956]

This is great and I hope to incorporate some practices in my yard. But you mentioned that you have a walnut tree in the orchard. I think most walnuts harbor toxins in their roots and leaves that can harm other plants and animals too. I hope this is not a problem for you.

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

I haven't seen any ill effects yet. If the juglone toxin begins to affect the other plants I would just remove the walnut. At this point I am keeping an eye on it and treating it as an experiment. Thanks for watching and your comment. I appreciate it.

[@ThoneJones]

Your yard looks super fertile. I bet you're constantly giving away eggs to friends and neighbors.

[@therealprtrhsenteal]

We supply our excess to our son and we sell at least 5 dozen per week to a local restaurant.

[@williampatrickfurey]

​@@therealprtrhsenteallikely the best eggs around