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Barnyard Buddies:  All the manure goes...where?  |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 06:29:42 AM
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Now that we're at the farm, and getting into the real logistics of filling up the barn with more than chickens, we have run into a question we're not sure how to answer: what in the world do you do with all the manure?
We have five acres, most of it is yard and buildings. We do have a small patch of tillable out back but its maybe an acre. (Maybe...it is probably less.) That back tillable will probably become pasture.
We moved in here and the last animals that were kept in the barn were sheep, 15 years ago, and the farmer never cleaned out the barn. So that is what we are doing now. My dad said we can just haul that all out to the tillable and it will just melt into the soil when it rains.
Is this true?
Also, when we do fill up with animals...its not like we have 120 acres of field to spread the manure on. The men in the family are kind of taking this "manure issue" as something we deal with later. I'm thinking we should probably have this figured out before we start getting more animals and suddenly have stalls to clean out and nothing to do with the manure.
Your advice is greatly appreciated. :)
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
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magnoliakathy
True Blue Farmgirl
453 Posts
Kathryn
Magnolia
Texas
USA
453 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 08:08:55 AM
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Manure 15 yrs old? may have lost all of its nutrients. I would do a soil test (buy a simple one, feed store or box store), then, I would spread it anyway, wait a week or two and do another soil test. Just to be sure what is going on. As for the "coming" manure, poulty, cow, horset are "hot" manures and need to be composted, length of time varies, check online for this informatioin. I know from experience that rabbit and goat manure can be applied without composting and not harm a garden. Depending on "production" will dictate how often you need to remove manure to a composting pile or spread it onpen pasture.
Hope this helps.
When you free your mind your heart can fly. Farmgirl # 714, |
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MEWolf
True Blue Farmgirl
358 Posts
Margaret
Byers
Colorado
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 08:35:34 AM
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Amy,
We compost part of our manure for my raised bed gardens, but the rest we spread on a regular basis (about once a month we spend a weekend spreading). Because we have so much sun out here, the manure dries up quickly, we do not have to compost it as long as some areas. We have a wonderful little gadget that hooks up to our tractor called a "Newer Spreader" you can see it here: http://www.newerspreader.com/
If you are not going to have a ton of animals, it maybe just the right size to handle the spreading duties.
You are right to want to have a plan in place to deal with the manure from your coming animals. It is something that can get out of hand quickly. A couple of other things to consider: one, if you are going to have a manure pile to allow it to compost, make sure it is not near any of your wells, streams, or ground water areas. And two, depending on whether you use bedding for your animals, and what type you chose the decomposition rates are quite different. Some will compost down quickly, while others will stay around for a much longer time. Here is a blurb from a study done at Ohio State University http://ohioline.osu.edu/cd-fact/0124.htmlon decomposition rates:
"Conclusions/Implications
Of the three bedding materials tested, the fine shavings and sawdust material decomposed most readily. These materials, if kept moist, were completely decomposed at the end of the 16-week test period. The newsprint and straw were more closely paired in decomposition rates. The newsprint did decompose or at least disintegrate more quickly than did straw when kept in similar moist conditions on the soil. The straw was most persistent in retaining its color and strength because of the long fibers. At the end of the 16-week study period, the straw was still yellowish in color and tore very easily. Most of the newsprint and straw were not decomposed.
Barn management practice will determine, to a great extent, the amount of exposure of bedding materials to animal manure. This exposure, observed in field trials greatly alters the rate of decomposition of bedding materials. In lagoon systems, paper bedding has been observed to break apart within six hours, in pack barns, paper bedding is virtually indistinguishable before removal.
Straw has become an expected visual component of barns and fields. Paper, in the same use and amount is often viewed as litter. Management practices for utilization of newspaper for animal bedding must incorporate efforts to control excess paper and paper trails. Allowing paper bedding to be further incorporated into manure may prevent problems when land applied."
Margaret
“Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the flowers, kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds, fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1808-1882)
Farmgirl #3020
www.grey-wolf-farm.com |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 10:07:11 AM
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add that sheep poo can be dealt with like rabbit & goat poo....but chicken poo needs 6 months to one year depending on the number of chickens you have...it needs to be composted or set somewhere to cure...cow & horse poo I know needs the same amount of time as chickens if its not a good hot sunny spring/summer...I have a separate area/compost just for the chicken poo that goes on the garden beds at the end of the season to do its thing thur the fall.winter & spring.....when i was growing up we had a area in the back field that the cow/horse poo went from the barns to set until it was after the growing season on the gardens....it was tilled in then not in the spring...we ever had a problem doing it this way & our areas of corn & potatoes always did well the next year....hope that helps...Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 10:57:30 AM
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Keep the information coming, gals! This is great! I already learned things from the last three responses that I didn't know at all! It's so nice to be able to ask all of you because you don't make me feel stupid for asking. :)
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 2:35:54 PM
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I compost only about 25% of my manure ( other wise I would have a mountain range,lol), and yes, cow, horse and chicken take the longest, so they are seperate from the other livestock manure, the rest is spread and disced into my pasture areas, althou I do have some people come and get what they can bag/box/or use whatever container/trailer they have to haul it away...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
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MEWolf
True Blue Farmgirl
358 Posts
Margaret
Byers
Colorado
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 4:18:30 PM
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Amy, There are NO stupid questions! The very bestest thing about this board is we can all learn things we did not know before and benefit from the Chickens who have walked the paths we are choosing walk before us. Experience is sometimes worth more than GOLD!
Margaret
“Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the flowers, kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds, fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1808-1882)
Farmgirl #3020
www.grey-wolf-farm.com |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1143 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1143 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 6:25:38 PM
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Now, see...that's a problem I wish I had! Too much poo! Seriously! I can never ever have enough. I miss my goats for that very reason. I use the 'lasagne' method in my chicken coop (that is, top off the poo with more wood chips/pine shavings and shovel it out about 4x a year). That-a-way, it is already at least partially composted. For a new garden area, I laid out cardboard then covered it with the chicken poo/wood chip mix and let it age about...oh...um...around a year I suppose, then I just planted some garlic out there last fall. Prettiest soil! I had read that bunny pellets should be composted, but I have not had a problem using them straight. I dunno. BUT it does help to cover up the 'bunny gold' with some soil to get them breaking down faster; otherwise, it takes a long time for them to disintegrate (goat pellets, too).
I now have been stacking my chicken poo in a spot close to my garden (but not close enough for it to be a smell issue), so it can compost. As far as large animal manure, I don't have any, but around here, the dung beetles actually get rid of most of it! (I almost never see dog poo out here and I have a MASTIFF, haha).
Just remember to not apply 'hot' manures straight to your plants as they will destroy the roots. It is due to the high amount of urea nitrogen: http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=201104-animal-manures There's the scoop on poop for ya.
a
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17161 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17161 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 8:14:09 PM
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My daughter has 1 sheep, & 5 goats so when they clean out the barn, they run the pooppellets & straw through their chipper and then use as mulch around the perimeter trees which seem to really enjoy their 'treat'! lol!
>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom.
"Is it time for my Dirt Manicure yet!"
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://www.graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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MamaBulla
True Blue Farmgirl
209 Posts
Kris
Midland
NC
USA
209 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 8:20:00 PM
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I'm learning, too! It never occurred to me to use pine shavings in the chicken coop... We've always used hay, but the shavings would totally break down much faster. Brilliant!
Kris B.
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Farmgirl Sister #3679
http://farmgirlby40.wordpress.com
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Farmtopia
True Blue Farmgirl
1465 Posts
Zan
New York
New York
USA
1465 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 9:16:12 PM
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Yes, the chicken poop, rabbits, and others is high in nitrogen and needs to lay around to "cool" it--or else it'll burn your plants!
We used to get a bit of chicken pooop for mama's garden in FL, it does wonders! That is a thought--just let some folks haul it off for free or maybe even charge for it, there are folks doing that as well.
~*~Dream all you dreamers~*~
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homsteddinmom
True Blue Farmgirl
441 Posts
Brandee
bullard
tx
USA
441 Posts |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 07:02:01 AM
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Because it's considered a "cold" manure, you don't have to let rabbit poop age or compost before you use it. Other manures that come from chickens, sheep, horse, cows, and pigs or "hot" manures, need to be composted for months before you can safely use them or you'll burn your little plant darlings to death. Not so with rabbit poop.
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
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Barnyard Buddies: All the manure goes...where? |
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All the manure goes...where?
