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The Mobile Poop Machine

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greenmonster714

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I have a rabbit that produces a fare amount of bunny pellets. I use her droppings to fertilize most everything I plant. I often make some rabbit poop soup to water plants with as well. However, I found this homemade contraption on Craigslist the other day and thought it would be nice to throw some chickens in there. With this thing I could move the whole pen around and stage it in various spot throughout my tobacco garden plots during the winter months. Chicken manure doesn't seem to have as much Nitrogen as rabbits but it would be a nice addition.
N Nitrogen %P Phosphorus %K Potassium
(Potash) %
Cow Manure0.60.40.5
Horse Manure0.70.30.6
Pig Manure0.80.70.5
Chicken Manure1.10.80.5
Sheep Manure0.70.30.9
Rabbit Manure2.41.40.6


NPK Values of Animal Manures

00r0r_esh3sBCdhef_600x450.jpg00I0I_1O6oLnWlmee_600x450.jpg


This one would be good for my rabbit. Although I'd have to keep a close eye on her. They do like to dig out if they can.

maxresdefault.jpg
 

ChinaVoodoo

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Rabbits are cool. I fertilized in the fall with alfalfa pellets and the snowshoe hares spent a lot of time digging in my gardens eating and pooping this winter. I was worried they'd stick around all summer eating my veggies too, but they disappeared a couple weeks ago. I'm guessing there's a couple fat coyotes out there now.
 

deluxestogie

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With those tiny wheels, its apparently massive weight, and with the bottom framework nearly touching the ground, that would be a challenge for a single person to move. (Maybe a married couple could handle it.) Regardless, its ability to contain creatures depends on the ground being perfectly flat.

Assuming the flat ground, a far more mobile design would mount larger wheels on a cam device at the front and back. It could then force the wheels to extend below the bottom frame by another inch or two while being moved, and then retracted. Larger wheels are much easier to coax over the average yard.

One large "free-range" chicken producer in Virginia uses large chicken tractors (those mobile cages) that are towed every day to a fresh part of the pasture. But they use powered machines (tractors, ATV's, etc.) to move them. And I believe their chicken tractors are just on skids.

Farm-Photos-61-1024x768.jpg

http://www.polyfacefarms.com/2011/07/25/pastured-broilers/

Bob
 

Michibacy

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+1 to Bob's post. I have experimented with "heavy framed small wheeled" machines such as this (My tobacco hauler a few years back). It's an awesome thought but takes a lot of strength for one person to move. I had about 6" of ground clearance and it put a lot of torque on the work horse (me) carrying it around the 2 acre farm. I didn't head Bob's warning with the wheel and what not and soon disassembled the beast, and repurposed the lumber into my chicken coop gate and am using the wheels on another project.

One option is raising it off the ground and putting hardware cloth (metal mesh) on the bottom to keep rodents away from getting in, add another axle for ease (and maybe a tongue to pull it with on your lawn mower) or look into building a "Chicken tractor" and modifying it to your needs.
 

deluxestogie

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Michibacy

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Think I could tie the twins to the Rickshaw Bob? I might need to find a way to "keep an even yoke" as I'm sure they've got enough power to tear the thing in opposite directions...
 

greenmonster714

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Great link Bob. That gives me even more ideas. I once watched a documentary on organic farmers. He had a chicken coop mounted on a hay wagon so he could just hook his tractor to it to move. Looked like a great setup for a large operation. The chickens would of course roost in the coop at night. He would shut the door and move the coop then release them in a different spot. Allowing them to just free roam. I'd love to be able to let them free roam but my wife is terrified of them.

I see what your saying about the mobility of something like I posted. I doubt I'd be able to move it alone but that's what friends are for..lol.
 

BigBonner

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My son has chickens . He lets them free roam and at night they go back to roost then he closes them up for the night . He cleans the chicken house every so often and piles it up outside to compost . That is some really good looking compost
We are building a 116' high tunnel and are about half done with that . He is going to use the compost as fertilizer . It has composted and looks really good .

Chickens outside are subject to predators , Mink , Black headed buzzards , hawks , Eagles , stray dogs , coons , opossums , Etc
Last fall he lost around 100 of ready to lay chickens , killed by a mink . These were kept in a enclosed pen and he was talking of turning the out with his older chickens .
One day he called me mad as I have ever seen him . A mink had gotten into that closed up chicken house through a not hole . I assume with all the chickens flopping and trying to get away from the mink , that the door came open .
There was chickens laying all over the place . He had a few pallets stacked up close to the chicken house . That mink had tried to pull a bunch of those chickens under the pallets .

He took those dead chickens and put them in a different compost pile . That compost looks the best and is loose rich looking . Universities all over are trying to educate farmers on how to compost dead livestock .
I am not planning on using any animal composted fertilizer , Just plain manure hay compost .

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/id/id166/id166.pdf
 

greenmonster714

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Never had any minks get chickens before but I remember we had a chicken coop when I was a kid and coons would get in there. Every day there'd be one less chicken. I've never heard of using dead chickens or cows for compost. Man that's gotta stink and get pretty ripe when it warms up. I've buried fish heads n scraps next to flower bushes but I'd never thought about composting them in a heap. I wonder what the NPK looks like after a pile of that is ready?
 

Smokin Harley

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I have a rabbit that produces a fare amount of bunny pellets. I use her droppings to fertilize most everything I plant. I often make some rabbit poop soup to water plants with as well. However, I found this homemade contraption on Craigslist the other day and thought it would be nice to throw some chickens in there. With this thing I could move the whole pen around and stage it in various spot throughout my tobacco garden plots during the winter months. Chicken manure doesn't seem to have as much Nitrogen as rabbits but it would be a nice addition.
N Nitrogen %P Phosphorus %K Potassium
(Potash) %
Cow Manure0.60.40.5
Horse Manure0.70.30.6
Pig Manure0.80.70.5
Chicken Manure1.10.80.5
Sheep Manure0.70.30.9
Rabbit Manure2.41.40.6


NPK Values of Animal Manures

View attachment 20053View attachment 20054


This one would be good for my rabbit. Although I'd have to keep a close eye on her. They do like to dig out if they can.

View attachment 20055

chicken tractors its called. chickens are great garden fertilizers as well as pest control, sometimes are even weed control. We had chickens and we'd let them free roam the garden often. Unfortunately the county at the time made us get rid of them only to amend the local laws or whatever they call it and now allow a limited number of chickens per sq ft of property. We went from 10 healthy and quiet (all hens) chickens and now we are only allowed (if we chose to ) 2, not worth the trouble.
 

Smokin Harley

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My son has chickens . He lets them free roam and at night they go back to roost then he closes them up for the night . He cleans the chicken house every so often and piles it up outside to compost . That is some really good looking compost
We are building a 116' high tunnel and are about half done with that . He is going to use the compost as fertilizer . It has composted and looks really good .

Chickens outside are subject to predators , Mink , Black headed buzzards , hawks , Eagles , stray dogs , coons , opossums , Etc
Last fall he lost around 100 of ready to lay chickens , killed by a mink . These were kept in a enclosed pen and he was talking of turning the out with his older chickens .
One day he called me mad as I have ever seen him . A mink had gotten into that closed up chicken house through a not hole . I assume with all the chickens flopping and trying to get away from the mink , that the door came open .
There was chickens laying all over the place . He had a few pallets stacked up close to the chicken house . That mink had tried to pull a bunch of those chickens under the pallets .

He took those dead chickens and put them in a different compost pile . That compost looks the best and is loose rich looking . Universities all over are trying to educate farmers on how to compost dead livestock .
I am not planning on using any animal composted fertilizer , Just plain manure hay compost .

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/id/id166/id166.pdf

NEVER put meat in a compost pile...attracts other vermin, like rats or coons.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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NEVER put meat in a compost pile...attracts other vermin, like rats or coons.

Haha, I love where I live. No horn worms, no rats, (there's actually a rat patrol hotline at the Saskatchewan border), and no raccoons. I put bones in the compost all the time. And, hey, free magpie droppings.
 

deluxestogie

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NEVER put meat in a compost pile...attracts other vermin, like rats or coons.
Minnesota Board of Animal Health said:
Composting is an inexpensive and environmentally-friendly way to dispose of animal carcasses, too. When done correctly, composting works for cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, and poultry.

There are only four ingredients are needed to start and maintain a successful compost pile:

  • A carbon source, such as sawdust, wood chips or corn husks
  • Nitrogen (found naturally in manure)
  • Carcasses
  • Water
These ingredients are layered. As long as all animal parts are completely covered with the carbon source, the internal temperature of the pile should begin to rise within 24 hours. Once the temperature of the compost pile starts to drop, add oxygen by stirring the pile using a tractor or pitchfork. Make sure the pile is always damp by sprinkling with water if needed.

https://www.bah.state.mn.us/carcass-disposal/

Bob
 

Jitterbugdude

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I've been running chicken tractors for 20 years now and all I can say is they are almost impossible to roll over a tilled garden. The soil is too soft and the chicken tractor sinks. I've had some success though rolling it ove rmy garden in the winter time.
 

Jitterbugdude

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Possibly, but it also increases the "pain in the ass factor". The planks would have to be kept off the ground so they don't freeze to it. Then they'd have to be picked up because if you leave a little gap between the bottom of the chicken tractor and the ground all kinds of foxes, raccoons, dogs and possums would be having chicken for dinner. I've actually had good luck with the layers ( as opposed to the meat birds). In the winter time they usually pick a next box and turn it onto a poop box.They like to huddle together in a next box to keep warm. I usually get about 3 gallons worth of manure over the winter.
 
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