Composting. "One of the best options is to turn manure and organic material into a valuable soil amendment by composting it, which is practical even if you have just one horse," notes Blickle, who adds that properly managing manure means you'll have less mud in winter and fewer flies in summer.
Depending on the size of your barn, land, and number of horses, the most feasible removal options include spreading it, using a disposal service, or composting.
Management. Manure that is piled and left alone will decompose slowly. This can take three to four months if conditions are ideal. It can take a year or more if the starting material contains a wide carbon:nitrogen ratio (as is the case when manure contains wood chips).
Re: how to rot down horse manure....
the heap should be higher one end and covered with something waterproof, to allow rain to run off. If you can get hold of some straw so much the better, construct your pile in layers if manure and straw, treading it down after each layer of straw, to exclude air.
Manure that is piled and left alone will decompose slowly. This can take three to four months if conditions are ideal. It can take a year or more if the starting material contains a wide carbon:nitrogen ratio (as is the case when manure contains wood chips).
Its organic and nutrient-rich matter gives a variety of plants that extra bit of goodness to ensure they grow and flourish even in areas where the topsoil isn't great. If your garden is lacking in nitrogen, then don't worry – horse manure is also nitrogen-rich which is why it's invaluable across your garden.
Therefore, it is imperative to collect manure from your paddocks on a regular basis, thus reducing the chance of your horse obtaining worms. Clearing your paddock of manure benefits your horse's health because it breaks the lifecycle of worms and helps to lower the worm burden.
The horse manure compost will look like soil and will have lost its “manure” smell when ready. Although it's not required, composted horse manure can provide better results in the garden. Soil aeration and drainage can be greatly improved, which ultimately results in the healthier growth of plants.
You can also use horse manure compost, just like any other compost, to make a liquid plant feed for your organic garden. Simply add composted horse manure to some water, strain the mix, and use it to give a boost to leafy plants.
Place daily manure and stall waste in one bin or pile. When that bin or pile is as large as you want it (at least three feet), leave it and begin building a second pile or bin, and so on for the last bin. In two to four months, the first bin or pile should be finished, and you can start using the compost from that bin.
However, micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes–even though they go unnoticed in your compost pile–are responsible for most of the organic material breakdown.
Water each layer until it is moist as you build the heap. After three or four days, give the compost some air by mixing and turning it over, then turn every three days until the compost is ready – usually between 14 and 21 days. Remember, frequent turning and aeration is the secret to successful composting.
Yes—really! Horse manure can be used as a fuel source for burning.
Uncontrolled stockpiles of horse manure can be an unsightly, smelly and fly-infested mess. Stockpiles also can cause runoff pollution in nearby streams and ponds.
You can take your mower and break up all of the manure. You can get a drag and spread around all the manure. You can purchase a device to pick up the manure.
Fresh manure from horses should not be used directly on your garden beds, especially not on vegetable gardens because of the presence of pathogenic bacteria.
Farmers, gardeners, landscapers, and others commonly use livestock manure as a fertilizer to provide nutrients needed for crop production. Manure nutrients have real value as fertilizer. Manure's fertilizer value will increase as the price of commercial fertilizers increase.
Aged horse manure is an excellent 'pick me up' for your worm habitat.
When is it ready? So how long does it take to compost horse manure? Generally, it'll take three to six months for horse manure to turn into compost. The NRCS says this allows fertilizer nutrients to stabilize and weed seeds to be killed.
Surely the main difference is that dogs crap on the pavement where people are likely to walk in their mess, whereas horses ride on the road, or bridle paths, where their droppings are much less of a hazard.
You should poo-pick at least twice a week and ideally more often than that. If you don't poo-pick regularly you'll find that your horses will create latrine areas which will result in patches of rough grass and weeds.
However steer clear of adding horse manure to flowering and fruiting plants such as tomatoes, and peppers. Or if you do decide to use it mix it with other compost so it doesn't inhibit the growth of fruit and flowers.
Horse manure is rich in nitrogen, which promotes the development of leaves and plant growth but can inhibit the development of fruit on the plant. Consequently, vegetables such as tomatoes, chilies, sweet peppers, peas, beans, cucumber, and other fruiting plants will not produce high yields when fed with horse manure.
(grass grazing animals) such as cows, horses and sheep, llamas, goats together with pets such as rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs, produce nitrogen-rich manure that provides a good source of Greens and can be added as a layer manure layer in a compost bin.