[helga]

Am completely new to this forum chat thing - but wonder if someone can help.

I use shavings in my hen shed and a mixture of mostly straw and a few shavings in the duck shed.

My F-I-L won't use either on the garden as he says shavings poisons the soil. I've read that if the muck has rotted down for about a year it's ok, so am confused. If i can use it  - how do I? and what plants is it good for and what not.

Thanks

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi helga, because we have quite a lot of pooey shavings, my Brian puts them on the bonfire first, then they either go on the compost heap or get dug into the ground.

[evie2]

I never thought of that Annie, will try it with the Bliss stuff

[GrannieAnnie]

Just be careful Evie, the last lot Brian burnt, didn't flame up much, but just smouldered merrily away for 3 months!  The neighbours weren't too happy whenever it smoked!

Well I did say we get a lot of poop!!! lol

[mumofstig]

 it makes lovely compost..........it just takes a long while to rot down.
If you have the space just stack it, cover it and leave it 

[evie2]

Just be careful Evie, the last lot Brian burnt, didn't flame up much, but just smouldered merrily away for 3 months!  The neighbours weren't too happy whenever it smoked!

Well I did say we get a lot of poop!!! lol

That sounds like one of the Jules bonfires

[Flowerpower136]

It won't poison the soil, but it can scorch, so he's right, you shouldn't use it raw on the garden.

The raw stuff (all the lovely stuff you mentioned) should be composted.  And if pos mixed in with normal green garden compost for a more balanced mix.

I have my garden compost bays in the girls pen.  They love digging through finding the tasty bits.  The 'chicken' debris goes into a lidded plastic darlek cos I don't want the girls digging round in that, and I don't want to attract flies either.  I use 2 darleks, letting one rot down as I fill the other.  I put them on a mat of weldmesh, otherwise rats like to nest in them.  Eeeek!!  

When a full darlek has rotted down for a few months, it gets tipped onto the garden heap and mixed in.  Then come spring, the garden heaps are full of rich compost, all dark and moist and crumbly, like Christmas pudding. Yum!  If your FIL is a keen gardener he will be delighted to mulch his borders with it.

Just one point, wood shavings are fine, but do take a while to rot down, so you can end up with a lot of material in various stages of decomposition.  Hence the need for bonfires.  I switched to Hemcore for both bedding and nest boxes.  It's really absorbent, and composts a lot quicker than the wood shavings.

[helga]

I just wanted to say thankyou so much for your helpful replies.

Flowerpower - looks like i'll be busy building some more compost bins and looking forward to 12 months time!

What a helpful site - wish i'd joined sooner!

[tedsdad]

We've used shredded newspaper(when we got them for nothing),then made them into blocks with the machine dried them then burnt them in the woodburner,but we dont have neighbours  (or friends!).

[LittleRedHen]

We use Hemcore and I throw it all in the compost bin along with the grass cuttings, veg waste, etc.  It makes fabulous compost - and quickly too!  My roses never loved life so much!

[orchardlady]

Hi Tedsdad. You mentioned the newspaper block makers. I've often thought of those but does it take a very long time to dry them out enough to use on a fire?

[tedsdad]

It's quite quick in Italy in the uk  it takes a few days in the sun,turning every now and then,or leave in front of the woodburner.They aren't brill. but it does use up paper.There are lots of interesting 'bricks' you can make ,I'm sure there 'll be some good ideas forthcoming.

[evie2]

When the coal  man came round (horse drawn) he had brickets which I think were made from coal dross compacted and heat treated; there was always steam coming of them and they were very popular but I don't suppose you can do that now

[tedsdad]

When the coal  man came round horse drawn) he had brickets which I think were made from coal dross compacted and heat treated; there was always steam coming of them and they were very popular but I don't suppose you can do that now

Dad had  a stove that ran on coal I used to have to collect the coal dust and he made bricks out of it and I think he made well have used a bit of cement as well butit was a long time ago,and I dont remember too well.

[evie2]

I also remember making news paper balls with water and something else cement? perhaps