Hi, everyone --
As Erin noted in this morning's post, we are having issues with the amount of hay that we are using and then putting into the composter. The problem is that we are using too much hay and putting it in places where it doesn't need to be. So here is some clarification for where to put the hay and how to deal with the poop in the coop. ( I will be amending the official chicken care guidelines to reflect this information as well. )
Please do not put hay at the bottom of the coop, underneath the roost and the nesting boxes. The chickens do not sit there, so it serves no purpose except to collect poop and get all dirty and messy. Instead, that area should remain bare wood. The chickens will poop on it from above. At the end of the day, whoever is on duty should rake or scrape (pick your poison) the poop into the dustpan and then dump the poop into the composter. As for the nesting boxes, look for clumps of poop and dirty hay and remove those as needed, but please do not take all the hay out at once.
The composter is meant for poop, old food (but not feed), and some hay (but not lots). Otherwise, we get too much brown stuff in there too quickly and the proper composting does not happen.
Also, if you choose to put corn cobs in the coop as treats for our girls -- that's great! -- but please do not put them into our composter at the end of the day because they will take too long to break down. Instead, bring them home with you or (and I hate to say this with two master composters in the group) trash them.
A hearty thanks to Bruce, who has offered to solve our too-much-hay-in-the-composter problem by removing said hay from said composter and putting in his own compost pile at home. Woo hoo, Bruce!
I hope this clears things up, so to speak. Have a lovely Monday, all of you.
Amy
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