Composting Meat

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by Tegs, Jan 16, 2010.

  1. Tegs

    Tegs Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2009
    Messages:
    120
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Has anyone had any experience successfully composting meat? Every piece of information I have come across recommends against putting meat scraps into the compost. However I am sure that these were in relation to domestic compost bins.
    I am considering using 44gallon drum with the bottom cut out with a thick layer of course mulch on the ground with the meat in the middle followed by another layer of mulch. I imagine that I would then have to let it sit for a couple of months. I was then hoping to use the mound of compost created to plant a fruit tree.

    Does anyone have any thoughts/ recomendations/ experiences?
     
  2. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2007
    Messages:
    2,721
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Location:
    inland Otago, NZ
    Climate:
    Inland maritime/hot/dry/frosty
    How much meat are you talking about? I've put small amounts of meat, and dead rats in the compost bin - just a regular old wooden framed one. No problem. I didn't even have it covered, but I did put the meat/rat deep in the middle.

    I think the reason they say not to put meat in compost bins is because it attracts pests. Well, we already had plenty of rats in the neighbourhood and they didn't seem too interested in the bins. Depends on what you've got living in your area, and how much food they have.

    The drum idea sounds good. Might need some ventilation though.

    Burying meat where you want to plant trees is also good.


    I'm about to put some old, cooked fish in the wormfarm if anyone wants to talk me out of it ;-)
     
  3. Veggie Boy

    Veggie Boy Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2003
    Messages:
    410
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Soldier fly will clean up meat pretty quickly if they are active in your compost bin or worm farm, or better still a soldier fly farm.
     
  4. milifestyle

    milifestyle New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2008
    Messages:
    1,573
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I was thinking the same thing. Meat is best used for maggot farming. Your chooks will love you for it.
     
  5. greenfarmers

    greenfarmers Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2009
    Messages:
    72
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    When we used to eat more meat, we'd compost it using a bokashi bucket - but as mentioned, the chooks also love most of the scraps, except of course chook, where we drew the line!

    Bokashi works by adding an enzyme. Now that we do no longer eat meat, we no longer use the bokashi. Straight to the normal compost.

    Heidi
     
  6. Bird

    Bird Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2009
    Messages:
    86
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
  7. Tegs

    Tegs Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2009
    Messages:
    120
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Thanks everyone, maggot farming sounds interesting, how do I go about?

    I am working at a butchers shop at the moment so I have a good supply of meat scraps if I want them. I imagine they would be a great source of nutrients for the soil. Plenty of nitrogen etc.
     
  8. Grahame

    Grahame Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2008
    Messages:
    2,215
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    36
    If it were me, I would mince the meat up (I assume you have access to a mincer?) and feed it to the chooks. but I guess it would depend on how much meat you are talking about and how many chooks. It would make good dog food too. Personally, I would have thought composting it would be a last option for meat. I understand that slightly rancid fat is a treat for chooks too, it has some kind of benefit but I can't remember what it was...
     
  9. Bird

    Bird Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2009
    Messages:
    86
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    maggots called GENTS sold to fisher persons are stored in damp bran, apparently the bran cleans them up , and removes the smell factor left from the rotting meat, you can clean out compost worms the same way if your into worm burgers/patties
     
  10. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2006
    Messages:
    4,771
    Likes Received:
    10
    Trophy Points:
    0
  11. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2009
    Messages:
    2,457
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Occupation:
    Farm manager/ educator
    Location:
    Hunter Valley New South Wales
    Home Page:
    Climate:
    warm temperate - some frost - changing every year
    Road kill goes well

    I once put a fair sized kangaroo (it run into a tree poor thing) in a heap and could find no sign of it in three months. A good heap will break down almost anything that was once alive.
     
  12. milifestyle

    milifestyle New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2008
    Messages:
    1,573
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Put the meat scraps in a 10 kg onion bag and hang in a tree in a back corner of the yard - somewhere where the chooks roam.

    Flys will blow the meat and maggots will drop for the chooks to feast on.
     
  13. Tegs

    Tegs Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2009
    Messages:
    120
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I only have two chooks at the moment (just enough for our daily supply of eggs) I will start to give them a small handful of mince, thanks for the suggestion. There is quite a lot of meat if I want it and the dogs already get all the choice scraps.
     
  14. Tegs

    Tegs Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2009
    Messages:
    120
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    This suits my lazy personality perfectly. No prior organisation required, just dig a bigger hole (that part might clash with my lazy personality tho :p )
     
  15. Bird

    Bird Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2009
    Messages:
    86
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    i reckon dead animals are just blood 'n' boomin bone without the procesing and drying. every tree i plant gets a CAT but if not available road kill wallaby will do, or a bucket full of cane toads
    on the maggots if raising for fishing just put a small piece of the fly blown meat in the bran they will grow, fly blowwn roadkill straight to chooks will get them exicited (reanimated feed) and it does not take to long before you have nothing but a skeloton to remove, remember it will stink until consumed so dont have ya chook pen under the kitchen window
     
  16. Bird

    Bird Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2009
    Messages:
    86
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    or simple trench composting amung the fruit trees would be a good way
     
  17. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2009
    Messages:
    2,457
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Occupation:
    Farm manager/ educator
    Location:
    Hunter Valley New South Wales
    Home Page:
    Climate:
    warm temperate - some frost - changing every year
    Passion fruit are traditionally planted with an ox liver below the planting hole but animals do love to find them so protect the young passion fruit well
     

Share This Page

-->