Chicken Repellent

It's been a little over a week since I turned the compost pile. I don't go out there much, just sort of let the chickens do their thing with it. They usually get it pretty well knocked down in a few days. This time almost nothing. The pile was still high and they had only been scratching around in the low open areas. 

Almost pristine. Only a few tracks across the slopes.

It was puzzling. There was almost no change in the pile so I was thinking it was a good thing Lisa has the new chickens. These hens are slacking on the compost and breaking eggs. I figured they were doomed. I saw that they had been scratching around in the low, flat area and it was churned up fairly well. So why not the pile? It was a mystery until I started digging in it.

It was hot. I mean really hot. Too hot for chickens to be comfortable scratching in it. There was a layer of moist material like an outer crust. Inside it was dry with a lot of the white powder that I have since learned isn't nitrates but beneficial bacteria called actinomycetes found in rich soils and compost. The compost pile is usually warm and it steams in the winter. This time it was so hot I was surprised it didn't burst into flames when I exposed it to the air. I dug out the center and left a crater in the middle. It's supposed to rain tomorrow so that should help it. 

This was a few days worth of tomatoes. Lisa picked a big bowl of grape tomatoes too.

My grass patch is coming along nicely.