Wherever there are horses there’s always going to be a fair amount of muck. It is estimated that the average horse will produce approximately 20kg of manure every day, which adds up to 7.5 tonnes annually. Bearing this in mind, particularly on a yard with several horses, it is important to manage manure effectively. Without forward planning and discipline it’s all too easy for a muckheap to get out of control and start spreading itself untidily all over the yard. If this sounds familiar, maybe it’s time to grab some friends, arm yourselves with pitchforks and brushes and set about transforming your muckheap into a work of art that you can be proud of and that’s easy to manage!
To begin with, consider whether your muckheap is sited in the best place and if not, move it to a new location. Your muckheap should be sited downwind of houses and stables and if you can set it on a concrete base and bank it against a wall it will be much easier for you to manage and for tractors to access and remove.
The more compact your muckheap is, the better it will rot down and the higher the temperature will be so that any parasites, eggs or larvae are killed off. One method for doing this is to create the outside first and then fill up the middle, stamping on it (great exercise – think of the calories you will burn!) to compact the muck down. Continue to do this every day, gradually building it up layer by layer each day.
A muckheap that has been shaped into different levels or steps makes it easier for a tractor to come in and remove it one level at a time. The levelled steps can be about three feet in height and each day you place the muck at the lowest level. Once or twice a week the muck is thrown back to a higher level, stamped down and levelled out. Every few months a new step is created. Throwing the muck back onto higher levels ensures plenty of oxygen circulates in the muckheap, which encourages the process of rotting down.
Alternatively, if you are on a large yard you could even make your muckheap into a horseshoe shape so that a tractor or forklift can drive into the middle to take the muck away. When it comes to taking the muck away to spread on the land, each season a different side of the muckheap is worked.
A word of caution – do ensure that no baling twine or plastic material gets onto your muckheap as this can damage tractors. You can make your muckheap look extra neat by ‘combing’ the sides with a pitchfork. To do this, simply run the fork from top to bottom with the prongs pointed towards the ground, then throw the residue back onto the middle of the heap.
If you have enough space you could consider having more than one muckheap so that one can be built up while the other is left to rot down. Ideally, manure should be composted for 12 months to allow the temperature in the manure heap to build up and kill any eggs and larvae.
Author: Andrea McHugh
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