Making compost

One of the benefits of living in a family that grows a lot of rice is that there is a lot of straw around to make into compost. One of the disadvantages of living in a family that grows rice is that there is a LOT of straw around to make into compost and it is hard to know when to stop....
Until last year we had been making the compost at the edge of one of the rice fields, but we always ended up having to shift it before it was fully decomposed so the rice field preparation could begin, so this year we built a new box for it in my garden and began the process all over again. After about 2 hours of raking, carting, adding some chicken poos and grass clippings, and stomping on the straw my body told me that it was time to quit for the day. It is always a little disappointing looking at the pile at the end of all the hard work as it looks tiny compared to the amount of straw and work that has gone into it. Of course after a few months it will look even smaller.....
Since we have started putting this kind of compost into the garden the number of worms has increased a lot, so I guess all the hard work is starting to pay off.