Stall waste and burn piles?

[clarzoo]

I work at an animal sanctuary and I’m in charge of the hoofstock (horses, cattle, goats…). Our city boy farm manager is convinced we can save money on manure removal costs by burning our stall waste (manure + shavings and waste hay).

Does this sound reasonable? I’ve been in the horse industry a long time and haven’t come across anyone putting stall waste in a burn pile. We will most certainly accumulate dirty shavings faster than we accumulate downed limbs and other wood to help add to the burn pile.

I’d rather compost it as we have the heavy tractors to be able to turn the piles… but they rarely do what I suggest :winkgrin:

[FLeventer]

It doesn’t burn very well. Like not at all well. Especially if it got wet from rain ever. Composting and selling or fertilizer of the compost is a much better idea and works.

[CHT]

I think up here it is illegal to burn manure piles, so you might want to check if that is even an allowable option. I remember a barn I used to ride at would get in trouble because their giant pile would start to smolder and burn in the summer all on its own. I think its because they will burn for a REALLY long time rather than just burn out quickly like most waste.

Compost is a great idea!

[2DogsFarm]

If burning is legal your success depends on what you use for bedding.

I have friends who bed a run-in (used by 4 horses) with straw and scrape it out once yearly, then burn.

I use pelleted bedding and doubt it would burn well if it sat for any length of time.
It composts quickly - piles I dumped barely a week ago are already steaming when turned.
The top layer does dry out & that would burn, but then underneath would have to be spread to dry.

[ThisTooShallPass]

I think you will find that is a big no no. It burns slow, makes tons of smoke. Can even bring an EPA complaint.

[clarzoo]

Thanks, everyone. That’s exactly what I was thinking… along the lines of smoldering and lots of smoke. I will look into regs to see if burning manure is even legal in this area of Florida.

I just wanted to make sure I was on the right track before I pushed my concerns a little stronger against the manager who is a bit stubborn

[Alagirl]

[QUOTE=clarzoo;7819981]
I work at an animal sanctuary and I’m in charge of the hoofstock (horses, cattle, goats…). Our city boy farm manager is convinced we can save money on manure removal costs by burning our stall waste (manure + shavings and waste hay).

Does this sound reasonable? I’ve been in the horse industry a long time and haven’t come across anyone putting stall waste in a burn pile. We will most certainly accumulate dirty shavings faster than we accumulate downed limbs and other wood to help add to the burn pile.

I’d rather compost it as we have the heavy tractors to be able to turn the piles… but they rarely do what I suggest :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]

In a very dry year, my grandma set fire to the manure pile…but it was a HOT, DRY year…but manure burns…

However, I don’t think that would be a viable option.

[SLW]

If you can separate out the hay a bit that will burn quite easily. The manure takes a very long time so maybe a garden club would take it away for compost.

When I fed round bales I would pile up all the leavings and burn the combined manure and hay. The hay would be long gone but those horse chips would slow burn for several days.

[betsyk]

Junky hay will burn in a horrible, stinky way that will ensure all your neighbors hate you. Manure piles will only burn if you don’t want them to, and then it will smolder for weeks until you get a really windy night, when it will flame up and scare you to death.

[ReSomething]

Up here where ALL the Good Ol’ Boys burn everything the big farms compost their manure in long windrows and sell it. It’s a good business, they are all close to the metropolitan area of Lexington and there is lots of call for good compost through UK and the landscaping companies. The one I’m most familiar with separates out and rebales the straw for erosion control and composts the manure.

Ag burning travels for miles and can be really unpleasant in terms of ash and smoke, I’d check into local ordinances before getting into trouble with it.

[riderank_makebank]

Composting sounds like a good idea. We clean out our cattle pens and pile it all up and over time it makes great fertilizer. The only time I ever burnt junky hay and some of the shavings and yuck out of my trailer is when I mix very little of it with mouldy old bales, water it down and let it smoulder for a smudge when the mosquitos are eating my horses alive. Compost is a better option!

[LauraKY]

I just compost it and advertise it every spring on craigslist. We call my favorite compost lover “the crazy manure lady.” She rents a truck every spring to pick up compost and invariably brings me goodies from her garden/kitchen every summer. She’s really a very nice woman.

[Foxtrot_s]

Your neighbours would hate you!

Up in the prairies where there are no near neighbours, they light the manure to make a smudge and the horses hang their heads over it to get relief from the flies and mosquitoes.

[PonyFever]

[QUOTE=2DogsFarm;7820070]

I use pelleted bedding and doubt it would burn well if it sat for any length of time.
It composts quickly - piles I dumped barely a week ago are already steaming when turned.[/QUOTE]

What kind of pelleted bedding do you use? The type my neighbor uses doesn’t compost quickly at all so I’ve been reluctant to use any kind of pelleted bedding.

[2DogsFarm]

[QUOTE=PonyFever;7823597]
What kind of pelleted bedding do you use? The type my neighbor uses doesn’t compost quickly at all so I’ve been reluctant to use any kind of pelleted bedding.[/QUOTE]

Pine pellets.
I prefer the Equine Fresh brand.
TSC used to carry it & I suspect their brand is the same stuff, just has their label now.
Any brand gives me the same results re:composting, some just don’t seem to absorb the wet as well.

I am lazy composter, never turn my piles & still have lovely composted stuff come Spring.

[ThisTooShallPass]

[QUOTE=ReSomething;7822094]
The one I’m most familiar with separates out and rebales the straw for erosion control and composts the manure.[/QUOTE]

Victory Haven?

[PonyFever]

[QUOTE=2DogsFarm;7823603]
Pine pellets.
I prefer the Equine Fresh brand.
TSC used to carry it & I suspect their brand is the same stuff, just has their label now.
Any brand gives me the same results re:composting, some just don’t seem to absorb the wet as well.

I am lazy composter, never turn my piles & still have lovely composted stuff come Spring.[/QUOTE]

Thank you! I’ll see what I can find around here. . .we don’t have TSC nearby :no:

[Simkie]

I’m surprised to hear your neighbor’s pile doesn’t compost quickly, PonyFever. I use the pellets, too, and it’s breaking down quite nicely. I use the Marsh pellets from Fleet Farm. I would expect they all work about the same…

Perhaps she’s using something different like the corn based bedding pellets? No clue how those are to compost.

[fatappy]

I do it. But I bed on straw and I only have three stalls. I’m about 1000’ from anyone else’s home, so no one has ever said anything to me. That said, it’s a giant PITA.

It burns really slowly (2 days to burn off 1 day’s worth of bedding). And 1 day of rain can keep me from burning for over a week.

Needless to say, it has worked for me on my current layout, but I won’t ever do it again.

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=clarzoo;7821584]
Thanks, everyone. That’s exactly what I was thinking… along the lines of smoldering and lots of smoke. I will look into regs to see if burning manure is even legal in this area of Florida.

I just wanted to make sure I was on the right track before I pushed my concerns a little stronger against the manager who is a bit stubborn :)[/QUOTE]

Call your local county Extension Agent and ask them. They will advise you on any local laws that might address this and also give you professional guidance on whether or not it’s a good idea. Remember that “city kids” are impressed by academic credentials!!!

G.