So we started a little compost pile like three months back and partly it's just place to put soiled hay from our rabbit chicken and quail enclosures. Not super crazy about making the best compost or whatever but wanted to know if there's anything a guy can do to help it start breaking down and working faster
by Fit_Beautiful_846
8 Comments
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Add manure. Compress flat.
Mix in your rabbit chicken and quail poo! Throw some water on it and mix it arround. I find that hay takes time to break down, if you could brake it to smaller pieces it would help drasticly. I use my weedeater to break up leaves, that would probobly work on the hey.
Add one or more of these: veggies scraps, coffee grounds, rabbit or chicken poo. (Sources of nitrogen).
Then add water (a liquid) and mix it all together.
And/or, here’s the obligatory, “pee on it.” It works because it’s largely nitrogen in liquid, but it is not mandatory. Some of us never do, but it is the most popular answer to most questions on this sub.
Add dirt and red worms and kitchen scraps and coffee grounds and anything else compostable.
Turn it once a week or so.
If you wanna get really fancy, make a couple more bays. When bay 1 is full, move it to bay 2. Three days later, back to bay one. 3 days later, back to bay 2. 3 days later, move to bay 3, where it sits till done. This is what I do with my chicken bedding–It’s supposed to sit in bay 3 for 4 months to ensure pathogens are gone if you’re using it on veggies.
If it’s dry, add water.
If you really want it done super fast, sprinkle some urea in there.
Bags of coffee grounds from Starbucks or a local place willing to save grounds for you on a regular pick up schedule. Some are delighted to do this.
Or give some of your straw to a neighbor who also composts. Most of us are looking for sources of brown.
Add food scraps, give chickens access.