I have had two horses on my new property (my first) since November. The manure pile is starting to get sizeable and I have yet to come to agreement with my husband on what to do with it.
We have a little more than 7 acres, but most of it is non-horsey or otherwise in use for barn, paddocks, planned riding ring. We also have a section that we don’t use at all, but it’s a weird spot on the other side of the driveway and abuts the neighbors. That section is quite wet right now and the edge of it is actual wetlands.
I think our best options are either composting or spreading it on the unused section. I would like to compost it (and then spread it) but my husband is concerned that composting could be an eyesore and will potentially be smelly, and doesn’t want to upset the neighbors.
For people who compost, how do you do it? I’ve read about the three bin systems. Is that what you do? How big are your bins? How often do you turn the piles? If I’m being honest, turning them any more often than when a bin is full sounds like a PITA. How long does it take for the process to complete in winter? Any advantages or disadvantages I should be aware of?
For those who spread, how often do you do it? If you can’t spread in the winter, do you take what you have stored up from the winter and spread it all at once in April? Any upsides or downsides you want to mention? The section we would spread on will likely remain just an unused piece of property. Definitely no plans to put paddocks over there.