FAO of Yard owners.....muck heap related

[wispa]

Not a regular poster, but was wondering what you all do with your muck heaps for your yards? Specifically more interested in the larger yards but all input appreciated.

ie,
How do you get rid of it?
How much do you generate and how many stables?
How much does it cost you to get rid of it?
How much of a headache is it!!??


Many thanks in advance

 

[PandorasJar]

Used to have several, used old ones as compost (Used most through business and sold rest).

Just harrow large fields now and no stables.

Have previously had local farmers collect (non moveable) for nothing as favours or as part of winter feed purchase deal.

Last time I looked into it I was looking at purchasing a muck trailer or hiring one and the price for getting it emptied locally differed by several hundred pounds. So worth getting quotes in from lots of people if going down this route. (That was for circa 30 horses)

 

[wispa]

so you had to buy a big trailer and a farmer would charge tocome round with his tractor, collect it, tip it sand bring back your empty trailer??

any approximations as to how often you would fill the trailer and how much they were going to charge for this service?

many thanks

 

[midnight mayhem]

We burn ours. Five stables. Four on straw one on shavings. Makes an awful smell though.

 

[Loulou2002]

We have 8 stables but only 4 in. we have a trailer and a tractor. It takes a week to fill the trailer and we empty on a local farmers land for free!

 

[L&M]

We have an agreement with the farmer next door - he grazes his sheep on my hill field for a few mnths of the year and in return removes our muck.

We have 6 horses in and a large muck trailer, which gets emptied approx every 3 weeks over the winter mnths.

Win win situation all round so no headaches for me luckily.

 

[Shysmum]

We load our muck into a trailer (stacking it), and the YO empties this once a week via tractor into one of his fields (specially tarmaced and prepared site) - I think he uses it, and he probably sells to other farmers.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I used to have anything up to 8 in, over winter (and the same out) and muck heap was collected by local farmer via tractor with shovel bucket & his large muck spreader once a month.

These days have only 3 Fuzzies, all field & stable stuff (ComfyBed & shavings) goes on the heap & its collected by same farmer around 3 times a year at a cost of £50 - £70 a time.

I keep it squared & tamped down all the time - he does say that there is much more 'weight' to mine than neighbours as its so compacted

 

[Polos Mum]

We empty wheelbarrows into a large trailer, only 2 on straw so emptied every 2 ish weeks depending on how long they're in. The local farmer lets us tip it in a heap next to one of his fields (different one each year) and they he ploughs it in each year - he's happy to take it as free fertiliser!

 

[Honey08]

We have a corner of a field that isn't used for the horses that we get it removed to every now and again. We used to do it every year when we had liveries (six horses) but when we went down to four and changed onto straw, we found that we didn't need to move it, it squashed down well and rotted down as fast as we topped it up! We haven't moved it for three years now, and its still an easily usable size!

We do have it on the edge of the yard's hardcore footings, so in the field - so the muck is tipped off the edge, and is about 4' below the yard, so you have a fair bit of muck before it even gets level with the yard.. We have access to it from the field behind for a tractor if need be..

 

[Starzaan]

When we had our big yard of twenty two, it all went onto a trailer which we hired for £60 a month, and was taken away once a week by one of our liveries who used the muck on his fields.

Now we only have ten boxes, and a large purpose built muck heap. We bank the muck heap properly and square it off, and it lasts the winter without being emptied if we do it properly. Then the farmer takes it away for free to use on the fields whenever we need it emptied.

We have horses on shavings, straw or paper, so muck heaps are a mix of all three.

 

[Rob Lakeside]

Lakeside has 60 stables and 100 acres.
I have signed a document from the enviroment agency not to burn.

We have two heaps away from any water coarse and every 2-3 years once composted. We spread it over the fields after the horses have used the winter or summer turn out.

We have no tap or red worm issues due to the period of compost and excellant grass fields 3-6 months later.

 

[Cuppatea]

we have25 stables, we spread the muck on the fields. Amazing grass.