Humanure log book

I am just re-reading "The Humanure Handbook" by Joseph Jenkins..
It's a great read, even readable online for free. So anyone who hasn't and is thinking about closing some cycles and taking responsibility for their own sh*t, I can only recommend it.
There is a lot of movement here on permies about the willow feeder. A great system, especially designed to be failproof and easy to manage if I understood it correctly. And preserving more of the nutrients.
For my specific situation I don't need the nutrients that much and want the benefits of a cured compost. And I don't mind the managing and the (limited) interaction.
I have now been managing our manure for almost 3 years, but this year we have a rat problem. In general, but also in the manure bins. And I don't want them to have access.
So I started a new system, hopefully rat proof.
It's 80 cm wide, 100 cm high, a volume of around 500 L (130 gal).
It's wire all around with a rather heavy lid.




As Jenkins suggests, all new additions (humanure bucket and kitchen scraps) will be added into the pile and then covered. The pile will not be turned. After it's full it'll be left to cure for 1 year.




We are 2 people, using saw dust as dry material.

This is mostly meant for me to keep track of dates and see how it performs in hindsight.
I won't post every dump, and don't worry, I'll spare graphic details (if any happen).

Second offering of a bucket of humanure and a bucket of kitchen scraps today. Covered with some freshly cut grass and dry avocado leaves.

There were some maggots under the cover, no smell though.

Compost thermometer is ordered and will arrive soon hopefully.

So far it looks rat proof.

Effective and simple to build, thanks Benjamin for the nudge.  Your iteration is certainly giving maximum air exposure.  But many designs I've seen in Seattle and other places were more like wooden coffins bearing smaller wire openings ; I champion this one

It was just what I had easy access to, so I went for it. Also it gives me a good view to all sides to make sure it's rat proof.
The closed on 3 sides models are located next to that one and get frequented by rodents.
With all the air exposure it might require a lot more moisture, especially in Andalucian summer. But we'll see.

Offering number 3 to the compost pile, 2 buckets of humanure and a bucket of kitchen scraps.

Still no smell whatsoever. Soldier fly larvae are present. No signs of the rats.

Height is at around 60cm (24")

4th dump today. 1,5 buckets of humanure and maybe a half of kitchen scraps. Getting ready to leaving the house for 2 weeks.

The soldier fly larvae are very active under the cover.
They already made short process of the 30 something paper plates that we used at our party on Saturday.
No smell, rats trying to burrow under the pile but no signs of them entering so far.

The pile is still more or less at 60cm, indicating that composting and compacting started.

The thermometer just arrived, I'll stick it in there later and update with a temp reading.

In The States these are only legal in certain places, the state to the north of me being one, but let's face it, what the authorities don't know about won't hurt them  There are a few people who clandestinely have one in my state, so clearly they're a good option for some folks.  I hope the rats stay out of yours going forward.

Hey Riona.
If I don’t do harm to others I will often bend some rules that I think are on the dumber side.
But as the pile doesn’t smell and looks like a normal compost no one will even know.
Maybe as a bit of encouragement: I remember from rereading the humanure hand book (4th edition) that Jenkins spells out lengthily how no one can forbid you from composting anything if you don’t do it commercially and the product stays on your property. The book is available to read online for free.

Clever loophole!  Some rules are made to be vigourously bent. ))))

Yesterday I deposited 2 buckets of kitchen scraps and 1 bucket of humanure. Covered with avocado leaves including some dropped avocados.

The soldier fly larvae seem happy. Though the pile seems a bit dry after not depositing anything for 2 weeks. No smell at all. Some compaction.

Deposit number 6:
2 buckets humanure
1 bucket kitchen scraps
Covered with mulched weeds

Still at about 60cm of height. Soldier flies are happy. No odor at all. And they process all of the kitchen scraps really rapidly. I can hardly recognize what I put in there just a couple of days ago.

It seems to be in great harmony with the elements,  and the soldier flies are  good bellwether species.  Your compost was directly built on soil, is that correct?

Yes, on soil. But with a net/ wire mesh put down to keep the rats out.

Deposit number 7 today, 1 bucket of humanure, 1 bucket of kitchen scraps.



SFL are very active, no smells, no rats (except the one I threw in there to compost).

The deposit got it up to 70 cm, but it'll sink down again soon.

The thermometer never arrived and I haven't reordered one yet.

The thermometer miraculously arrived today.

Compost thermometer in the pile

Aimed for the middle of the pile, reading about 56°C. That's pretty good, pretty hot!

The temperature reached over 60°C a couple of hours after putting it in there. I'm very happy with that.

When I came back to the pile today the temperature was down to 50°C. And the height of the pile hat sunken down to about 60 cm again.

Some ants are present and lots of SFLs. Still no sign of the rats. Without the top some birds got in and dug in the pile. So I'll keep the top on from now on.

Today was the 8th offering, 2 buckets of humanure and 1 bucket of kitchen scraps.
Having 3 buckets in rotation and with easy access from the bathroom, I now let the deposits depend on when the kitchen scrap bucket gets full. Very convenient for me. And seemingly pretty good for the composting process.

Humanure pile and buckets

Deposit #9 on August 22nd without big news, so no photo this time.

I'll keep updating mostly to gather data for future set ups, considering size of the pile etc.
Height went up to around 80cm, expecting to compress and compost down to around 60cm soon again.
Temp is at 60°C, while air temp is around 30°C during the days and 20°C during the night.

Deposit #10 on September 1st.

It's getting quite full. Probably better to make a bigger pile next time.
Apart from that no changes.

Deposit #11.
2 buckets of humanure, 1 of kitchen scraps. Covered with avocado leafs.

Hardly any changes. Temp around 50°C. The pile is shrinking enough to keep adding to it.

Great thread, love the title very "Dad joke"!

The lid being wide as it is, does it keep the rain off?
I've had BSF invade closed worm bind and the stench was horrific.
They are not known for their bad smell, far from it and you are getting no stench.
I chalk my experience to the bins bring very wet and anaerobic, versus your highly aerated setup.

William Bronson wrote:Great thread, love the title very "Dad joke"!

Ha ha great. I just took a second look!

I didn’t intend the joke. All the better I guess.

The lid would keep the rain off. Though rain is not a thing here. We have the opposite problem.

So far I’m quite pleased. The cover material keeps enough moisture in so I don’t have to water except the rinsing of the buckets every week or so.
The BSF are very happy it seems. I like them since they break everything down into small pieces in a matter of days and then the bacteria can take over.

It does seem like the set up is working well for you in your climate. I'll be interested to see how it performs through your winter.

Deposit #12
2 buckets and kitchen scraps.
It's getting rather full.
Apart from that it's working great.

Benjamin Dinkel wrote:Deposit #12. It's getting rather full.

Based on the volume in the wire container and the frequency you make deposits, I am surprised it is getting full this rapidly.

We have 2 spots that are 4' cubes (480 gallon volume) next to one another. There are 8 of us and I save 6 buckets full before I deposit them into the pile. The current pile is about a year old and is roughly 3' of the 4' height. I have also added several dead animals to the pile during this past year.

I use grass clippings to cover the pile year round (I bag and save them in a spot next to the compost pile for winter cover). I wonder if the leaves are the reason it is filling so quick. I have a pile of leaves about 6'x3'x3' that my 2 boys pee in all day, every day. I also put leaves in the with the chickens. The leaves do seem to take quite a long time to break down in both scenarios. If I bag them with the mower and they are partially shredded, that helps some.

Hey Josh,
I'm suprised too. I thought there would be a longer period in which it would always compress and compost back down.
The leaves might be part of it, although the ones in contact with moisture and the BSF larvae disappear quickly.

In general a lot of things work better with bigger volume to surface area ratios. The test pile might just be too small.

Benjamin Dinkel wrote:Hey Josh,
I'm suprised too. I thought there would be a longer period in which it would always compress and compost back down.
The leaves might be part of it, although the ones in contact with moisture and the BSF larvae disappear quickly.

In general a lot of things work better with bigger volume to surface area ratios. The test pile might just be too small.

Okay, so just the ones that stay dry, that makes sense with the open sides.

I think the recommendation is a 1.5 meter cube for a family of 4. I am shy of this but I have solid walls and the top is open so I get to 150-160 degrees within 36 hours of making a deposit and after things start to cool back down the BSF activity gets very high. I try to switch it over every year, while the ambient outside temps are still higher, to get a good base going for the cooler weather.

I like the experimentation you are doing!