Speaking of "green" items, how long do chicken 'pies' (with some shredded wood clinging to them) have to be left to age before they can be added to the bin? Does anyone know?

That's right, Raymondo, coffee grounds are a green with a CN ratio of 20:1.

PDXPI, the CN of chicken manure is very low with broiler manure having a CN of between roughly 12-15:1 and layer manure having a CN of between roughly 3-10:1; pretty hot stuff! Very high in ammonia! As such, the stuff should be sufficiently aged or composted that there is no smell of ammonia when the stuff is moistened, and this will take varying amounts of time dependant on compost process and environment.

Now, having said this, there are a few folks who swear they can put fresh chicken manure on their worm beds and the worms go crazy for it. I've never seen this happen and have never been able to duplicate these stories, but there are those who swear it's true...

It is usually best, in the absence of confirmed directions, to place small amounts of material in one corner of the worm bin and see how the worms react. If they move right in, well, you have your answer as to how your worms will react to fresh chicken litter. If they avoid it, compost it for a period of time, then apply a small amount of the resulting material to a corner of the bin. If the worms move in, you know the stuff is suitable. If they don't, compost for longer and try again, repeating the process until the worms find it acceptable. The worms are, themselves, the ultimate authorities of what is and is not suitable.

Make sense?

Kelly S