Horse Manure removal

[TheMan419]

So we have horses at home. Looking for some good way to get rid of their "left overs". So manure, urine and wood shavings used for bedding.

Looking at a spreader. We have some areas we could spread.

Looking at having wast hauler remove. They want $200/mo for a 4 cubic yard dumpster that will be emptied weekly. That does not seem like enough cubic yards.

Have a guy who says he wants "some". Cant give me an idea of how much or how often.

What about burning it? How bad is that gonna smell? Also how do I start the pile on fire? Just light a wood fire and add manure to it? How bad is that for the environment?

Any other thoughts?

 

[Clint S]

Get a spreader and spread it

 

[NorTracNY]

Compost it and put a sign out and you'll find takers.

 

[RPW]

Compost, makes great fertilizer.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

spread it or compost it. We float between 15 and 25 horses and I spread it every couple months with a 200bu spreader. No way I would pay someone to take it off my hands.

 

[zzvyb6]

Compost, makes great fertilizer.

You've heard of sheet happens ? Well Sheet burns, too. You mixture is perfect for burning. No flames, just smolders. Smells like burning cork. A couple of FatWood sticks will get it going, then it will burn for days. What's left is even better fertilizer because all the weed seeds are now 'gone'.

 

[drssg]

I spread ours once a year. That allows it to break down before spreading. I have occasionally loaded it directly into the spreader when the weather is nice, but you don't want to do that in freezing weather.

The $200/month option sounds easiest, but it's more expensive over time. So it comes down to personal preference.

 

[bigtiller]

Put it in a 5 gallon bucket and sell it to this guy for $15 each. He is selling horse manure for $22

1% Organic Horse *DRY* Manure Compost 5 gallon bucket packed & stuffed full ! | eBay

 

[WM75Guy]

Depends on the number of horses and how long they are in the stall. We have 2-4 horses at any given time. Two stalls open out into 1 acre paddocks, the other two stalls do not. Horses are out all day, only up at night. We tried the dumpster route, 4 cubic yard, and it was OK except the wife did not like looking at it and smelling it. Also the truck will eventually cause ruts unless you have a concrete drive all the way up to the dumpster. We ended up with a small Loyal towed spreader behind the Mule. We have to spread manure every other day.

 

[tallyho8]

I compost mine. By putting it in a pile it will naturally compost with no smells and not attracting flies. I turn the pile over with my tractor every few months and let it sit one year before selling it for $35 a pickup truck load on Craigslist. I start a new pile every 4 months and with 6 horses the pile never starts out larger than a small dump truck load of sand. By the time it composts it is less than 1/3 that size.

The only problem with that is it takes me $350 worth of feed, hay and shavings to make a $35 load of compost.