Building a "digester"

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Ontario Chick
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Building a "digester"

Post by Ontario Chick » Sun Sep 17, 2017 6:45 pm

or my version of, based on the Indore Method, (Sir Albert Howard) I would like to see if I can approximate is in my back yard using compost bins.
The point of the whole exercise is to see if I could avoid dragging the bins of chicken droppings from under the roosts all the way to the compost pile about 150' from the barn.
The "digester" bins are right beside the barn and if they could produce usable compost in 3 month as they are supposed to, it would be great.
So the instructions are for 6" of straw or spoilt hay or any other plant material, then
2" of manure
1/8" of soil
and repeat until the pile in my case bin, is full.
This is supposed to heat up in few days and start to shrink in size.
Anybody has tried anything similar? any kind of input is welcome
Digester.jpg
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Re: Building a "digester"

Post by labradors » Sun Sep 17, 2017 7:49 pm

Sounds very interesting! I wanted to do that, but hubby just built a 3-bin composter right beside the coop! I'll be watching to see how it works out for you. Do you care if the contents are "usable" in 3 months? I have one of those Soilsaver composters for all the veggie scraps and windfall apples and it holds a ton of stuff, but I don't harvest it very often, maybe every couple of years, but that's not because it isn't ready to use, but more that I just don't get around to it until it is full.

You could save a ton of leaves this fall, and alternate them with the manure.

Linda
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Re: Building a "digester"

Post by Ontario Chick » Sun Sep 17, 2017 11:01 pm

I use the same composter for kitchen veggie scraps, and harvest the worm castings maybe every couple of years.
My main goal is to reduce the amount of stuff that needs to be handled.
I do have a three compost bins for the barn, but they get all the bedding including wood shavings and the contents take too long to compost and reduce in size.
I have plenty of straw so no shortage of the basic ingredients, I feel a bit like I am cooking here.
Just really curious if it will heat up like it's supposed to.
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Re: Building a "digester"

Post by labradors » Mon Sep 18, 2017 8:39 am

I don't think the soil saver's are big enough to heat up enough, but maybe the summer heat will help.

Linda
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Re: Building a "digester"

Post by Ontario Chick » Mon Sep 18, 2017 9:24 am

Yes, that's my worry too, the recommended size is 3-5'high and 6'wide.
I am betting on the fact I am working with "hot" manure, which will hopefully expedite things.
It will take me about a week to build the "manure cake" and then I am going away for a week, so may come home to a surprise, perhaps will produce enough methane to blow the top of the bin off?
Or possibly the whole thing will do nothing and then freeze in to a giant ice cube.
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Re: Building a "digester"

Post by labradors » Mon Sep 18, 2017 10:02 am

That's a scary thought! I'm currently dumping all the manure that I pick out of the coop and run, but everything in the bin is very wet from all the mouldy pears and apples. It will all degrade eventually, either anaerobically or not. At least it doesn't stink!

Let's hope that we both get some usable compost by next year (or the year after!)

Linda
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Re: Building a "digester"

Post by Ontario Chick » Thu Oct 05, 2017 10:13 am

I am just so much smarter today then I was last week ;)
Sooo apparently.......
Temperature plays an important role in the composting process.
Decomposition occurs most rapidly between 110 to 160 F
Within 2 weeks properly made compost pile will reach that temperature
At this time you will notice the pile settling, good sign that the compost is working properly.
There are different types of aerobic bacteria that work in composting pile.
Their population will vary according to the pile temperature.
Psychrophilic bacteria work in the lowest temperature range most active between 55 to 70F
They give off a small amount of heat in comparison to other types of bacteria.
Mesophilic bacteria then take over and work best in the 70 to 100F range
They are then replaced by heat loving
Thermophilic bacteria thrive in the temperatures ranging from 113 to 160F
Thermophilic bacteria continue the decomposition process raising the temperature to 130 to 160F
Where it usually stabilizes for typically no more then 3 to 5 days.
Thermophilic bacteria use up too much of the degradable material to sustain their population for any length of time.
As the Thermophilic bacteria decline and the temperature gradually cools off the Mesophilic bacteria again becomes dominant and continues to consume the reminding organic material
I*************************************************************************
If you are still awake Linda, the bin heated up to 130F where it stayed for 5 days and then settled at 80F and seems to be Continuing to settle.
The bin was full to the top at the beginning, didn't take a picture because honestly I had some serious doubts it would work. :)
Digester after two weeks.jpg
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Re: Building a "digester"

Post by labradors » Thu Oct 05, 2017 12:46 pm

Yes I'm wide awake and excited to take all this in. I'll have to read it through again to thoroughly digest!

I'm so glad to hear that it's WORKING - YEAH! :)

I did notice that my bin seemed quite hot a while ago, but my ratio of chicken poop to "other" was a bit off because I use "scoopings" from the run and the coop with very little bedding, so I added a pile of dead leaves to give the bacteria something to munch on. Consequently, my bin is full again so I haven't noticed it going down at all. Hopefully, I soon will, when I can get the lid on easily again.

I hope you don't use THAT thermometer for your roast :P

Thanks for sharing :)
Linda
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Re: Building a "digester"

Post by Ontario Chick » Thu Oct 05, 2017 8:22 pm

labradors wrote:
Thu Oct 05, 2017 12:46 pm

I hope you don't use THAT thermometer for your roast :P

Thanks for sharing :)
Linda
:)
The probe is 19" long, so probably wouldn't fit in the oven
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Re: Building a "digester"

Post by labradors » Tue Apr 10, 2018 4:29 pm

So how did it work out in the end?

Would you dare use the finished compost on this year's veggie garden?

I think I'm going to chicken out, partly because I added more droppings in the late fall and don't think they had time to do their thing. I plan to move all the compost to another bin (as I only have one Soilsaver) and let it sit and digest for a year.

Linda
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