Manure Management

[Wallysfolley]

What does everyone here do to manage manure?

We drag our pastures regularly but cannot afford to buy a manure spreader for the piles we clean from their run-in. I just dont know what to do because it piles up in my muck bucket and I know that's not healthy. I usually end up dumping it next to our burn pit but as rainy as its been lately we cannot burn anything.

Does anyone have any tips?

Thanks!

[yellowbritches]

We have a dumpster for ours and have it hauled away. It has its pros and cons (pro- it doesn't sit around growing into a huge, unmanageable heap. Con- it is an added 4-8 week expense). But it works. We haul it away here because the water table is not very far down, so the land owners don't want to risk it seeping into their well water (I have no idea if that is valid or not, but they've been doing it for 12 years or more, so whatever), and we don't have enough big areas to spread.

There are ways to develop some pretty nice, easy compost piles that others can tell you about. Takes a little effort, but when done right, not too much, and it's worth it.

[kypeep]

I posted an ad for free manure compost on craigslist and had enough responses to take it all away. Admittedly, probably part of the attraction was that we could load it with our tractor scoop.

[pintopiaffe]

I dump wheelbarrow loads in areas I need fertilized/built up. Leave those small piles for a few weeks, then go spread what's left out by hand. Ends up with lovely soil, good pasture grass (with some oats and a volunteer sunflower or two here and there!) and no parasite issues.

For the pastures, I feed BOSS, flax and whole oats. I've never had to drag yet. Birds do all the work. The only issue is the stallion, as being a stallion, he must do the poop piling thing. Everyone else, a poop pile here, a poop pile there... lost of birds, a fox or two, probably some mice/moles/other critters... and no problems.

I *did* need to drag/hand rake when I was feeding a processed feed. So now feed costs me less, AND I've got pasture management. :p

[Invite]

We have a dumpster that gets hauled away. The man composts it and sells it. The only con is the fact that I have to pay for the removal. I do compost some for garden use and spread some. Life is easier with the dumpster vs. the old, treacherous manure pile. As much as I hate the expense, the dumpster is really the only feasible option for my location.

[JSwan]

Why don't you compost it properly and then use it to fertilize your fields, lawn and garden?

You can't improve upon Mother Nature.

[cheryl ann]

Yep, compost it and let it cook down. Reduces over half in volume and it is saleable.

[the_other_mother]

Hubby built a three sided containment area at the back of our property. When I clean my stalls, I separate the poop from bedding and just dump the poop in the containment area. We turn it often, let it dry and spread it in the fields in the late fall early winter. We have nice grass in the spring! :) We dump/spread the shavings in the woods behind the pasture, our neighbors kids ride quads back there and he likes the shavings for the trails. Added bonus is I get to ride on the trails, too. :D

[Daydream Believer]

I have compost piles around my farm that I turn occasionally with my tractor. I wanted to compost the manure before spreading it on my pastures. I bought a spreader also that we'll put to use as soon as we can get out in the fields...the mud is beyond belief.

[pwynnnorman]

I dump wheelbarrow loads in areas I need fertilized/built up. Leave those small piles for a few weeks, then go spread what's left out by hand. Ends up with lovely soil, good pasture grass (with some oats and a volunteer sunflower or two here and there!) and no parasite issues.

For the pastures, I feed BOSS, flax and whole oats. I've never had to drag yet. Birds do all the work. The only issue is the stallion, as being a stallion, he must do the poop piling thing. Everyone else, a poop pile here, a poop pile there... lost of birds, a fox or two, probably some mice/moles/other critters... and no problems.

I *did* need to drag/hand rake when I was feeding a processed feed. So now feed costs me less, AND I've got pasture management. :p

I use it for filler, too. I have very little acreage and a lot of horses, but between dragging and filling, the place always looks good WHEN I keep up with it (looks like a friggin' manure farm when I fall behind, though!).

Pinto, how do you save money with that ration? Around here, oats costs almost as much as (mature horse/maintenance) processed feed.

[imissvixen]

We also use it as fill for low areas on our property. I dump it and then about once a month my husband spreads it.

How much does it cost to bring in a dumpster to take it and how do you get the manure into the dumpster?

[Dalemma]

We have 8 horses and we compost our manure.......paddocks and stalls are picked daily and pastures are picked every few days...........we have 3 concrete bins that are 10 x 10.........when one is full it is moved to the second and then the third.......when it hits the third bin it is usually ready to be put out on pasture........we do not have a manure spreader so we do it the old fashion way........by hand with the manure fork.

Dalemma

[lindasp62]

Question... How long should a pile of manure sit around and compost before spreading it on pastures?' Is there a certain time to make sure all parasites/eggs/larvae are killed and that the manure is not too "hot"?

I have never done this before, only giving away or hauled, but considering for future...

[flea]

I am having trouble figuring out the turning thing. Without a front end loader how do you turn one of those piles?

[2DogsFarm]

You don't say how much acreage you have or how many horses but:
For my 5ac and 2 horses I do a combo:

1-composting - in a non-structured kind of way. I made a 3-sided Lincoln-Log pile of surplus fenceposts to one side of my arena and dump stall cleanings there. Over the Winter they compost into the most beautiful stuff. Gardener friends takes nearly 2/3 of that and the rest I use in my veggie garden, flowerbeds and spread in the pastures. I hardly ever turn the pile or do anything you are "supposed to" to maintain a compost pile

2-after the gardens die back in Fall I dump fresh stuff on them and this composts by Spring.

I don't have a spreader. I use my dumpcart to haul piles to the gardens and then spread by hand with a rake.

I've considered a dumpster but so far in nearly 5 years I haven't had a problem with excess "stuff"

[Lady Counselor]

Call around to the landscapers in your area, see if any of them make compost. I have a guy who takes it all away once a year to use in making soil. Bonus for both of us: he made a dumping area out back for me at no charge, and I don't charge him anything for taking it. I have 6 horses, so it's quite a pile when he comes out to get it.

[CanterQueen]

...the mud is beyond belief.

This is my first year at the new house and acreage. Boy, mud, mud, mud. I take back all the nasty things I said about my prior barn owner and her muddy mess. I have lots of ideas for the spring and how to address the issue, but for now it's mud, mud, mud.

As to the manure . . . compost it! It's black gold when it's all done. It's just hard to pick out of the MUD.;)

[theoldgreymare]

We manually clean the pastures (as well as the stalls) so we have lots of poop. We switched from shavings to pellets and compost the poop. The manure pile has decreased dramatically since switching and the composted poop is ready to leave in three weeks (DH adds a compost accelerator to a new pile and turns regularly). We then trade the compost to a landscape supply company for mulch, sand and other things.

[carrievalentino]

We make lotsa poop!
I clean stalls and paddocks daily and heap it into a concrete container which is emptied and taken away to a nursery for compost. We use shavings and pay for this service.

[JSwan]

I am having trouble figuring out the turning thing. Without a front end loader how do you turn one of those piles?

For people who have very small acreage and only one or two horses, you may be able to use the auger on your tractor or purchase a large composting bin that gardeners use. Those you can rotate with a handle. You could drag the pasture and then use the rotating composter for stall waste - which would be even less if you used pelleted bedding. That might work.

Too bad folks have it hauled away. Makes growing a good pasture impossible unless you rely upon chemical fertilizers. $$

[poltroon]

I am having trouble figuring out the turning thing. Without a front end loader how do you turn one of those piles?

It is technically possible to do it by hand with a pitchfork, but it is heavy work. You can do something like take a couple of forkfuls a day.

There are many ways to compost. Turning it makes the pile disappear faster, but it isn't strictly necessary. One of the biodynamic vineyards around here specifically does not turn their compost, because they want the nitrogen to stay in the pile (and go into the crop) rather than escape to the air.

I tend to dump and spread mine about 6" thick in places where the soil is nasty and the star thistle likes to grow. The star thistle doesn't like rich soil, and 6 months to a year later, I have some nice growing ground again. However, I have a lot of land to work with and only a few horses.

[Wallysfolley]

Wow! Thank you all very much! I'm going to show these responses to DH. We have what used to be a compost area in the back of our back pasture. It has three compartments and large PVC with holes drilled in them. I'm assuming the PVC was put there to let the compost breathe?? We have a plum orchard that has ~30 plum trees and I think I remember reading somewhere that those trees like a good strong fertilizer. The horse manure/compost would work great.

Thanks again!

[CanterQueen]

I had the ag department come out to my place when we moved in. She suggested I put the PVC pipes in the manure pile for air circulation. She said I'd have a nice compost in about six months if I didn't turn, but just left the pipes in. Well, I bought a tractor with a front end loader and now I turn and of I get compost much faster.


Post number 900!!!! Yea!!!! :yes:

[Dalemma]

Well we have a construction business so we have a kubota with a front end loader. How fast your manure composts will depend on a couple of things.......what your sawdust ratio is, how wet or dry your pile is, how often you turn your pile to keep it active.........with our system I can have one bin ready in about 3 months.

Dalemma

[the_other_mother]

If you dont have a tractor, you have to turn it by hand and its hard work but can be done. We've done it before but now our neighbor is generous enough to let us use his Kubota. Wow, what a time saver, its done in 10 minutes!

[Old Equine Lady]

Built two large compost piles, fill one up and let it sit while filling the other. After a bit, the first one turns to almost a topsoil, great for the garden and filling in holes around the farm.

[mbm]

i have 3 horses and they are only stalled when it rains. i use shavings and pellets.

i compost. and give it away and use it on my gardens.

for the person that asked how to know when compost is "done" , easy - when it is no longer hot and steaming and when it doesn't smell.

(when it is done it smells and feels like potting mix. :) )

i love the idea of trading the compost for stuff at nurseries. i have 2 right next door - i am gonna go talk to them !

[Wallysfolley]

How long does it usually take for a pile to "turn"? I know it depends on what size, but if I build two "compartments" to keep one "turning" at all times I need to know how large to make them so the first one will be "turned" before the second compartment is filled.

DH is very much into doing a compost. We have several neighbors who garden so I'm sure they'd love it!

[Percheron X]

Question... How long should a pile of manure sit around and compost before spreading it on pastures?' Is there a certain time to make sure all parasites/eggs/larvae are killed and that the manure is not too "hot"?

I have never done this before, only giving away or hauled, but considering for future...

We compost ours for at least six months before spreading it on the fields. Six months is how long it takes to break down the shavings.

We found out by trial and error that the fastest way to break down manure with shavings into compost, was to put a lawn sprinkler on the pile and let it run for a good 12 hours. You have to start with a completely water saturated pile or it will take forever.

[county]

With 75 head of horses and cattle our manure builds up fast, I haul and spread most of it onto corn feilds before tilling it into the ground. During growing season I pile it and then haul and spread when harvest starts or if a pile has been sitting a year or so I spread it on pasture ground.

[kipster]

I compost also. We keep 3 horses on 5 acres, there are 3 10'x10' compost bins. Pellets are used for bedding and if the bins are covered they heat up quickly. We use a tarp to cover the pile and pvc pipes to aerate it. It is a little bit of work (we don't have a tractor) but we have great compost for our place and I haven't run out of places for it (yet) when I do I'll advertise on craigs list!

[pricestory]

In contrast, my operation is much smaller. I have 2 horses and 4 mini donks. Everyone is out but there still is poop in the barn from time to time. I usually have a wheelbarrow full every day to 3 days, depending on the weather. I have two piles in the back. I use one pile for a while, then the other. When it is compost, I use it in the garden, around trees, etc. Sometimes I dump the wheelbarrow directly under the trees to mulch them. Last year, I filled my raised beds with stuff directly from the barn, covered with black plastic and let it cook for a month or more before starting my garden in the spring. I had the best garden ever. No work at all. I use natual parasites and never have flys or smells.