Manure management

[KaliMoran]

Hello all- I have a novice question that probably has all the old goat hands out there rolling their eyes. But... how to best deal with manure and hay waste?! I know composting is the obvious answer and a perfect complement to my garden, but I'd love advice on what kind of system to follow. At this point, I have a slowly-growing, long MOUND of mostly hay from my two NDGs. I've composted for years but mostly with kitchen and garden waste and I don't know the best way to encourage efficient composting on this scale. I also don't have any handy ride-on type tractors that help turn and pile said manure.
How do you manage your waste??

 

[animalmom]

Well, here is what I do... doesn't make it good, bad or otherwise, but it seems to work for me.

I have three pens that I keep my goats in and try to rake each pen once a week. I rake up spent hay,leaves and poo. During the winter I put this raked up stuff in the raised beds since there is nothing in the beds and the beds can always use more organic stuff. During the rest of the year I either spread it around the garden as mulch or I'll pile it in a low spot in the yard. Our yard is not nicely level; it slopes. Over time the pile gets shorter and grass will grow over it. Sometimes I'll put the raked up stuff in the chicken yard. The hens like to scratch through it for whatever they can glean... goats being such dainty eaters (not). If the hay on the ground is pretty clean I'll gather it up and give it to the geese. They like to rummage through the hay and make their nests.

If I have been busy with other things and the pens get rained on and there is a lot of soggy nasty hay and other delights on the ground then I'll pull it up as best I can and put that in a spot in the pen that is low or water logged. Sometimes I'll make "speed bumps" out of that messy stuff to try and channel run-off out of the pen. The goats tend to avoid the "speed bumps" until they are dry and hard. The "speed bumps" get worn down over time. One year, in the middle of one pen, I made a little mountain a couple feet high out of the rained on nasty stuff and slowly through time, more rain, and roosters pecking and scratching, the mountain is now gone and the roosters who live in that goat pen have a place to dust bathe.

Sometimes I wonder how the goats manage to eat the hay and create a volume of waste that is larger than the volume of hay that went in the hay rack to begin with... must be one of the mysteries of life.

Hope that helps you.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Sometimes I wonder how the goats manage to eat the hay and create a volume of waste that is larger than the volume of hay that went in the hay rack to begin with... must be one of the mysteries of life.

Ain't it though!

 

[KaliMoran]

Thank you for the input! That's totally the sort of system I'm prone to incorporating so.. the affirmation is appreciated.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

In town with just a few hens, I used to try to contain the compost in a nice wood lined "bin" on the ground. Chickens got in and raked everything all over including over the grass so I gave up. I throw all compost in a big pile and leave it to whomever. Chickens, ducks, geese, occasionally a curious goat, all take their picks and leave the rest a little more mixed than they found it. Rain or a occasional watering helps it break down. With the drought here though, I have left the watering to mother nature. If I want some of the nice broken down hay based compost below the surface, that is when I move some of the top stuff. Otherwise it stays until the chickens uncover the beautifully finished compost below. After a little while (think in years now) I do pick another spot for the compost, typically next to the last one. Mother nature and all the animals do most of the hard work for my compost.

Now for some of the old pens that have alot of waste build up (deep litter method for rainy season), I plan on replacing the pens, moving animals, but before I do I would like to throw a few pigs in there to work the soil up. Then I can throw a few plants in before the sides come down for good. A coworkers dad is a farmer and she brought in 40-50 lb watermelons grown in the old sheep pen.... I think I have a clue what the secret ingredient is for that, and my backyard is full of the stuff!

 

[babsbag]

I just bought a manure spreader to tow around the pasture; haven't used it yet. I do have a tractor though so that should help. 50 goats and a barn that I am determined to keep clean is making a mountain already. I may have to buy the land next door to me just to spread the manure. The goats and the puppy think the piles are the BEST playground though. I wish the chickens were in the same field to scratch through the piles but until the puppy grows up they are staying in their own safe pen.

You could always put an ad on Craigslist for free manure.

 

[maritown]

My 'system' is that I scoop daily and pile it lengthwise along the side of the barn. The chickens then go crazy and scratch through it. Eventually (whenever I remember ) I wheelbarrow it over the the big compost pile in the garden. This includes kitchen waste. I keep it wet and turn it often and it decomposes FAST. Into the beds it goes and the cycle continues