Sheep Manure

[rswyan]

A neighbor raises show sheep and has a big pile of manure outside his barn which I can probably have for hauling it off. I was thinking of incorporating it into the garden this fall. The question is, is there any risk of disease (scrapie) if I do so.

The reason why I ask is that the neighbor has been sick over the last year or two ..... been to multiple doctors, big name hospital here locally, seen a bunch of specialists, had a number of operations ..... and they are all pretty much coming with zero - all except the last one didn't have a clue what was ailing him .....

The last medico decided that it was the fact that the guy was burning wood to heat his home. The neighbor quit burning over a year ago and is still sick .......

Thoughts ?

 

[Highbeam]

That last doctor was grasping at straws is my first thought.

The well decomposed sheep manure should be safe for incorporation in the soil. I would not hesitate to use it. Heck, we use "people" manure here in the NW.

 

[billbill1]

I've heard that sheep poop is some of the best you can possibly use. I used it several years ago with great results, it doesn't burn the plants like cattle crap. I'd take it if available and put it on thick this fall, let it compost in.

 

[PineRidge]

Never used it myself but I'm betting that if you till it in this fall that you'll have no problems at all.

And if you would rather have composted horse manure let me know via a PM. I have a very close neighbor that we got 20 dump truck loads from last fall and we expect to do the same this fall. The manure has improved our garden plot by 100%.

We pay for the use of the dump truck only, the manure is a gimmie, and John is willing to load it using his TN to boot.

 

[rswyan]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Yeah, I think grasping at straws is a good characterization of what is happening (no idea of the actual cause ... well just invent one !)

I will get ahold of the neighbor tommorrow and see about hauling it off - there is quite a bit of it .... will probably take me at least 10 trips with the 4' x 8' dump cart.

Mike - I did scope out your garden's soil fairly closely when I was at the party - it looks really, really good. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif I could see the darker organic matter mixed in very finely with the original soil - your veggies are loving it I'm sure.

And thanks for the offer .... I may indeed take ya up on it - can never have too much poop ..... oh wait .... that was something else. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[sassafraspete]

We are passionate about our manure. Get what you can and incorporate it this fall. My neighbor brought me 4 large dumptruck loads of cow manure this spring (3 yr old), from a dairy operation. Since it was aged, it did not burn any of my crops. This was a combination of mostly sand and manure. It has been the single best thing I have done for the garden . Downside, you do incorporate some weed seeds, but mine are easy to pull. I added a section onto one of my garden spots and it didn't get the manure.... I can tell night and day difference between the 2. Things are half the height. Things may grow too well for you. My tomatoes are now growing above my 5 foot cages. Pumpkins are going crazy. Beans are amazing, and kale is 3 1/2 ' high now. Go for it.

sassafraspete

 

[Egon]

A site with some information on manure.



There are some interesting facts expressed here.

By the way The Sheep Manure is one of the best for potasiun content. Couldn't find the table which had the qualities of different animal manures.

web page

Egon

 

[rockinmywaypa]

rswyan tell your neighbor to check out and eliminate the possibility that he has Q-fever. most doctors wouldn't think to check it out because they don't know that he raises sheep.

 

[rswyan]

pete,

Yeah, I'm willing to make the trade of better soil for a few more weeds - and having things grow too well is a risk I'm willing to take /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

It's really amazing how much difference good soil can make. The soil where I have the garden is fairly decent in my estimation, but it could always be better.

 

[rswyan]

Egon,

Thanks for the link - great stuff. Certainly makes me want to take appropriate precautions (like at least wearing a dust mask when I load and dump manure)

I think the majority of what's up there is probably has been sitting there for quite awhile and is composted .... hopefully it's separated or piled according to age.

Reading the link, it looks like if I'm going to store it on my property until I spread it, it would probably be a good idea to locate the storage pile in a location where there is the least liklihood of contaminating any growing produce - ie. far enough away that airborne contamination is unlikely and downslope so that runoff isn't a problem. Fortunately my garden is not in the drainage of where he piles it on his property.

Even though my garden is right next to the pastiure, the sheep don't come down to that end anymore ... up until a few days ago when another neighbor cut it, the grass at this end was over 3' tall ... so I should be safe from that angle.