I would compost any of that, particularly the fish and chicken parts before using on the lawn. It should be a hot compost (probably not a problem with those ingredients).

Since those items are all high nitrogen, you'll want to add something that is high carbon or it will really smell while it's decomposing.

Some ideas for high carbon items would be paper or cardboard (preferably shredded), chipped wood or sawdust, etc.

You could compost in the plastic drum if you want, but you'd have to punch holes in it to allow air to circulate, so perhaps a simple pile would work better.

hi bpgreen,

How many months does it take to make a compost? BTW, I don't know if my wife will like it once I put a wooden box behind my house for making the compost.

Thanks!

Under ideal conditions, compost can be made in 14 days. I've never gotten any that fast, but I've had three week cycles.

If you get a good mix of greens and browns, keep it moist but not damp, turn it every once in a while to keep it aerobic, you should see compost in less than a month.

Thank you for all the replies and help.

How much composted hourse/chicken manure do I add to 50 gal drum water? Small bucket or 5 gal bucket?

Thanks in advance.

Melissa