Horse manure?

[Beekissed]

Alas, we have a chapter...but we rarely, if ever, have any good things.....very few participants and most of them getting rid of baby things. One time there were some chickens but I was too late! I just put an add in the local "Grapevine" for clean grass clippings (no chemo) and for aged manure and will hope for the best! Still can't escape the vision of 30 CUBIC FEET OF HORSE MANURE!!!! from dancing in my head.....

 

[Nifty]

Still can't escape the vision of 30 CUBIC FEET OF HORSE MANURE!!!! from dancing in my head.....

not to rub it in or anything but it was 30 cubic YDS which is 810 cubic feet.

 

[Nifty]

Last night I decided to do an experiment and mixed a wheelbarrow of the manure / pine savings into a 2 foot high pile of my existing compost (which is full of pretty new material). Today it was pretty warm, at about 110 degrees, but nowhere near as hot as I usually like to see it (I get it up to 160).

 

[Beekissed]

Still can't escape the vision of 30 CUBIC FEET OF HORSE MANURE!!!! from dancing in my head.....

not to rub it in or anything but it was 30 cubic YDS which is 810 cubic feet.

Some folks can be sooooooo cruuu-eeel!!!

 

[Nifty]

Well, I went out and checked the temp and it is up to 135 degrees right now.

I noticed a bunch of grubs in there. Not sure if it was from my part of the compost or from the manure (i think they were already in my smaller compost pile pre-manure). They seem pretty happy in there even with the heat.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=11556

 

[Beekissed]

You need to put up some poultry netting around that black gold and let the chickens pick out all the vermin! They'll turn that manure for you, but good! Maybe down at the rent-a-chicken place, if you have none of your own? Wait just a minute......we can work a swap! I let you borrow some chickens in return for some of your honey pile! :dance Hey, it could work......

 

[Nifty]

Wow, it is amazing what a bit of moisture, some turning and a ton of microorganisms can do in just a few days!

Don't get me wrong, the 3/4 of a pile manure & shavings that I mixed into my 1/4 pile of compost and kitchen scraps still has a ways to go, but I can really see a difference from what it looked like just 5 days ago.

The biggest difference is the 2 inch "balls" of horse poop seem to have been loosened and mixed into the rest of the compost. I don't know how much of this is due to the dampening, mixing, or bugs / organisms chomping at it... but either way I'm excited!

The pile is still pretty warm and when mixed I can still smell a bit of the ammonia (I'm guessing from the manure / urine?).

In my experience when the smell dies down so does the heat. I'm not sure if I should try adding more manure / shavings or just let the pile do its own thing and start a new pile.