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What to do with Horse manure pile?
I'd hate to see you sell your tractor, I don't have one YET and am tired of the wheelbarrow !!!
Any neighbors that farm ??? For two bottles of brandy (spring and fall) mine comes over, loads my pile into his spreader, and uses it on his fields.
How much pasture do you have? If you are set up so you are able to rotate your grazing, you could get one of the smaller spreaders currently on the market. Shovel from the stall(s) into the spreader, and then onto the field w/ it. It is recommended that you don't spread onto a field you are grazing - spreads worms, etc.
Other comments are correct, horse manure isn't considered the best fertilizer, but on your own fields, the price gets better.
Good luck, and even though we do accept donations, keep your tractor  !!!
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What to do with Horse manure pile?
I sure wouldn't advocate anybody giving up their tractor. I'd rather think up more work for it. But if it really is idle then it's not doing anybody much good. I've taken a brief look at AVT Mule types thinking that a 2-person ATV that can do some work as well might be useful in addition to my tractor. My starting place was Steve Carver's e-mail ad (Sometimes I do pay attention, and the ads here are a small price to pay for this facility).
Seem like manufacturers are trying to turn ATV's into equipment. The recreational market must be saturated. A whole range of implement like things seems to be made. I saw, but still can’t imagine, a back hoe on an ATV. I'd bet that something similar to a 3ph dirt scoop is available. One of these mules might scoop up the muck and move it around and could also pull an old type draw spreader. However, a simple scoop might not be able to load a spreader.
We use a composting toilet at our camp that uses coarse peat moss and optionally several additives. The process can render material suitable for spreading (except for vegetable gardens) in as little as two weeks after it is removed from an active drum. That’s a very speedy process and illustrates what can be done. However it does depend on good aeration. The active drum must be rotated every several days, and a compost pile that is turned only several times a year won’t decompose very fast. As mentioned, a balance of muck and a carbon source such as straw, moisture and oxygen are needed. Lawn fertilizer, ag lime and various enzyme and bacterial additives speed the process. Moisture is required, but flooding retards composing. Compost piles are well drained and ideally covered.
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What to do with Horse manure pile?
Do what every one else does: get a spreader and fling it onto a field that needs improving. Horse manure is not sloppy like cow manure. It is mostly fiber and will go back into the soil and bulk it up as well.
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What to do with Horse manure pile?
Every night I clean my horse stalls, and wheelbarrow it out to the manuer pile. I let it compost for a while, and then drag it out with a flexible chain style harrow, or if I have my box blade on, I will flatten it then drag it.
The plants love it, and the minor amount of wood chips in the mix don't factor negatively. Some of my best soil is in my back pasture where the manuer is drug / composted.
I havn't observed that horse urine is to adverse on the pasture...Your results may vary.
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What to do with Horse manure pile?
We currently have four horses in the manure factory. I have found that using a spreader for fresh manure/wood shavings bedding results in the shavings building up into a thick thatch unless you have several acres to spread on. We have a Mill Creek spreader that is ground driven and works great, but we now only spread composted manure. Don't spread uncomposted manure where the horses will be grazing or you risk spreading parasites. I have found that the best thing is to let the pile sit for 6-12 months, then use it in the garden, spread it on the pasture, or spread it 6" thick on lawn areas that need improving, and till it in. You will know when the compost is ready, the wood chips turn black. Some of our best lawn areas are composed of crappy sandy fill with tilled manure compost.
If you don't pick up the manure in the turnout, you should at least scatter it with a fexible tine harrow. The commercial ones work great, but you can get by with a length of pipe and a piece of chain link fence. This reduces the parasite load and discourages flys.
Oddly enough, the compost pile has very little oder.
One of the main reasons I bought my 4100 was to handle the horse manure. I pull it into the barn aisle, and clean the stalls right into the bucket, the 61" bucket can hold the days "pickin's" from 4 stalls with only one trip to the manure pile. Using the tractor has also allowed us to put the pile a greater distance from the barn. Use the loader to turn the pile now and then will speed composting. If you live in a dry area, some water must be added to the pile, but too much is not a good thing either.
HarryW
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