O happy day. Manure pile woes begone!

[deltawave]

I am a fanatical manure composter, and use the tractor to turn the pile at least weekly. Let's just say that when it's wet and rainy, it wreaks havoc on the nearby ground.

Today we had the excavator guys (who are practically part of the family, they've done so much work around here) out to work their magic. I'd looked into HoofGrid and StabiliGrid, but YOW that stuff is pricey to buy, not to mention ship!! In the end they re-did the area in and around my 2 composting bunkers with limestone, a layer of heavy geotextile fabric, and a coating of Portland Cement over more limestone, watered down and compacted.

This is how it looks. Has to dry for a few more hours. I almost hate to dump poop in there, it's so beautiful! :lol:

[Cherry]

How lovely! :eek: :yes: :winkgrin:

Boy, it doesn't take much to make us horse people happy, does it???? :) :lol:

[2DogsFarm]

you really need to get out more....

Actually it looks wonderful! :yes:

I was thrilled near-to-death this last weekend when a Master Gardener friend brought one of her MG friends to raid my poop mountain (it doesn't deserve the title of Compost Pile).
He called it Gardener's Gold - and took away near half the pile!
I am hoping he returns in Spring...with friends...

[joharavhf]

Okay, I'm more curious now than ever! How do you use these bunkers? How many horses do you have and how long does it take you to fill one up? What are the dimensions????

I have a very very small horse property and we are always looking for better solutions to our practices! Right now we have about 15 trash barrels that I dump poop in and then we transport it to people who want free poop. It's a PAIN but we never have more than two weeks poop here at a time.....With such small acreage it is difficult to keep it neat, tidy and not smelly!

[2DogsFarm]

I have 2 horses on 5ac - my pile is like the Lincoln Log version of deltawave's.
I used extra fenceposts to cobble it together - just the weight of the posts has held it together for 3 years now. Nothing underneath but ground. The smell is not noticeable and I have it placed right next to one of the indoor arena's side sliders for my convenience (I never have to trudge a loaded wheelbarrow through snow to get to it!).
Even in MidSummer with the slider wide open, I can ride past and not smell a thing.

I'm not nearly as fastidious a d-wave, though. My pile gets turned only after someone has removed half, then I pitchfork the half-baked stuff over into the bare spot and put the new stuff where the half-done was.
It still composts like crazy - as evidenced by the amount of steam generated in the Spring as it warms up and the tons of earthworms in the finished pile.
It stays warm all Winter too as I sadly found out when I forked into a nest of baby bunnies :cry:

[Trevelyan96]

Ah.... mine is so easy. DH turns it regularly, it composts so great, I have neighbors fighting over what I don't use myself. :yes:

[county]

I covered about 25 acres this week spreading manure but now its rained for two days. Odds are I won't get any more done till spring I pile mine for about 6 months if I spread on pastures other wise spread fresh if its being plowed under.

[BEARCAT]

Looks B E A U T I F U L!!!!!!
Mine is not as fancy, as I used Pallets held up with TPosts... but it was free!

[In the Air]

Does anyone else remember how to "square the muck heap"... :D

[Tiki]

Aw yeah, square bashin', eh?

[deltawave]

johara, the bins measure about 6 feet across, 6 feet deep, and a little over 4 feet high. I built them myself using hardware that you use to make stalls and pressure-treated 2x6 lumber. I set the posts in concrete myself, dug down about 18", put the post down, braced it and dumped in some concrete. VERY much an amateur DIY job, but the thing is holding up great. I did tear off one piece with the loader :uhoh: but hubby fixed that in no time.

I have 2 horses and a pony and I pick up all the poop in the sacrifice paddock EVERY DAY plus cleaning the stalls every day (in the summer they're never in them, though) and I fill up one of the two bins about every 4 weeks. I turn it, rotate it out through my "ready to give away pile" and wind up just barely staying ahead by advertising the stuff on Freecycle and Craigslist. I spread some on the pastures, but not very much.

If I had a 3rd bin the composting would be easier but two is working out fine, and I have black berries growing alongside that are practically radioactive they grow so large and so fast! :lol: Also tulips, daffodils and irises in the spring make the "other side" (which faces the driveway) look rather pretty, actually. :)

I'm very poop proud. :lol:

[JanM]

To get rid of manure you might try contacting the local garden clubs, and there are master gardener classes and they would certainly be interested as Delta already discovered.

[seabreeze]

I'm actually jealous of your poop pile's home...:lol: It's lovely! (Did I really just say that it's lovely?)

[CB/TB]

I just pile mine( well, THEIRS!) UP . Mr CB/TB turns it frequently and moves it to the front area a few times a year . I put an ad in the local want=ad paper and email freecycle when it's "cooked". Last year we actually had to scrape the ground to get that last load in a pickup. I have someone who will take it "green" now for spring use. W will load a pickup , but anyone with buckets or tubs is advised to bring their own shovel. I just have 2 horses at home, but it sure does pile up fast. I offer it free for the taking just to get rid of it and it does go pretty quick.