Composting

[maybeljj]

I think I understood Howard to say that grease could be added to a compost. I was told I could add the chicken carcass also. Is this true??

[Mr. Clean]

I don't know and haven't heard (or read) of anyone adding grease to their compost. If anyone has tried it, our Captain Compost might have. As far as adding the carcass of a chicken or other dead animal, the answer might be provisional. That is based on the volume of your pile. Enough volume to cover the carcass deep enough so that other animals couldn't dig it up.

[CaptainCompostAL]

Yes, Mr. Clean is correct!

Most composting books are very conservative and they tend not to recommend composting controversal stuff like greases, meats, etc., because most universal composters are lazy or passive, and tend not get their compost piles over 150 degrees F, for at least 3 days, with constant aeration and moisture, in order to guarantee a safe, healthy, odorless, composting processing.

However there is nothing wrong with composting greases or veggie oils of high protein meat products. Howard Garrett and Malcolm Beck both say in their books that nature composts both plant and animal matter, and aggressive creative composters can too! If it once lived, it can be composted! (LOL)

The real issue is balance and technique. Natural forest floors may contain both plant and animal matter (dead bugs, leaves, poop, etc.) . But the forest floor mulches contain more browns than greens, and more plant matter than animal matter.

Greases and oils are high carboneous matters or carbohydrates. They need lots of extra nitrogen in the pile, in order to get the C:N ratio right, in order to speed up decomposition into humus in the compost pile.

Meats and other high protein or high soluble nitrogen materials need lots of extra high carboneous materials like untreated sawdust, paper products, or shredded pine needles, in order to get the C:N ratio right, in order to speed up decomposition into humus in the compost pile. Since all sugary materials are high carboneous, they could also be added to balance out the high nitrogen in these types of compost piles.

In all cases, always mix controversal organic matters with lots of regular greens and browns, in order to guarantee a safe mature compost product.

[maybeljj]

Thanks to both of you for your replies. I regularly mix dried molasses into my pile as well as turning it on a regular basis. A friend, who did NOT want his leaves on his yard, mulched them up and gave them to me, so I have plenty of leafy matter to put into my compost pile. I've composted a chicken carcass once before & all seemed to go ok. Must be really good compost I have because a tomato plant that was planted close to the compost pile stuck a root underneath the compost pile and took full advantage of it! I was beginning to think that plant would never stop producing tomatoes!!! And that root was rather thick as well. So my compost must be good stuff!

Thanks again for your replies.