[Tenhens]

Wee is good for the compost heap as long as it's male, the reason for this escapes me, maybe to do with hormones.

I try to compost as much as possible while following the guidelines regarding food waste , that is no cooked waste, yet tea bags are ok.  One of my older books by a certain Mr Titchmarch says that turning a heap is not worth the bother.Having said that ,   It seems that turning helps aeration and also gives you the opportunity to see how it's progressing.

[mumofstig]

Speaking as a female, can I just say that all wee is good for compost, and as a nitrogen rich feed.

Some say male wee is better, but men would say so, wouldn't they? 

[Tenhens]

Apparently male urine is slightly less acidic than female.

[Offwego]

Topped my dalek up today
1 bucket of rabbit manure / bedding
1 bucket of greens
1 bucket of straw
2  buckets of coffee grounds
1 cardboard box
and quarter of a bucket of tea bags

as a novice with compost making I hope this is a good mix as I can obtain these quantities weekly

[3759allen]

as said urine is an accelerator as is compfrey leaves.

shredding or chopping up the bigger bits will help speed things up.

try to get a good mix of brown and green. sounds like if yours is soggy you've put too much green in, probably too much grass cuttings.

i fill two daleks up usually takes 6 months, these reduce in size as you fill them. when they look on the way to rotting down i take the dalek off and fork them in to another dalek for another 3 months and turn into another dalek for another 3 months if it looks like it could do with some air.

offwego, thats a hell of a lot of tea and coffee you drink. lol

[Offwego]

I thought somebody may pick up on this"offwego, thats a hell of a lot of tea and coffee you drink. lol"

don't panic the tea  collection comes from my office and as for the coffee starbucks and costa give it for free and I happen to have a site next to both of them for the next few months

[Tenhens]

Does your rabbit bedding contain saw dust/ shavings?

[Offwego]

Hi

yes , shavings and straw ,  the   twice weekly clean also gives me  the uneaten hay and manure. Must say our rabbit makes it easy as he uses a corner tray for all his toilet duties so I only need to empty that and re fill with clean shavings

[Tenhens]

We used to use shavings but now use a rape seed product which composts down really well, shavings take a lot longer.  The animals that we board that the owners supply shavings , the bedding waste goes in the council bin and not our compost. 

Regarding card board, make sure that it has not come into contact with food ( ie fish fingers)  cereal boxes are ok. I tend not to bother with card that has a glossy finish.

[barley]

if you have space chrissie try a 3 year rotate

the extra year rotting makes a big difference

[3759allen]

agree with the shavings taking longer to break down. i get a supply from a local breeder who seems to use more shavings over the winter (i guess as straw supplies get lower and prices go up), this takes longer to break down even in a hot heap solely for rabbit manure.

if you have your own rabbit i would suggest keeping the droppings separate, dry them out and you can add to compost mixes as a slow release fertilisers. free and more organic than chemical slow release.

[chrissie B]

Sorry got no rabbit and now we have a council garden bin there will be a lot less grass , how much should i put in though couple of inches a cut ?.
chrissie b

[Dave NE]

Hi JayG, heres my version https://www.flickr.com/photos/96658643@N00/17002090565/in/photostream/
cost about £6 overall and works a treat, thanks for the idea Dave

[JayG]

Blimey, you don't hang about do you? 

How did you fix the handle on? (just wondering how it copes with the torque of twisting the screw deep into compost.)

[Offwego]

Hi all

as well as my allotment I also keep budgies and canaries , my query is can I put the cage cleanings in my compost heap? my worry is that any uneaten seed would germinate