Landscape Rake for Manure Collection

[WM75Guy]

I don’t want to collect the manure I want to break the clumps up and scatter it.

So I’m thinking of getting one to breakup the manure.

I’m thinking of turning the tines rearward like for pushing going in reverse sine most have the ability to reverse the tines.

However, I would pull it forward with the tines rearward in order to breakup the manure clumps.

Mine seem to concentrate their business in one spot. I use a 4' chain harrow from TSC behind the Mule to drag turnouts, helps to spread it out and break it up. I drag it with the tines down and folding back so it doesn't tear out the grass. Really heavy areas I pick up with the bucket and dump over the fence into a wooded pasture for the wild hogs to play with. Then I bring in sandy loam soil to fill the area back in, especially where they like to roll.

 

[Southernspeed]

I'm pretty sure it'll just spread it like a harrow would. When we did boarding I use to drag the paddocks but got fed up with the carpet of poop it could leave behind so we bought a 'poover'! Greystone pasture vacuum I think is it's correct title. I tow it behind an ATV. For 2 horses in a 1 acre paddock I poover once a week, filling the larger one they offer. When we had 16 horses here I did about an hour a day keeping multiple fields clean. We've had ours for 5 years now, still going strong. Very easy to use, does a great job.

 

[dieselscout80]

Mine seem to concentrate their business in one spot. I use a 4' chain harrow from TSC behind the Mule to drag turnouts, helps to spread it out and break it up. I drag it with the tines down and folding back so it doesn't tear out the grass. Really heavy areas I pick up with the bucket and dump over the fence into a wooded pasture for the wild hogs to play with. Then I bring in sandy loam soil to fill the area back in, especially where they like to roll.

View attachment 2263764

We have a chain harrow 12’ wide (two six ft sections) but it is a pain to deal with when not using it.

 

[WM75Guy]

I'm pretty sure it'll just spread it like a harrow would. When we did boarding I use to drag the paddocks but got fed up with the carpet of poop it could leave behind so we bought a 'poover'! Greystone pasture vacuum I think is it's correct title. I tow it behind an ATV. For 2 horses in a 1 acre paddock I poover once a week, filling the larger one they offer. When we had 16 horses here I did about an hour a day keeping multiple fields clean. We've had ours for 5 years now, still going strong. Very easy to use, does a great job.

Great tip, thanks. Showed the videos to my wife, said to order it so I ordered their largest model. They offer 6 months no interest.

 

[dieselscout80]

I’m not understanding the reason why for removing the fertilizer the animals produce and then putting down a commercial fertilizer.

I know horse manure isn’t great fertilizer but it’s something. If the clumps are broken up the parasites are not an issue.

 

[Southernspeed]

I’m not understanding the reason why for removing the fertilizer the animals produce and then putting down a commercial fertilizer.

I know horse manure isn’t great fertilizer but it’s something. If the clumps are broken up the parasites are not an issue.

I remove it, let it rot down, then spread it on my hay fields. Sometimes it just gets too concentrated in certain areas, and during dry periods, it hangs around for ages just building up. Our annual fecal worm counts are very very low.

 

[WM75Guy]

I’m not understanding the reason why for removing the fertilizer the animals produce and then putting down a commercial fertilizer.

I know horse manure isn’t great fertilizer but it’s something. If the clumps are broken up the parasites are not an issue.

We have 3 horses. The stables has 4 12'X12' stalls on the east side with dutch doors. Each horse has their own stall with a turnout, separated by fence from the other horses. They tend to walk outside and poop in the same spot so it builds up there, especially in the center turnout which is narrow close to the stables. It has gotten 6" or so deep before I have gone in there and cleaned it out. It kills all the grass in that area, plus is a breeding area for flies.

 

[rScotty]

Does anyone have experience using a landscape rake in a pasture to collect horse manure?

I have struggled keeping up with collecting the manure of our horses, who are pastured 24/7, and am considering purchasing a landscape rake with gauge wheel. I figure the rake itself can be used for multiple purposes, leveling gardens, finishing touches on driveway touch-ups, ....

I am not sure of the following though:
1) will a rake pick up a large portion of manure effectively from a pasture (with short grass)?
2) Does manure need to be fresh? Still in large clumps or will stepped on manure and/or poultry scratched manure also get raked fairly well?
3) How critical is a gauge wheel for this task? It seems essential to me but I have never used one. The other tasks I don't think require the wheel but the pasture raking is the primary function that I need it for.

I am not expecting 100% collection of the manure but I do need to collect it for use elsewhere on the farm. Hand collection is surely more effective but I've got too large an area to cover.

I do understand that I can harrow it to spread it around so it does not need to be collected but I need the manure elsewhere, that was a primary reason to get the horses

Our landscape rake with gauge wheels works sort of OK in a dry paddock, corral, or round pen - but not in a grass field. It really doesn't work at all for what you are describing. Sorry.... back to the pitchfork..
rScotty

 

[dieselscout80]

Our landscape rake with gauge wheels works sort of OK in a dry paddock, corral, or round pen - but not in a grass field. It really doesn't work at all for what you are describing. Sorry.... back to the pitchfork..
rScotty

View attachment 2265667

Do you this it would work to just breakup manure clumps if it was reversed and pulled forward in a pasture?

I think a buddy has a landscape rake, I may try borrowing it to do a test run before buying one.

 

[ruffdog]

Here are some tow behind poop pickers:

Poop & Dung Collector | Paddock Cleaner - Tow and Collect - US

https://www.amazon.com/Efficraft-Ma...ext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=AC3DY48MBRCG6&gQT=1