Poo-picking

Eriskayowner

Eriskayowner

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I've got a 3 acre field for my 3 boys which was separated into sections but they're eating the grass down surprisingly quickly so they've got the whole 3 acres.

When it was smaller paddocks, I was religiously poo-picking the fields (3 barrow loads) every day.

Is it realistic to carry on? I understand the importance of it but it's a huge field, uphill to the muck heap and usually just me!

What would you do?
 
I've got 3 acres with 2 on and I will poopick all winter religiously (but we use manure for the veggies.) 3 acres isn't a huge amount - I think poopicking is the way to go.
 
Are you going to be bringing them in? You might find it worth sectioning off an acre and allowing that to be trashed but haying. Then you won't have to worry about poo picking in the winter. The frost will kill off the worms too.
 
Lol I like that plan smelly ginger!! If only the bank balance did :( ;)

I'm not being lazy about it - just wondered if I was going OTT with trying to do things properly!

They will come in if/when the weather really turns, and I'll section off the top of the field again (nearest the stables) as a trash paddock and hay that.

Poo-picking it is :)
 
I poo pick 3 acres everyday, it's sods law that in the summer when we have more light they are in a small paddock and it's really quick to poo pick. In the winter have to walk round the whole field and it's on a hill! I see it as a good workout and useful for checking the fencing.
 
It is a myth that the frost will kill worm eggs -- and I have that direct from someone doing a PhD in parasitology at The Royal Vet College.

If harrowing smashes up the lumps, I think that helps -- then a rest of at least two months.

Personally, I poo pick with a machine and the dung is heaped, then put back onto hay fields. With artificial fertiliser costing upwards of £350 a tonne, it is too valuable to waste. If it's heaped, bacterial action will create heat which will encourage worm eggs to hatch and the larvae will die, so it is safe to use.
 
I would continue to poo pick as well, but is it possible to create a smaller muck heap somewhere at the farthest point? Then you don't have quite so far to ferry it all back? I did this in a fairly large field as a child, and found the ponies used to back up on to it :D
 
I had a similar problem a few months ago, suddenly in a large field. Rightly or wrongly, I thought sod it, and threw some droppings into the hedges. Certainly helped and I wandered why I hadn't done it before!!
 
Eriskayowner said:
That had crossed my mind dunkley :) I'll ask the landowner today!

Cool mix - unfortunately there's lots of ditches and water courses around the field so don't think I can do that! :(
Click to expand...

You can always promise that in the spring you'll borrow a little trailer, shovel it up and move it ;)
 
As dunkley says a temporary heap , or even two , at the furthest points can be easily achieved by getting 4 pallets and eight half round posts , make a square, using each pallet as a side , in the hedge , or anywhere you can easily access them then hammer the posts down the middle of the pallets and you've got a good sized muck box , the when it needs emptying you just pull up two posts , take out a pallet and the spade it all into a trailer hey presto..
 
I do the field poo pile, it works really well but I find it breaks down really quickly and never had to move it yet. It just gets to certain size then it just breaks down over night once it gets to a certain stage, think that's when all the worms and beetles move in.
 
I had 3 horses on 3 acres and spent more time poo picking etc but I did have access to a quad and trailer and a friendly farmer allowed me to tow it up and deposit it with his muck heap.

The other thing I did was bag it for allotment holders who love manure and as long as they bring the bags back etc. Not sure what access is like to your field if this is feasible? But a free way to get rid of it.

Find a farmer who will charge to ie come and tow a trailer for you that you fill but I am too mean to do this as have heard people pay ridiculous amounts ie to get contractors in.

Get some help ie just to give you a couple days off ie teenager pocket money etc.

Plastic wheelbarrow dont over fill make a few trips

I also do the muck heap thing and use it on garden.

In summer I divided up and chain harrowed. But it does take a long time for it to rot down..even months.

Dont over feed hay off floor and if its left or they stale it will make a mess of the grass during winter

If poss tie up hay nets or put in one of those cattle feeders(there was a thread on here recently about this)

blooming hard work I have one horse and feel completely spoilt and have more time(sorry)!
 
Yes, I have 4 on 5 acres, former gravel pit, so a bit up and down... I have caught up on the boy's side, they are now just a barrowload a day, the mares side I am still playing catch up, (originally we were going to leave it and harrow it in, then I changed my mind. Gradually getting there, will definitely have caught up by next weekend.

I just wish I'd started poo picking on day one, its so much easier when you know its only 2 barrowloads a day that is waiting for you. Not a mistake I shall be repeating...
 
We poo pick every day - I think our summer field is about 2 - 3 acres for 2 horses (the bit they are in)

If you do it daily, its not so bad :)
 
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