dealing with waste?

[lynne]

Hi. I have had 4 chickens for around 3 months now, and am loving having them and looking after them. (and eating the yummy eggs of course ) I do have a query though - well, several!
1. currently, i sprinkle diatomaceous earth around their house, before laying newspaper and sawdust down. Around once a week, I roll it all up and put onto compost heap, before repeating the process. My question is - is it harmful to put chicken waste onto compost heap - given that I would (eventually) use the resultant compost on my flower and veggie garden? secondly, would the diatomaceous earth prohibit the microbes that create the compost from doing their job? would i be better off to burn the waste materials?

2. my chickens were from a free-range farm that was closing down. at the farm they seemed to have roosting perches. We have created nesting boxes, and roosting perches in their house (a converted shed); but they never use either, seeming to prefer nestling to each other on the floor at night - they lay their eggs in a nest they build in the corner of straw - as they seem to like this, I place plenty there for them when I clean out. Is this odd? should they be using the boxes/perches? is it maybe because they came from a farm?
I would be grateful for any feedback anyone can give me on these questions. thanks. Lynne

 

[bantiekeeper]

Hi Lynne,Welcome to the forum. I sprinkle Stalosan on the floor of the coop and in any nooks and crannies every so often. On top a layer of newspaper each day. Each morning I roll up the newspaper complete with the nights droppings and burn it.Only takes about 5 minutes. The drum used for burning is emptied every few weeks onto the compost heap and mixed in. Do not know if the Stalosan affects the compost heap but it grows some great veg!! The run in which the coop is situated has woodchip on the floor which is sprinkled with Stalosan every few weeks and changed completely every 3-4 months. When the woodchip is replaced the dirt floor gets the stalosan treatment before the new woodchip goes on top.
Your perches need to be higher than the nest boxes as they would normally roost in the highest place. Perhaps as you say being from a farm they are used to sleeping on the floor.

 

[Anonymous]

Chicken muck is great for compost heaps - helps activate things so great at helping everything to get going with rotting down. Don't put it directly on/in your beds before planting though as like most manures it will "burn" your plants/seeds. Not really sure about the diatom - it kills creatures like mites, fleas, lice as it works by piercing & damaging the waxy layer on them. When the waxy layer on them is compromised they quickly dehydrate & die. Honestly not sure what (if any) effect it would have on the micro-organisms involved with compost... Certainly doesn't seem to affect the numbers of fruit flies visiting our compost heaps...

 

[Chuck]

Perches/nest boxes. Yes it's a bit odd as I would expect free range hens to do both but presumably you're sure they were free range.

You can try putting them on the perches after dark to see if they can be encouraged to use them but neither laying on the floor or roosting is a serious problem.

 

[lynne]

thanks for your replies everyone. seems like I can continue with composting my waste materials. Geuss I wont know if it has harmed decomposition rates until later in the year when we turn it!
Yes, the hens were from a farm closing down, they were in large open barns, running free, with access to the outdoors too. they had perches there and seemed to use them. We are using an old shed, and built four boxes, around a foot off the ground, but although they fly up at me when I go in with food, they dont seem to want to lift themselves off the ground. the roosting perch is at similar level, around a foot off the ground.
we have had some problems with soft shelled eggs, and clearly, one bird is a passenger as we get 3 eggs daily with a very occasional 4th! no idea which isnt laying though, nor how old these birds were. they were really very cheap!
our run, is around 12' square, and is bare earth - did have some ideas about laying turf, but think they would have instantly trashed it - I had no idea how destructive these girls are!! We had to build up the sides of the shed, or they would have undermined it!

 

[bantiekeeper]

Hi Lynn, I would try and make your perches higher than the nestboxes. To avoid a build up of pathogens on the dirt floor I would suggest the use of some form of litter like woodchip (not bark chippings). This whole layer can then be removed and replaced when necessary. It also makes it easier to poo pick as it clumps together with the litter and is easily picked up. Do you have a roof over the run?

 

[lynne]

Hi bantiekeeper. thanks, we will try to build up perches, but they never seem to go into, or onto the shelf above the nestboxes at all? we use newspaper on floor, together with sawdust, all of which is rolled up and put onto compost heap.
No, no roof on the run, just wired panels. I am thinking for winter we should put something up there? Have seen some sites, where people cover whole run with plastic, is this a good idea?

 

[Chuck]

You could try a sloping plank up to the perches, they might use these. Size of perch can make a difference as well. They should be 2'' x 2'' with slightly rounded edges if poss.

Turf won't survive for long unless you divide the pen and let them run one side while the other side is in recovery.

Plastic over the pen will save it a bit but it will still get wet when the wind blows. You need good drainage too on the outside of the pen.