Frozen poo picking - any helpful tips?!

TJ&Ozzie

TJ&Ozzie

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My 2 live out at the moment and normally I keep on top of the poo picking (every day).
Since the snow and ice has arrived it is proving a real challenege! Short of scraping with a shovel and chisel and a "helpful" tip from OH, Dipping the poo rake in hot water, and I quote..."Like an ice cream man!". Any helpful tips would be welcome :)
 
Best time to get it is as its just starting to thaw, but still slightly frozen. Don a pair of rubber gloves & you can just pick it up in a nice frozen 'pat' :D
 
Frozen is best time to poo pick IMO (unless snow on top) I use a skip and gloves and crouch down then prise away put into my barrow - usually comes away in one lump and easier to push barrow on hard ground rather than through mud. I couldn't use a fork as it would kill my back - my method works well unless you also have bad knees in which case you can't get up! :D

I did mine before mucking out this morning as I wanted to do it while it was nice and frozen.
 
sussexbythesea said:
Frozen is best time to poo pick IMO (unless snow on top) I use a skip and gloves and crouch down then prise away put into my barrow - usually comes away in one lump and easier to push barrow on hard ground rather than through mud. I couldn't use a fork as it would kill my back - my method works well unless you also have bad knees in which case you can't get up! :D

I did mine before mucking out this morning as I wanted to do it while it was nice and frozen.
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I find it easier when frozen too. I use one of those old type rakes and bucket things. You have to "chop" into the poop at the bottom (like an axe) and it all comes up in one piece..
 
i tend to kick it and if this doesn't work just leave it till it thaws a bit. other half is good at shoving the poo picker shovel right under it and getting it up that way. it will be too cold for worms anyway although it does mean a build up of poo to be done at a later date so i try and pick it if i can.
 
I poo pick everyday, however, we haven't been above -4 for over a week and the nightime temps have been as low as -18. The poo is welded to the gound. Today I attempted to clean out my boys concrete floored shelter using a pick axe and failed, its frozen solid :(
I've given up, its killing my back, I'm now waiting for the big thaw :cool:
 
Tinap555 said:
Best time to get it is as its just starting to thaw, but still slightly frozen. Don a pair of rubber gloves & you can just pick it up in a nice frozen 'pat' :D
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Frozen when you can lift it is brilliant...as it usually comes up in one huge lump clean off the ground. Agree with above some nice gloves
 
For the last two winters I have used a small hammer to wack the poo to loosen it from the ground. Works quite well! I had to use the hammer because the frozen poo broke my scraper :rolleyes:
 
Had no problems with my shavings fork the last few weeks. Just get the prongs under one edge and prise it up. It comes up in one nice easy lump.
My only issue is that it doesn't squash down in the wheelbarrow so you can't fit as much in.
Usually my weekly poo pick fills one level wheelbarrow. Now it's frozen it's piled high and like a balancing act getting back to the muck heap.
 
if you can't leave it till it thaws, use a crowbar, seriously.
last winter my broodmare was at livery at a local yard and we went and poo-picked to help out, and had to use a crowbar sometimes!
whatever you do, don't try to kick them to loosen them, if they're rock solid you could break your foot or ankle, as an event rider did years ago, i remember reading about it!
 
kerilli said:
whatever you do, don't try to kick them to loosen them, if they're rock solid you could break your foot or ankle, as an event rider did years ago, i remember reading about it!
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Oops, I've been doing this all week :o TBF, I find kicking them backwards (ie with my heel, towards me - bit eccentric, I know) works quite well. Don't know if this lessens the risk?!
 
I find if you can prise it up it's easier to do when frozen, the problem I have at the moment is I can't push the wheelbarrow through the snow to get to the muck heap :rolleyes:
 
i have still managed to get mine up even in minus 8. I use the flat scraper edge of my poo picker and that gets it up, the fork side just bends and breaks off!
 
i do mine daily never have a problem picking it up , i find its easy , the hardest part is when they put in the rutted area by the gate . I wont leave it on the ground
 
Spiritedly said:
I find if you can prise it up it's easier to do when frozen, the problem I have at the moment is I can't push the wheelbarrow through the snow to get to the muck heap :rolleyes:
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nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what you want to do is

get a plastic sledge from homebase put a poop bucket on top and tow it round works great for

poo picking
moving feed sacks around
shavings bales
moving water buckets from tap to stable etc,
I had two large water buckets on my sledge had no probs with the weight and a bag of hifi on it no probs here is a pick from last year

DSCF3349.jpg


just now dragging my mares late night hay over to stable

009-1.jpg

easily drag wet hay over to bath sliding over the shavings with ease
010.jpg
 
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