Chicken manure on pasture - how safe?

[hussar]

I haven't been on for ages so apologies if there's been another thread on this recently... but does anyone know if it's safe to graze horses on land that's been recently spread with chicken manure? My landowner rents his grazing primarily to a tenant farmer who has just, with no warning, fertilised all the fields except for the tiny summer paddock my horses are in at the moment. They were just about to move into their winter field but now it's covered with chicken poo. The farmer says it's safe, I don't trust him because last year he said it was safe to graze them on lime-spread fields and in fact I had to move them to a livery yard for 3 weeks until there'd been a decent amount of rain.

Instinct tells me that nothing that smells as bad as chicken manure can be good for horses, but does anyone know differently?

 

[CMMB]

There have been a number of cases of botulism in livestock (cattle and sheep) associated with eating poulty manure - either left as a heap on the pasture before spreading or (although I need to check this) with manure spread on grazing land. I personally would be very wary.

 

[Tnavas]

I'd be concerned about using it - SALMONELLA would be the biggest worry, chickens are notorius for carrying this and it can live in the soil for decades. It's not a pretty sight having a horse go down with Salmonella - mine lived but many die.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Also chickens frequently carry Red Mite and apparently this can spread to horses as well. Horrid! Very itchy, nasty things. Come out at night and bite. In chicken the birds become anaemic and can die if not treated. So not nice things to have on your horse.

 

[ISHmad]

I would be very very concerned about this and wouldn't turn my horses out on that land personally.

 

[JCWHITE]

Years ago my vet told me that chicken poo could have caused the dermotophilis that was on my horses back.
I would be very careful
JC

 

[treacle_beastie]

also isnt bird poo thought to be a cause of grass sickness?

 

[Bryndu]

DO NOT USE!
Many years ago I was competing in a ODE and the land had been spread with Chicken manure. Every horse that had a cut, no matter how tiny, had a massive infection.
Hope that helps.
Bryndu

 

[marble]

agree with last poster do not use, can cause many different conplaints.....sorry for you and the position you find yourself in.

 

[soulfull]

I'd be concerned about using it - SALMONELLA would be the biggest worry, chickens are notorius for carrying this and it can live in the soil for decades. It's not a pretty sight having a horse go down with Salmonella - mine lived but many die.

yep me too!! 3 in my area died from it a few weeks ago

 

[hussar]

Thanks everyone. I did speak to my vet as well and they confirmed what you've all said - salmonella is a risk although all commercially farmed poultry is supposed to be vaccinated these days, and botulism occurs mainly in chicken manure from intensively reared farms as chicken carcasses don't necessarily get removed (lovely).

Thankfully, since posting the first time, I discovered that the farmer hadn't had time after all to do 'my' winter field and I was able to stop him from coming back the next day - he's agreed to wait till spring, when I can move the horses back to their summer paddocks.