Managing manure

Hi,
I'm getting into a bit of a pickle with composting but maybe the manure pile first. At the top of the garden I've got about two cubic metres of horse manure tucked away just doing its thing no problem. However, we've just created an area at the bottom of the garden to create a manure mountain. Every day we get two wheelbarrows of dung and straw from our neighbours which we are dumping on the new pile. I think the area will hold about 8 to 10 cubic metres once it's filled. Questions:
1. can we add grass cuttings and if yes is this a good thing or would it be better to leave just dung and straw in the heap.
2. about how long before I can use the manure once the pile is full.
3. in an ideal world would it be better to have multiple smaller heaps going rather than one big one and one smallish one?
4. The small heap is under trees in deep shade this new one is in full sun. Will I have to water the new one - the shaded one has never been watered.
Jen

 

I wouldn't add grass cuttings, do them separate.

One big heap is a good thing, best if you can build it round a couple of drainpipes and then take them out to let air in.

I'd water it a bit as the rotting will stop if it dries out completely.

About 6 weeks if it gets a good burn going, poke a metal rod in to check if its got hot

 

That's great we've got lots of old drain pipes and this pile is only started a week. I'm presuming the pipes are stuck in the ground upright rather than put in like layers in a cake. Six weeks that's really quick the shaded area has taken a year to get to nice crumbly. If I can get this on top of the veggie plot by November I'll be jumping for joy!! Plus if six weeks or even double that works then no need for multiple piles now that would be excellent. Never thought I'd ever get so excited about piles of poo but that was before I started growing veggies.
Huge thanks
Jen

 

I have a different view to Zigs.

I presume your neighbours have some treasured pets, rather than horses for meat? Therefore the manure is high on straw and loo on poo and pee? This is going to take longer to rot down than something that is sodden with pee - maybe batches in winter, when the animals are in more??, will be better in that regard, but air-temperature will be lower, so the heat of the pile will be somewhat reduced too.

I would. Conventionally not, but as I see it:

Grass clippings in a pile on their own go anaerobic and make a slimy mess. They still rot down and you can use the result, but its is not as good. Grass clippings mixed with manure will rot down really well. Assuming that the amount of grass clippings you have, relative to the size of manure heap, is "Modest" I would spread the grass clippings over the heap in a thin-ish layer (i.e. they will be covered by more manure by next week). If you have more grass clippings, and it would be a "thick" layer then that will upset the behaviour of the heap (you could heap them separately, and mix in with the manure each day, or just compost them separately)

Caveats: If/when you treat your lawn with a selective weedkiller, or "Weed & Feed", do NOT add the clippings to the compost heap. Keep them separate and don't use the compost for several years. See instructions on the packet, but I don't compost any for 6 months after treating the lawn. Similarly you should make absolutely 100% sure that the hay being fed to the horses has not come from pasture treated with a herbicide containing Aminopyralid - that will persist in the animal's gut, their manure, your compost heap and then your garden for around two years, and it will still kill your plants. There is a requirement of notification when Aminopyralid is used, but that requires "good behaviour" and if your neighbour is buying in hay from "unknown" sources, or having their fields sprayed by a "contractor" its possible that Aminopyralid might be used without them knowing.

I would have said 6 months. If you can get the heap going at a high temperature then the time is much shorter, but I reckon with nicely liveried/pampered!! horses there won't be enough poo/pee.

You need a decent sized heap to get the temperature up. Chest high and no less than 1M wide, 2M would be better. If the sides are constrained (e.g. with slatted timbers) so the heap is a vertical-sided cube, rather than a cone-shaped mountain!, then the heat build up will be over a large volume in the middle. You need to make one heap, and then stop adding to it and make a new one - otherwise if you add continuously its never "done". If you can make a long "row" of a heap, adding at one end, and "using" from the other end, that's fine, otherwise start a new heap when the first one is "full"

I would cover a heap with a tarpaulin - perhaps wait until it is built. That will keep excess rain off, and moisture in. If the pee level is high enough you won't have to water the heap, but if it dries out it won't compost as well.

 

The horses (four) are pampered but the poo is from the field mainly. The horses can use their stables freely but they choose to be outside unless the flies are really bad. When the flies are bad the ratio is about 3 wheelbarrow loads of just poo to one of straw and poo - sorry should have said this at the beginning.

 

hmm should also mention 'lawn' equals old field and 'grass' equals green stuff that looks like grass from a distance - a good distance. The heap size sound good I can easily do that. We're used the bottom corner where a six foot wall meets an open weave fence - we've put pallets against the fence so muck is currently constrained within a right angle 3m x2m approx...we'll have to build a third side this week.
Nothing on the fields around here except limousine cow poo - steaming piles everywhere you look.
I like Zig's idea with the pipes, if we mark the pipes and build to the line it will help keep it level rather than end up like a hill.
Also, it's in the sun but under some trees - we were going to lop the branches so it would get more rain maybe we could leave the branches and skip the tarpaulin which I'd have to buy .

 

Ah, OK. If you are picking-up from the field then that will be good. Could do with some pee-soaked straw to give the composting process a rocket-boost (high level of Nitrogen will kickstart the aerboic bacteria which are responsible for initially raising the heat in the heap).

You / Hubby / all your extended family peeing on the heap will help a lot too.

 

When my daughter used to go riding every week, I would collect thousands of bags of vacuumed pure horse poo each year, but found I needed to add some green stuff to it to get it heating up.



The piles with straw + pee from the stables in used to get a lot hotter, especially when they tried reducing the size of the heap by setting fire to it and they had to call the fire services because it set fire to the neighbouring farm's fencing and crops in the adjoining field.

 

Maybe have to do it in a bucket and throw it on the heap as it's at the front of the house and I'm not sure the locals are ready for that sight! They already think I'm a bit nutty because I use an edger on the borders.

Wow a poo vacuum never knew such a thing existed how sheltered a life I lead.

 

We've made a start - bucket is in use but out of sight....

 

A Poover?

... I'll get my coat