Large Horse Manure Piles

[Texan]

I have 2 large piles of horse manure. They are about 3 feet tall and about 5 foot at its base. I want it to heat up. Its getting hot here in Houston now. I went out and watered them both.

One pile has some chicken droppings and hay in it. This is the pile I intend to use next spring. How often shoud I turn it over with my tractor?

Pile number two is going to be for spring 2011 and I anticipate that it will grow much larger. I am going to be adding leaves and grass clippings from my mulching lawnmower to it as well as more horse manure.


I guess my two main questions are

1) how wet do I need to keep them?
2) how ofter do I turn them over?

 

[patandchickens]

Ideally they want to be moist but not wet, like your laundry after it's all done the spin cycle and ready to go on the line or into the dryer. You may have to cover the piles with old carpet or something to maintain this effect in a dry climate.

The most accurate way of telling when to turn a pile is to monitor its internal temperature; when it starts to cool back down significantly, turn it. Then once it is no longer heating up, just leave it til it is ready to use.

When you turn the pile, do what you can to get the outside/top materials going into the center of the new revised pile.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Texan]

Ideally they want to be moist but not wet, like your laundry after it's all done the spin cycle and ready to go on the line or into the dryer. You may have to cover the piles with old carpet or something to maintain this effect in a dry climate.

The most accurate way of telling when to turn a pile is to monitor its internal temperature; when it starts to cool back down significantly, turn it. Then once it is no longer heating up, just leave it til it is ready to use.

When you turn the pile, do what you can to get the outside/top materials going into the center of the new revised pile.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

Thank You very much for the information and the response.

Mjd

 

[davaroo]

Only at EasyGarden would I say, "I want one of those piles of s**t!"

 

[Debby]

I have 2 horses and use pine shavings for bedding.

Over the course of a year I get a pile about the size of VW bus. Then I move over and start another. After three years the first pile is compost even if I don't turn it. I do use the bucket on the tractor to push it up into a higher pile as it accumulates during the year, so it doesn't take up as much room. I try to remember to put some lime on it before I do that, but I don't really turn it. I tried that, and it was just too much work. So now I always have three piles in the process.

I wish I had some grass clippings to help heat up all the shavings more. This year I got chickens. When I clean out the coop, I'm going to throw that on the active pile, too. I bet that will make the pile hotter.

Its not the right way, but is my way and I like it.

Debby

 

[allabout]

Only at EasyGarden would I say, "I want one of those piles of s**t!"

yeah, me too!!

 

[Texan]

I have 2 horses and use pine shavings for bedding.

Over the course of a year I get a pile about the size of VW bus. Then I move over and start another. After three years the first pile is compost even if I don't turn it. I do use the bucket on the tractor to push it up into a higher pile as it accumulates during the year, so it doesn't take up as much room. I try to remember to put some lime on it before I do that, but I don't really turn it. I tried that, and it was just too much work. So now I always have three piles in the process.

I wish I had some grass clippings to help heat up all the shavings more. This year I got chickens. When I clean out the coop, I'm going to throw that on the active pile, too. I bet that will make the pile hotter.

Its not the right way, but is my way and I like it.

Debby

Grass clippings help make the pile hotter? Any idea how that works? Just curious about the process.

Mjd

 

[Debby]

Grass clippings help make the pile hotter? Any idea how that works? Just curious about the process

.


As I understand it, they add nitrogen to the carbon in the wood chips. Things heavy in carbon are hard to break down without nitrogen sources such as green material or manure.

Debby

 

[Texan]

Grass clippings help make the pile hotter? Any idea how that works? Just curious about the process

.


As I understand it, they add nitrogen to the carbon in the wood chips. Things heavy in carbon are hard to break down without nitrogen sources such as green material or manure.

Debby

Oh, ok. Thank You.

Mjd