Quote:
Originally Posted by rxkeith
i will be getting horse manure from a neighbor down the road with 6 or 7 horses. i have a truck, and he has a front end loader. he said i can have all i want. i've also used composted yard waste, mainly leaves, and grass from the town pile when i was in the U.P. i would go with the manure for the biggest bang. the compost would be a good soil amendment. not sure about life of chemicals in the compost. i would ask the folks at the compost place, if they know anything.
keith
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Anyone who lives anywhere near a stable where horses are kept in stalls at night (or sometimes, all the time) should pay them a visit. Most will be thrilled to give you all you want. Horse manure from daily stall cleaning piles up faster than you can believe. For those stables in or near housing or commercial areas, the cities are usually on their behind to keep it gone. I have a friend in California who finds it cost effective to rent a small dumptruck each year and bring home several loads (saves some back-breaking labor unloading a truck or trailer.) If you have the space, I would recommend having two piles or more with one that is ready to use and the others "aging". If it is composted well, minimum weed seeds (horses are the only animal that eats the amount of forage that they do who is not a ruminant. Something happened in evolution as they were previously ruminants.) Because the food does not get regurgitated as it would by a cow and re-chewed, some whole grains, like oats, can pass through a horses intestinal tract unscathed (horse people know this and have most grains crimped to allow the animal to absorb the available nutrients.) There is far less risk of "burning" roots and plant using horse manure as opposed to cow, poultry, etc.