Composting With Chickens

Once upon a time I used to try to keep the chickens out of the compost. Not that I minded them finding bugs and things to eat in it, but they tend to scratch it down and spread it out, which means quite a bit of work to keep it piled properly. Then, thanks to a suggestion by rabidlittlehippy, I signed up at Australian permaculturist Geoff Lawton's website and found a video, Feed Chickens Without Grain (you may have to sign up to view the video).

The video was an interview with someone who feeds his chickens entirely from huge compost piles made from barn cleanings and restaurant scraps. The result was prolific eggs and superb compost. Geoff did a follow-up video to show his adaptation of the system to a farm garden (Chicken Tractor on Steroids). I knew I couldn't do it exactly the same way, but I really liked the idea of recruiting the chickens to help. I decided to experiment.

I started by making a long pile in the chicken yard after cleaning out one of the goat stalls. I mixed it up with some kitchen scraps.

1st Tuesday - straw & manure pile assembled from goat barn cleaning

The chickens liked the idea immediately, although I knew I would have to rake the pile back together again every evening. For an experiment, I was willing.

2nd Tuesday - after a week of nightly raking the pile back together

One week later I decided to make some changes. Raking was a bit of a bother because the pile was underneath a cedar tree, the branches of which kept bumping me in the head. Also the pile couldn't generate and retain heat for the decomposition process if it's all spread out. Plus it was drying out too much. It can't decompose without moisture either. I scrounged around for materials and came up with a compost bin of sorts.

3rd Tuesday. The old pile was mixed with another batch of manure & straw.

The goat shed/old chicken coop became the back wall, cinder blocks became the sides, and one of the boards from our coal barn demolition makes a removable front. I transferred the original pile to it and mucked out the other goat stall and added that. The bin arrangement keeps the pile from being scratched out all over the chicken yard and saves work on my end. It still requires some turning and additional water. I just dump in water from the buckets when changing them. I add kitchen and garden scraps as I have them.

By the 4th Tuesday of my experiment, I decided to tweak a little more.

4th Tuesday, I now have a working pile & an add-to pile

Dan bought me more cinder blocks and two sheets of cement board. I was able to make two piles - a working pile and an add-to pile. The cement board is to protect the wood siding on the building from the moisture.

3 week old compost on the left, new on the right. 

In just three weeks the working pile looks pretty good, don't you think? It would probably be further along if I was consistent with turning and watering, but for a work-smarter-not-harder system, this is great. The chickens scratch around in both piles, but according to the video, they will eventually lose interest in the oldest pile.

The videos emphasize grainless, as in the chickens eat entirely from the piles with no additional chicken feed. The key seems to be lots and lots of garden and kitchen scraps, including from local restaurants. That won't work for me, so my chickens still have their feed and scratch. My garden, kitchen, and canning scraps are pretty slim since there are just the two of us. Plus they are shared with the goats and pigs. While I could likely get restaurant scraps, the additional chore of driving and fetching them would add to my work load rather than make it easier. As with all good ideas, the benefit must be evaluated in light of everything that needs to be done on the homestead. Work in all areas must balance. The result may not be a series of perfect solutions, but rather, a synergy of good, work-together solutions.

I would eventually like to expand on this idea. Eventually the old shed will come down (assuming we ever get the new goat barn built), but the location for the piles is still a good one. I'd like to add a few more bins as well. I'm very happy that this experiment is a success.

UPDATE: Composting with chickens has been a great success. I'm amazed at how quickly our compost is ready and how happy and healthy our chickens are. You can get all the details in How To Compost with Chickens. Click here for more information.

Composting With Chickens
© September 2014 by Leigh at
http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Sun Baked Frittata & Solar Omelets

We have a lot of eggs, so we eat a lot of eggs. One meal every day is egg based: scrambled, poached, sunny-side-up, egg salad sandwiches. It's usually lunch, but sometimes I make a quiche for dinner.

When I got my solar oven that didn't change, although I did have to learn new egg cooking techniques. For example, I've shown you how I hard cook eggs without water. For all cooking a solar oven works best if it'd kept closed because the oven temperature drops about 25° every time the door is opened. That prolongs cooking time. Anything that requires frequent stirring, such as scrambled eggs seemed out. But I learned how to make some dishes that are just as quick and easy.
 
Sun baked frittata. Frittata is simply a crustless quiche. By preheating a cast iron skillet, it's almost just as quick to make as scrambled eggs on the stove.

I cook the extras in a little olive oil or bacon grease first.
Pictured is onions, leftover chopped, baked potato, and ham. 

The eggs are beaten and seasoned as for scrambled & cooked with
 a lid. With six eggs, it only takes about ten minutes until it's done. 

Ready to eat, just cut into wedges and serve.

I overcooked quite a few of these at first. I learned that we like them best when the surface of the eggs is just a little glossy.

Cheese Omelets. Omelets can easily be made by using a frittata as a base.

Pour beaten, seasoned eggs into a preheated, greased, cast iron skillet. Cover
to bake. At the end, sprinkle with cheese & cover for another minute or two. 

Remove the pan from the oven and fold in half. 

As you can tell, we like them cheesy! 

This takes only about 10 minutes with half a dozen eggs, a little longer with more. Any kind of omelet could be made, but rather than cook the filling separately in another pan, I use the same pan for both filling and eggs as for frittata. Sprinkle with cheese at the end, melt, fold, and serve. Either way, eggs couldn't be easier!

Sun Baked Frittata & Solar Omelets © September 2014
by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

The Mystery of the Tipping Bucket

Gruffy's water bucket

Gruffy, 18" at the shoulder

I have two kinds of water buckets, big ones for the big goats, and smaller ones for the shorter goats. I check them all several times a day and clean out and fill as needed. I became puzzled when I kept finding Gruffy's small bucket knocked over. If he'd been with the other bucks that would explain it; they often knock things over in their sparring over who's the most macho he-goat. But Gruffy was by himself in the buck pasture. The other bucks were in the front. Gruffy's only company (besides hanging out with the other goats through the fence) was the chickens and the pigs.

Waldo, growing daily

Several times I refilled that bucket and each time I later found it knocked over again. It wasn't until I saw Waldo bumping it that I realized he was the one knocking it over. Was he having trouble getting his own drink? I kept a pan of water nearby for the pigs; maybe he was just clumsy? I decided I'd better secure Gruffy's bucket.  I found a hook, installed it in the buck barn at Pygmy goat height, and hung the bucket on it. Hopefully that would solve the problem.

I brought a clean bucket of water and Waldo came running over. He immediately started pushing on it. Suddenly, I realized what he was wanting. I hadn't refilled his piggy pool. I had cleaned it out during an autumn like cool spell earlier this month and forgotten to refill it. What was I thinking? It was hot again and of course the pigs wanted their water! So I filled the "pool". Waldo came, gave it a sniff, took a drink, and then proceeded to knock over the other bucket and flop down in his DIY mud. It wasn't water that he wanted, it was mud!

We hadn't had much luck at a proper pig wallow because the ground soaks the water up plus it evaporates too quickly. After a quick discussion with Dan, we came up with this ...

I took the piggy pool and somewhat sank it in the ground. I filled it
with dirt, added water, and there you have it - instant pig wallow. 

Both Waldo and Polly are perfectly happy with their new mud bath. And Gruffy's happier too.

The Mystery of the Tipping Bucket © September 2014
by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/