Using horse shavings/muck.

[steveR]

Thought this might be of interest to one or two.

I have a small contract to collect and tip horse yard litter and shavings, which I then spread here on the arable land, to all help the OM buildup on my sandy soils.

As many will know this stuff takes an age to break down to something useful. However, as an experiment, I have been blending it with 20% broiler muck and then piling in the field with (so far) one turning. 6-7 weeks and it is all turning black and breaking the litter into compost.

I will keep adding to, and turning the heap until a Spring application onto a nearby herbal ley ( I hope) as the way it's breaking down it'll be some nice stuff, and can go on top!

Worth sheeting to keep the heat in over winter??

 

[Wisconsonian]

Shouldn't need to. If it's mixed and not frozen it should heat just the same in winter. I wouldn't cut the broiler portion in winter, you may be able to in the summer if it's turning that fast. only you know if it's worth it though.

 

[essexpete]

What you say 20% broiler muck Steve, is that 20% to 80% horse litter? Have you a nearby source and what about smell?
Thanks

 

[ShooTa]

you are probably making the muck a better C:N ration by adding the higher N chicken poo.
which in turn means its more habitable for the soil heroes to do the break down job.

should you sheet it ? if you already own the sheet i would sheet a bit and see......
if you dont already own one then - dont fix what aint broke...maybe...
tell us how it goes.

 

[Bogweevil]

Thought this might be of interest to one or two.

I have a small contract to collect and tip horse yard litter and shavings, which I then spread here on the arable land, to all help the OM buildup on my sandy soils.

As many will know this stuff takes an age to break down to something useful. However, as an experiment, I have been blending it with 20% broiler muck and then piling in the field with (so far) one turning. 6-7 weeks and it is all turning black and breaking the litter into compost.

I will keep adding to, and turning the heap until a Spring application onto a nearby herbal ley ( I hope) as the way it's breaking down it'll be some nice stuff, and can go on top!

Worth sheeting to keep the heat in over winter??

Excellent practice. You are composting it and the soluble nutrients are rendered insoluble and slow release reducing pollution potential and increasing uptake efficiency. Composted stable manure is great and sells for a good price round here. Reduced ammonia emissions from the chicken sh!t too. Sheeting will reduce ammonia loss, lower pollution potential and enhance composting to some extent.

 

[steveR]

What you say 20% broiler muck Steve, is that 20% to 80% horse litter? Have you a nearby source and what about smell?
Thanks

About that ration, yes, maybe a little less broiler in reality.

"Pinched" a few buckets from a nearby heap... ;-) Zero smell from the blended mix.

 

[essexpete]

Thanks for the reply.

 

[tr250]

Thought this might be of interest to one or two.

I have a small contract to collect and tip horse yard litter and shavings, which I then spread here on the arable land, to all help the OM buildup on my sandy soils.

As many will know this stuff takes an age to break down to something useful. However, as an experiment, I have been blending it with 20% broiler muck and then piling in the field with (so far) one turning. 6-7 weeks and it is all turning black and breaking the litter into compost.

I will keep adding to, and turning the heap until a Spring application onto a nearby herbal ley ( I hope) as the way it's breaking down it'll be some nice stuff, and can go on top!

Worth sheeting to keep the heat in over winter??

I’m a bit the other way round to you we have our own cattle fym and that’s ok but can go anaerobic but having the odd load of horse muck in the heap I can see it in the heap and it seems to turn quite a bit of our muck around it maybe a couple of spreader loads so 30-35 tons a lot nicer around it as I think it is maybe cooler and let’s the air into it a bit better

 

[steveR]

I’m a bit the other way round to you we have our own cattle fym and that’s ok but can go anaerobic but having the odd load of horse muck in the heap I can see it in the heap and it seems to turn quite a bit of our muck around it maybe a couple of spreader loads so 30-35 tons a lot nicer around it as I think it is maybe cooler and let’s the air into it a bit better

Well I guess that like ours, you FYM will be pretty fibrous already, so is it the wood shavings or the horse poo that's helping?

 

[Hesstondriver]

A customer of mine takes the shavings/ muck from a Newmarket stud place where there is considerably more shavings than muck and uses it to bed his cows on . Helps it break down and keeps straw cost down too

 

[Coximus]

Ive found the trick with horsemuck is keeping air and water in it, its often a very uneven mix, varies depending on the mindset of the girls making the heap - Usually turn twice - once after collection and once over winter and 90% of the time get a lovely composted heap. Got to say while its NPK doesnt always come out great (about 50% of cattle fym) it seems to be much better at breaking up clay and feeds the worms - a few days after spreading and in the evening you can see the little pink army on the surface doing their thing.