The short series of videos below shows one mans mission to design a unique chicken composting system. With this operation they keep 60 hens, which they’re able to keep healthy and happy and they spend almost no money to raise them. Not only do they get fresh eggs every day, they also get a ton of compost to use around the garden. Here is an evolution of the system over two years…
Chicken Compost – Designing the System…
Our chickens generate about 4 wheelbarrow loads of compost a week during the summer that we can transplant directly into and grow a tremendous amount of crops in. In exchange for that, they give us 12-16 eggs a day. And they cost us about a penny per bird per day. Our main expense is buying in millet and sunflower seed. The other whole grains we barter for, and we collect compost scraps from local organic sources, as well as hay and wood chips to make the basic bulk mix.
This system has evolved steadily over time, there is much more to learn and understand, but the basic pattern feels reliable and functional and we’re excited to share it with others so they can take from it what ever components feel most useful. Check it out here…
Chicken Compost – New Design and “challenges”…
The chicken composting operation is settling into a really working machine. Now the components that need to be adjusted and understood are the rate at which we add fresh food to the system to keep the chickens interested, incredibly well fed, etc., but also not so much that they are overwhelmed or we get nutrient excess / smells / etc…
Also, at the moment there is a backlog of compost that needs to leave the system to make room for the ‘conveyor belt’ of compost coming in.
It’s an interesting moment that right now the two major issues with the system are too much food available for the chickens for free and too much compost being made. Good problems! It’ll be even better when we’re caught up with the flow rates in and out of this particular system. Check it out here…
Chicken Compost System: Refining Details…
Now we are full swing into the heat of summer months, and the chicken composting system has to adjust accordingly to adapt to the heat, the activity and the rate of interaction from the chickens. We widen the compost ‘pipeline’ to allow more air and surface area to be exposed and we’re still getting great turn around on the compost.
So far I’m very pleased with how the system is working this growing season. Always more to learn, to adjust and refine, but it’s starting to come together into a very functional feeling situation. Check it out here…
Chickens – Ideas for Feeding for Free!
We’ve been working with our chicken composting system for 4 and a half years. With over 60 hens, we’re able to keep them in a way that seems healthy and happy and spend almost no money to raise them. We are very lucky to have the time and resources to be able to collect wood chips, leaf bags, food scraps and barter for some grain to keep our costs very low.
In this video I share the approach we’ve taken and ideas for how you can implement parts or all of how we go about it. Hopefully you find something useful here and can feed your chickens for less money while making compost! Check it out here…
To learn everything you need to know about keeping chickens at home, click here.
If you like this idea, be sure to share it with your friends and inspire someone you know. Anything becomes possible with just a little inspiration…
