Operation

A few members of our flock	From left to right: Dianne, Karla, Charlotte, Nancy, Mary, Mildred, Ricki
Chicken coop	I used a mixture of chicken and horse manure to feed the digester. Our chickens roost above poultry wire, which makes it easy to collect the manure on the ground below. Each chicken produces about a quarter pound of manure per day, 75 percent of which is water.
Bucket of chicken manure	I collected about one pound of fresh and composted chicken manure in a five gallon bucket. I also added a couple handfuls of composted horse manure. Then I filled the bucket with water and stirred to create a soupy mix.
Hand mixing	I removed most of the straw collected with the chicken manure, then let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes to allow the solids to soften. I stirred the mixture until most of the lumps were gone to create a nice manure milkshake.
Bottle of manure mixture	I had to pour the mixture into a 1 gallon carboy that I got from a winemaking supply store. Because the mixture was thick and there were some small lumps, I used duct tape to secure a funnel to the jar. The funnel had to be cut to the same size opening as the jar. I then filled the jar to within a few inches of the top (which was too high). The proper level is about 8 inches from the top.
Filling the bottle	I used a stick to force the manure mixture through the funnel. Although I didn't know it at the time, this is a good indication that the mixture is too thick. Later I had to thin the mixture and remove some from the digester.