Manure and Pasture

[gumtree]

As others have said, chain drag is the standard method. But you are in Montana and it is late December. I assume everything is frozen solid? If so dragging isn’t going to break up anything. Have to wait until you get a thaw and or spring.

I always dragged in late fall before things freeze up Most falls we get huge swarms of black birds, huge swarms. They land in the paddocks and go to work picking through everything. Within a couple of hours all the piles are dispersed.

Due to the excess amounts of rain we have been getting since last winter. Its been next to impossible to drag around here. The tractor tires does more damage then good. Even with big turf tires that I have on my tractor.

[anicolle]

@gumtree

As others have said, chain drag is the standard method. But you are in Montana and it is late December. I assume everything is frozen solid? If so dragging isn’t going to break up anything. Have to wait until you get a thaw and or spring.

I always dragged in late fall before things freeze up Most falls we get huge swarms of black birds, huge swarms. They land in the paddocks and go to work picking through everything. Within a couple of hours all the piles are dispersed.

Due to the excess amounts of rain we have been getting since last winter. Its been next to impossible to drag around here. The tractor tires does more damage then good. Even with big turf tires that I have on my tractor.

Nothing is frozen yet. Still having nice days that gets up to the 40s (feels like the equivalent of 60 in California)

I’m sure January and February will be miserable since we haven’t gotten a winter yet. I’m not on the western side of the state so we are blessed with the nice weather

[Guilherme]

Amen on rain. We are at 67.95" for the year. The record was set in 1875 at 73.87". If we got a year end “frog stangler” we’d beat it but that’s not looking likely, now. But there are still several days to go and this IS our rainy season so breaking 70" is possible.

From what I see on the weather at night after these big “rain makers” get done with the TN Valley they more north east and repeat. I really feel for folks up there as they are having the problems we have and it’s just, not fun to over the instep of you boots with mud every time you walk into paddock. My dragging is as far behind as everybody else’s, I’d bit.

G.

[JB]

@anicolle

It’s cross fenced, there’s a ridiculous amount of poop IMO. They go in the same spot.

If it’s all in the relative same spot, then pick it up and pile it for compost. People will gladly come take it once it’s broken down enough. It would be pretty difficult to use a drag to get all that spread around if it’s all in the same general area. If you wanted to pile it into a manure spreader that would be another story.

Dragging DOES spread parasites in the right conditions. But it can also help kill them. It depends on the conditions. Eggs can live for literally years in pasture as long as they don’t dry out. Cold doesn’t kill them. Heat and dryness do. Spreading manure that has eggs in it, onto pasture that is still being grazed, however short, increases the chances of infection. If it’s below 45*, no problem, those eggs won’t be hatching into infective larva, but they can definitely survive Winters in a lot of places, especially under snow, until conditions do warm up.

Dragging in temps above 85* , especially if it’s dry, will kill eggs pretty quickly - the hotter and drier, the faster they die.

[gumtree]

@JB

If it’s all in the relative same spot, then pick it up and pile it for compost. People will gladly come take it once it’s broken down enough. It would be pretty difficult to use a drag to get all that spread around if it’s all in the same general area. If you wanted to pile it into a manure spreader that would be another story.

Dragging DOES spread parasites in the right conditions. But it can also help kill them. It depends on the conditions. Eggs can live for literally years in pasture as long as they don’t dry out. Cold doesn’t kill them. Heat and dryness do. Spreading manure that has eggs in it, onto pasture that is still being grazed, however short, increases the chances of infection. If it’s below 45*, no problem, those eggs won’t be hatching into infective larva, but they can definitely survive Winters in a lot of places, especially under snow, until conditions do warm up.

Dragging in temps above 85* , especially if it’s dry, will kill eggs pretty quickly - the hotter and drier, the faster they die.

“Cold doesn’t kill them”

Cold doesn’t kill most types,. Freezing, prolong freezing does by and large. Esp long hard freezing, rock hard, deep frozen ground. You would think it would be a simple question followed by a simple answer when doing a search with parasites and freezing. It is hard to find a direct answer. I have been told by those that do this sort of research that prolonged freezing does kill off.

In places that just get the odd snow fall on top of soft, unfrozen ground they can survive.

When it comes to dragging, I think it is important to point out again. For it to be effective it is all in the timing. Do not drag if weather conditions are going to be on the wet side of things for any length of time. Pick you sports, drag when the future forecasts calls for days, a week+ of hot dry temps. If these conditions don’t exist hold off until they do. Horses don’t like to graze around piles of manure.

It is also a good idea to section off the dragged area with step in hot wire. Wait like 2 weeks of hot dry weather, move them over and drag the other area.

[JB]

Cold doesn’t kill strongyle eggs. Even the infective larva can survive quite a long time in the cold - 7 months or so.

https://aaep.org/sites/default/files/Guidelines/AAEP%20Parasite%20Control.pdf

in the sub-freezing temps:
“Developing larvae (L1 and L2) are killed, but unembryonated eggs and L3 can survive and persist for long periods (ie months)”

There’s a nice chart for a variety of temperatures and stages and effects

The best thing for killing eggs is cycles of freezing and thawing

[Guilherme]

@JB

Cold doesn’t kill strongyle eggs. Even the infective larva can survive quite a long time in the cold - 7 months or so.

https://aaep.org/sites/default/files/Guidelines/AAEP%20Parasite%20Control.pdf

in the sub-freezing temps:
“Developing larvae (L1 and L2) are killed, but unembryonated eggs and L3 can survive and persist for long periods (ie months)”

There’s a nice chart for a variety of temperatures and stages and effects

The best thing for killing eggs is cycles of freezing and thawing

What does exposure to air and Sun do to parasite eggs? Serious question. I was told that in most cases that will cause the death of the egg so that’s why we do what we do. If that’s wrong I’ll rethink our practices.

We do have several freeze/thaw cycles per week in a normal winter, as our days run in the 40s and night often in the high 20s. I presume that would be good for us. If the manure is in smaller pieces, so that it will freeze completely through, that would even better?

The rain will usually finish the job by the end of winter and springs rains can be even heavier.

Everybody has to do, here, what works in their particular micro-climate. Ours is a bit wetter that some areas around us for reasons I don’t fully understand. But I recognize it and us it.

G.

[JB]

@Guilherme

What does exposure to air and Sun do to parasite eggs? Serious question. I was told that in most cases that will cause the death of the egg so that’s why we do what we do. If that’s wrong I’ll rethink our practices.

Air will definitely help dry those eggs out, all else equal, resulting in their death. How fast that happens depends on the height of the grass and other cover they end up in. So definitely getting them out of the manure pile helps immensely.

We do have several freeze/thaw cycles per week in a normal winter, as our days run in the 40s and night often in the high 20s. I presume that would be good for us. If the manure is in smaller pieces, so that it will freeze completely through, that would even better?

The rain will usually finish the job by the end of winter and springs rains can be even heavier.

Everybody has to do, here, what works in their particular micro-climate. Ours is a bit wetter that some areas around us for reasons I don’t fully understand. But I recognize it and us it.

G.

Your climate sounds similar to mine - lots of freezing at night and thawing during the day, with the occasional prolonged freeze for days to a week or so, but then thawing again and repeating the cycle. We do what we can. I do drag in the Winter (if/when things ever dry out here, which is NEVER at this point :rolleyes:), and in Summer only if there’s a good hot and dry spell coming up. Thankfully the dung beetles do an excellent job of making manure vanish, some piles literally overnight.

[Guilherme]

@JB

Air will definitely help dry those eggs out, all else equal, resulting in their death. How fast that happens depends on the height of the grass and other cover they end up in. So definitely getting them out of the manure pile helps immensely.

Your climate sounds similar to mine - lots of freezing at night and thawing during the day, with the occasional prolonged freeze for days to a week or so, but then thawing again and repeating the cycle. We do what we can. I do drag in the Winter (if/when things ever dry out here, which is NEVER at this point :rolleyes:), and in Summer only if there’s a good hot and dry spell coming up. Thankfully the dung beetles do an excellent job of making manure vanish, some piles literally overnight.

Thank you for your answers.

I’ve never seen dung beetles here. I didn’t know they were native to North America. I’ve only ever seen them on pieces about Africa, particularly the Serengetti and similar places. I’ll have to check them out and see if they might be a good idea. But I can hear my neighbors, now, commenting if I were to introduce something that intentionally “ate s**t”!!!

G.

[Jarpur]

We have dung beetles – they’re hard workers! Sometimes, I come across one in a stall, rolling a ball across the bedding (which is over rubber mats over very hard packed limestone) – I always ask it where it thinks it’s going:).

Out in the paddock or pasture, occasionally there are two dung beetles on a single ball, one on either side – so one is under the ball as the other is on top. They are quite focused and don’t appreciate being disturbed.:lol:

[JB]

@Guilherme

Thank you for your answers.

I’ve never seen dung beetles here. I didn’t know they were native to North America.

I have actually never seen ours, I just see their handiwork. But, they are the reason to avoid ivermectin in the Spring, if at all possible, because it kills them. So sticking to moxidectin (or something else IF it’s proven to work on a given farm) in the Spring, and saving Equimax for the Fall is ideal.

[Guilherme]

@JB

I have actually never seen ours, I just see their handiwork. But, they are the reason to avoid ivermectin in the Spring, if at all possible, because it kills them. So sticking to moxidectin (or something else IF it’s proven to work on a given farm) in the Spring, and saving Equimax for the Fall is ideal.

Good thoughts. Thank you!

G.