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Hair-raising question
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Posted by pattyokie 6b (My Page) on Tue, Oct 27, 09 at 23:24
| I had my dog at the groomer the other day & they sure had a lot of dog hair piled up on the floor. Would that be good for the compost pile or no? I'm sure they'd allow me to sweep the floor for free :) If so, is it brown or green? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Hair-raising question
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| It's high in nitrogen, but it's very slow to break down. Technically, I guess it would be a green, but I think I'd ignore it in figuring out how much of each to use because it breaks down so slowly. I could easily be wrong, and I've never had large quantities, but when I throw dog hair in it seems to take a long time before I can't recognize it. |
RE: Hair-raising question
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| I imagine some grooming shops spray chemicals on tools and pets, so find out just to be on the safe side. |
RE: Hair-raising question
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| I toss my dog's hair into the compost pile... we usually end up with enough hair to make a whole new dog when we get done brushing her. My floor sweepings, vacuum bag contents and dryer lint consists of dog hair and all of that goes into the compost. All of those combined are still a small contribution of hair compared to the large volume of of other stuff (kitchen scarps, shredded paper, leaves and pulled weeds) that make up my pile. I haven't notice any recognizable undecomposed clumps of hair left over in finished compost. I have noticed bird nests in my yard are lined with hair that matches my dog's color... its probably not a coincidence. |
RE: Hair-raising question
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| Thanks, all. I hadn't thought about the chemicals, so that settles it. I didn't really want to go in & sweep floors anyway, but since this is my first pile I keep thinking about everything I see going into it. And yes, I think about the pile at night when I'm trying to go to sleep. |
RE: Hair-raising question
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| Our compost gets hair from our cats, dog, and DH. It's all good compostable stuff. I've heard of people getting hair from groomers and barbers for their compost. I think the chemicals would be minimal and not overly toxic stuff but it grosses me out putting OP's hair in my compost. Horse manure OK but strangers' hair NO! Y'all know composters are crazy people, don't ya? ;-) |
RE: Hair-raising question
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| I used to groom dogs with my grandma and the dogs were always washed first, dried, brushed out or clipped, then sprayed with perfume. If your groomer is following the same pattern, the dog hair on the floor is cleaner than what's on the dog when you take him home. But it's your CP, do what's comfortable for you. |
RE: Hair-raising question
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Hair goes in, as well as the contents from my vacuum container (in the garage), lint filters, and pretty much everything else of that nature.
But please, before anyone gets on the subject....no pet feces please. |
RE: Hair-raising question
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| Joepyeweed, I used to leave dog hair out in my yard hoping the birds would use it for their next, but they didn't seem to take it! I thought they didn't like dog smell in their house! |
RE: Hair-raising question
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| I don't think it is a good idea, because the dog hair again has a lot of bacterias, which I am not sure will be good for the compost. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Bokashi
RE: Hair-raising question
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| pmorrison2588 ~ I don't think it is a good idea, because the dog hair again has a lot of bacterias, which I am not sure will be good for the compost. Here is a link that might be useful: Bokashi pmorrison2588, you are aware that bacteria are what's in the Bokashi, right? The difference being that the dog has local bacteria, and the Boki imported ones? |
RE: Hair-raising question
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| I was a dog groomer for quite a white. The dog hair was clipped either first thing, before the bath, or right after they were dried from the bath, so I do not think it is likely that there would be chemicals on the hair. We didn't do dips, but I cannot imagine why anyone would cut the hair off after putting a flea dip on a dog, that wouldn't make sense. |
RE: Hair-raising question
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| I wouldn't hesitate to use any kind of hair on the compost pile. I used to leave dog hair out in my yard hoping the birds would use it for their next, but they didn't seem to take it! I thought they didn't like dog smell in their house! Birds have a very poor if non-existent sense of smell (although they have excellent eyesight and hearing). My sister has long-haired cats, and she saves some of their hair for me when she brushes them. In early Spring, I put out a suet basket full of cat hair, and it's gone within weeks. The birds love it and even a red squirrel got into the act this year. Here's a Titmouse collecting hair - 
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