Muck spreader for horse paddock

[StarcatcherWilliam]

I have been looking into getting a muck spreader (poss one of these: http://www.millcreek.co.uk/), as our muck heap is getting so massive it can surely be seen from space! However, I am confused as surely if you spread the rotted manure all over the horses' fields then you are inadvertantly creating a "latrine area" across the whole field. And as we all know, horses won't eat grass from latrine areas however lush and green it looks! Does anyone else use one of these and does it make the whole field rank?

 

[Mountain mare]

Hi, we have one of these, the 37+ I think, and we think it is absolutely marvellous.

There is room in it for muck from 3 horses for a week, but I wouldn't spread it straight on the grass they are grazing.

We have 4 summer paddocks, and rotate them. We poo pick the field they are in, and together with the stable muck, spread this on the paddock they have just come out of. That way it is 10/12 weeks after spreading that the horses go back to grazing that bit. In winter they stay in one paddock so we have 3 to spread on.

The muckspreader smashes the poo to bits, after a couple of weeks you can't even see it has been spread. I don't think you would use it with straw bedding and shavings stay on the ground for a while. We use Aubiose and it disappears in a matter of weeks.

We don't have a muck heap any more - straight from stable/field to spreader to field. It is wonderful.

OH says it is the best bit of kit we have and trust me we have a few quad toys.

 

[Miss L Toe]

I would rather pay farmer next door to take it away.

 

[Mountain mare]

Oh yes, that's obviously a better solution. I must be so twp not to think of that.

Produce good fertilizer, pay someone to take it away, then what?
Pay someone else to come and fertilize the fields?

Makes perfect sense when you think about it.

 

[BuzyLizzie]

I would have it taken away. Why poo pick and then put the poo (and worm eggs) back onto the pasture? Surely it defeats the object of poo picking? I would rather pay for some fertiliser than put more chemical wormer into my horse, or worse still risk worm damage/colic.

 

[Zuzan]

We have just spread our summer muck heap over the poor summer grazing.. by the time next summer comes around it will have disintegrated rotted away into the soil.

 

[paddy]

We allow the muck to rot down and then spread it with one of the muck spreaders pictured. The vets are happy with it and don't consider the way we do it to present a worm risk, so I'm happy.

 

[YasandCrystal]

I would rather pay farmer next door to take it away.

It's not a question of cost - doing that doesn't improve your land. Farmers who take your muck immediately spread it on their own land as it such a good cheap natural fertiiliser. Horse nutritionalists always say what you take off your land you should put back on.

Muck spreading is a very effective way to improve your land and fertilise it. The heat in the muck heap wil kill any worms (as will a good worming program) and the frost breaks the muck down to go back into the soil. Done this way your soil is not soured but improved.

Buzylizzie - Fresh manure sours grazing - hence poo picking and to remove worms. When you muck spread you leave the muck to rot for weeks before regrazing, so everything has degraded. This is completely different to leaving poo in situ. Farmers have been doing this for years.

 

[StarcatcherWilliam]

Fresh manure sours grazing - hence poo picking and to remove worms. When you muck spread you leave the muck to rot for weeks before regrazing, so everything has degraded. This is completely different to leaving poo in situ. Farmers have been doing this for years.

Ahh, OK so rotted manure (which I intend to spead) does not sour the grass? I was worried about turning the entire field rank which would rather defeat the purpose! We have very acidic soil here, so I also spread lime - does this "sweeten" the grass does anyone know?

 

[YasandCrystal]

Ahh, OK so rotted manure (which I intend to spead) does not sour the grass? I was worried about turning the entire field rank which would rather defeat the purpose! We have very acidic soil here, so I also spread lime - does this "sweeten" the grass does anyone know?

It won't turn your field rank. The advice is that manure alone (ie. that collected from the field) can be spread quite soon from the muckheap. We have just spread our summer muckheap. We keep the winter stabling muckheap (contains straw) for a year before spreading and this way the straw has already started to rot.
Our muck spreader mulches the manure into small pieces Sorry cannot answer the lime question

 

[JanetGeorge]

Ahh, OK so rotted manure (which I intend to spead) does not sour the grass? I was worried about turning the entire field rank which would rather defeat the purpose! We have very acidic soil here, so I also spread lime - does this "sweeten" the grass does anyone know?

Well rotted manure will do nothing detrimental to your grazing - it will improve your grass and soil structure! In fact we use it to even out the 'rank' patches as even 3 months after harrowing & rest, the toilet areas still have a slight 'whiff' - so they become toilet areas again. I dump large quantities of well rotted stable muck onto the 'clean' areas - and harrow the whole lot thoroughly - then rest. Grazing comes up much more evenly.

The key to the successful use of muck IS well-rotted!! I have two concrete muck areas for daily use. These are cleared to back-up piles which are stacked 6-7 feet high and compacted down well (front loader) and left to heat up and rot for at LEAST 3 months. The temperature within the heaps gets very high - and that kills off worm eggs. Then after it is spread (heavily!) I rest that field for at LEAST another 2-3 months!

If I was spreading fresh muck I would want to rest the field for at least 4-5 months.

Lime is essential for good grass growth on acidic soils - it doesn't reduce the need to rest after spreading muck!