Turning Manure Pile by Hand?

[carman_liz]

Yes, I post a lot, sorry in advance, I get bored and no one at home ponders these things like I do, or even wants to discuss them, sigh…

So, thanks to Fb marketplace, Craigslist and my little spreader, I am starting from scratch with the manure/compost bin filling up and managing again, woohoo!!

Now I want to manage it correctly, but it will have to be turned by hand, no tractor or large equipment available. How is this done? Old school metal pitchfork? A shovel and a new shoulder and back ever month or so? How often do you do it? With my two, a 5.5 ft wide x 8 or so ft deep compost area is filled up in about 2 months. Should I try to keep it all on one side of that 5x8 area, so essentially 2to3ftx4ft, and then shovel/push it over to the other side? Like start at the top and letting that fall to the ground and build the pile back up basically opposite? Or pile the pile more towards the front and then shovel it towards the back to turn it? Or do people just use a metal old school fork and just move it around and turn it manually as much as you can?

Trying to keep it turned and cooking somewhat properly and avoid a charcoaled middle and still raw outer layer like I had this past March, literally looked like coals when I dug it out some when the steaming scared me one morning. I do have it tarped securely now and it stays covered 24/7 vs just being there uncovered like my previous pile. I only have room for 2 5ftwide by 8ft deep sections to rotate and use, so no 3 bin option for now either.

I do NOT want to shovel it all into a muck tub, one tub at a time or even my little jd dump cart, just to pile it back up in the other 5ishx8 area section of my compost bin. I am also trying to avoid spreading it with my spreader, (even though it is so fun to use!!) until it is cooked and the weed seeds and parasites are killed off completely. I don’t mind keeping the piles smaller than the allotted area to make turning it and cooking and spreading it faster and easier. Just wondering how those of you who do not have a tractor and FEL available, how DO you do turning and managing your manure piles?

I should mention I am on small acreage, 3.6ish but have a creek on one side so I try to be cognizant of that with manure management and fencing, runoff, etc.

[S1969]

Typically what looks like charcoal is actually a type of fungus; I can’t remember what it is called, but someone on COTH will know. It’s not actually going to ignite. In fact, I’ve never really heard of anyone having a manure pile fire…although it is possible, I doubt your pile is anywhere near large or hot enough to self-combust. (Yes it is hot and steaming, but not very hot.)

What is your goal with the manure - to use it for gardening? Or just kill weed seeds before spreading?

To be honest, I don’t think it’s reasonable to consider turning without a tractor. I overloaded a garden cart with composted manure this weekend (dumped from my FEL into a small wagon) and had to shovel it back out by hand. It was so heavy, and only a scoop and a half from a FEL. No way could I reasonably flip a pile 2-3 times that big by hand, especially not every few weeks.

It may not compost beautifully if not turned, but it will turn into compost eventually. Smaller piles are an option but the smaller the pile, the slower the compost action.

[carman_liz]

@S1969

Typically what looks like charcoal is actually a type of fungus; I can’t remember what it is called, but someone on COTH will know. It’s not actually going to ignite. In fact, I’ve never really heard of anyone having a manure pile fire…although it is possible, I doubt your pile is anywhere near large or hot enough to self-combust. (Yes it is hot and steaming, but not very hot.)

What is your goal with the manure - to use it for gardening? Or just kill weed seeds before spreading?

To be honest, I don’t think it’s reasonable to consider turning without a tractor. I overloaded a garden cart with composted manure this weekend (dumped from my FEL into a small wagon) and had to shovel it back out by hand. It was so heavy, and only a scoop and a half from a FEL. No way could I reasonably flip a pile 2-3 times that big by hand, especially not every few weeks.

It may not compost beautifully if not turned, but it will turn into compost eventually. Smaller piles are an option but the smaller the pile, the slower the compost action.

My end game goal is to either:

A. Give it away to people if it gets to be too much for my little acreage to use, before I got my spreader I had a guy come an hr away with a huge trailer and tarp n and took all of my pile, it was probaby 10x7 or so and a good 3 to 4ft high thru most of it. He was mid 50s/60s and did it with a shovel lol. I have had a woman come with an suv and rubbermaid bins, and another with her pickup and her sons pickup and took a ton of it too. I figure if they can do that, I can turn it little by little as I go?

B. Spread it on my fields, when it rains they pond so I figure adding what will essentially be soils, will help with building up the land and absorbtion capabilities, or 3. Get the neighbor behind me to let me spread it on his hay field after he does his second cutting this year.

I hear you on the fungus part, but these were actually cooked thru to a crisp charcoal type pieces. They broke into ashy dust when I hit them with the shovel. It can get really dry here in TN during the summer, so I will most likely dump old water buckets on it when I do stalls to help with adding moisture.

After posting this last night and pondering more, I decided I can fill one “bin” of my 2 bins and then let it set and compost as I fill up the other side, then after a month or two I can start pulling what is cooking on the bottom from the full side and spread that and that will move the pile around some as I go, by the time the second “bin” is full, hopefully I will have most of the first one cooked and spread and can just bounce back and forth like that. It wont be perfect turning, but pulling from the bottom of the older pile to spread will still force the pile to move around and keep cooking down while the other bin is filled with new manure. As Ricky Bobby said “Shake and Bake”!!! Lol 😂😂😂

[S1969]

@carman_liz

I hear you on the fungus part, but these were actually cooked thru to a crisp charcoal type pieces. They broke into ashy dust when I hit them with the shovel. It can get really dry here in TN during the summer, so I will most likely dump old water buckets on it when I do stalls to help with adding moisture.

Yes I understand. I still don’t think that is ash. It is fungus and dehydration, but I would be very surprised if you have actual ash. Your pile would be smoking - is it? (Not steaming)?

Adding water will definitely help make better compost. Otherwise, you can get just dry bedding that doesn’t break down. I use wood pellets and in dry times it will just be mostly dry sawdust that smells like urine, even in the middle of the pile. That is why flipping and watering is important. It’s just hard to do by hand.

[Mango20]

How about adding some aeration to the pile instead of turning? I know there are some plans for compost that include PVC pipes with holes in them to pipe some fresh air into the middle of the pile. I’m not sure exactly how to set that up, but I’m sure you can find some examples online.

[carman_liz]

@Mango20

How about adding some aeration to the pile instead of turning? I know there are some plans for compost that include PVC pipes with holes in them to pipe some fresh air into the middle of the pile. I’m not sure exactly how to set that up, but I’m sure you can find some examples online.

I have seen where you can put pvc pipes thru it with holes drilled in them. Basically french drain pipes. I could ask hubs to help me put a couple up in the middle of where the pile goes! I think they get clogged easily though? I will google and pinterest more today!

[carman_liz]

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@S1969

Yes I understand. I still don’t think that is ash. It is fungus and dehydration, but I would be very surprised if you have actual ash. Your pile would be smoking - is it? (Not steaming)?

Adding water will definitely help make better compost. Otherwise, you can get just dry bedding that doesn’t break down. I use wood pellets and in dry times it will just be mostly dry sawdust that smells like urine, even in the middle of the pile. That is why flipping and watering is important. It’s just hard to do by hand.

Not sure if it was steam or smoke exactly? It was a chilly morning and there was a concentrated plume, jet, I am brain farting on the right term darnit, of steam/smoke coming from the middle deepest part of the pile and it smelled more like burning and smoke than just moisture created steam. It scared me pretty bad though.

[Jarpur]

For years, we stacked the manure (currently two horses’ worth, has been more; we use pelleted bedding) as high as we could run a cart up to dump, then let that area sit and cook - without turning or watering - while we piled the manure in another spot. Every couple of years, we rented a bobcat to do various chores around the farm (tip: if picked up on Saturday afternoon from the rental yard, doesn’t have to be returned until Monday morning, for the price of a one-day rental; we often split the use/cost with a neighbor).

The bobcat would be used to spread the composted manure where it could do the most good; in our case, mulch trees in our yard and pastures (recommended by a licensed arborist), add to planting beds, etc. This method might require more space and time than you’ve got, but it was relatively effortless on a daily basis, as there was no watering or turning, but required the major effort when we finally dealt with the resulting compost. This worked well for us for a long time.

Now, we’re using a different method, where we make a series of smaller piles, and add a little nitrogen fertilizer (sprinkled on top) - still no turning or watering. The piles compost much faster (within a few to several months), and we (when I say “we,” I really mean my husband, lol) are able to easily shovel the resulting beautiful compost into a cart, due to its texture - no mechanized equipment required. I myself am able to relatively easily spread it, by rake and/or hoe, as mulch, while he can dig it into our planting beds without too much effort (I could probably manage this, too). This technique has made our lives simpler, with the caveat that some of our success may be due to our weather, as far as not watering, and how fast the piles break down.

We have had soil testing done, by the way.

[wsmoak]

I do not turn my piles (and I do have a tractor.). I make big rings out of fence wire, (25’ circumference because it was a 100’ roll of wire and I made four of them.). I line it with some reinforced plastic roof underlayment to preserve the wire, though it does rust at the bottom where it’s in contact with the ground and manure.

Then I just keep adding manure on top until I decide to make a new one. Depending on the time of year it cooks down enough that I never manage to fill it. Then it just sits there until I need the ring for another one, and sits longer until I need the manure for the garden or for spreading. I typically stop filling based on when I will need the manure, because I want it to sit for at least one year before I use it.

Note that this does require handling the manure twice. I dump it next to the ring and then pitch it into the pile. I suppose I could muck into tubs and only fill them half full so I could lift and dump them. Maybe some day I will build something to raise and dump the tubs. For now it’s not that much extra work.

[StormyDay]

I also never turn my piles. Just let them sit, come back in a year and get that lovely soil. It’s amazing how a big pile becomes a small amount of dirt so fast. I used almost a full winters’ worth of manure in my garden beds this year, and I don’t have a very big garden.

[carman_liz]

@StormyDay

I also never turn my piles. Just let them sit, come back in a year and get that lovely soil. It’s amazing how a big pile becomes a small amount of dirt so fast. I used almost a full winters’ worth of manure in my garden beds this year, and I don’t have a very big garden.

I wish I had enough room to let them sit for a year. Small acreage means I have to get it gone fast. Plus I sprayed my fields so anything that breaks down would kill flowers later on when used as compost wouldnt it? So grass only for spreading was what I thpugh.

At least in the summer now that I switched their turnout it is only manure and maybe a half to full mucktub a day of manure and shavings. They are only stalled from 1230 to 630 or so during the hottest part of the day. Then thru the night they have the option to come in or out. If the weather isnt raining bad they choose to stay out, which means no pee or poop in the stalls yay!

Maybe I can see how quickly the pile grows and let that one sit till the summer and fall is over if I can keep the size from getting too large.

[StormyDay]

@carman_liz

I wish I had enough room to let them sit for a year. Small acreage means I have to get it gone fast. Plus I sprayed my fields so anything that breaks down would kill flowers later on when used as compost wouldnt it? So grass only for spreading was what I thpugh.

At least in the summer now that I switched their turnout it is only manure and maybe a half to full mucktub a day of manure and shavings. They are only stalled from 1230 to 630 or so during the hottest part of the day. Then thru the night they have the option to come in or out. If the weather isnt raining bad they choose to stay out, which means no pee or poop in the stalls yay!

Maybe I can see how quickly the pile grows and let that one sit till the summer and fall is over if I can keep the size from getting too large.

For a while I had three horses on three acres. The pile was never turned and took up about 15x15 feet. I would put it on one side and let the other side settle, then switch. After two years I had someone come out and remove it, but only because I was leaving. I could have kept going for probably another 2-3 years with no issues.

[SugarCubes]

@StormyDay

For a while I had three horses on three acres. The pile was never turned and took up about 15x15 feet. I would put it on one side and let the other side settle, then switch. After two years I had someone come out and remove it, but only because I was leaving. I could have kept going for probably another 2-3 years with no issues.

Same here. Last property I had 2-3 horses at a time on 3 acres. Manure pile was rarely, if ever, turned with tractor. Before we sold, I did hire someone to haul it away.

Sometimes less is more

[buck22]

@carman_liz

I get bored and no one at home ponders these things like I do, or even wants to discuss them, sigh…

I should mention I am on small acreage, 3.6ish but have a creek on one side so I try to be cognizant of that with manure management and fencing, runoff, etc.

I totally get not having anyone to chat about manure too! :lol::lol::lol: Poor SO, I’ll come home and just cluck along like a chicken on a spring day about compost until his eyes roll out the back of his head and onto the floor.

I turn my piles by hand, and a wise woman taught me the trick of making the most enviable black gold with the least amount of (hand) labor.

First, always cover piles with hay or straw after making “a contribution”, this speeds the breakdown period and really cuts down on the flies. But, more importantly, it creates the air pockets needed for decomposition without overcooking.

Second, new manure goes into the center of the pile, so make piles shaped more like a sausage than a pyramid, if that makes sense.

Third, everytime you make a contribution, new manure goes on top in the middle of the pile, then, with your fork, go around the edges, the entire perimeter, and pick just a forkfull and toss it on top. As the pile grows, and spreads, you take from the outside and put it in the middle. Slowly, over time, you turn the pile over. Doing this by hand, at this slow rate, is the same rate required for a complete breakdown, turning manure into hummus. The other benefit is that the edge material is more aged, and by tossing that on top, you’re spreading the good lovin’ of the macrobes and microbes and fungi and all the goodies right on top to speed up the processing of the new stuff. By covering it with straw, or hay, or grass clippings, you’re keeping the moisture in and regulating the temperature.

Finally, every time it rains, you have to do the “manure pile dance”, walk on top of the pile and dance around the top to flatten it down. I like to think of Lucile Ball squashing grapes when I do it – and I giggle like crazy, anyone watching would think I was nuts laughing and dancing on a pile of poo – but it does help to create a new plateau for piling and makes the pile better at receiving rain.

In the end, your manure pile will look like a golden haystack, with steep sides, and be beautiful, rich smelling black gold in the middle.

Charred or “cooked” manure balls comes from too much pressure, too much moisture, all too fast – both create heat. Thats why the sausage style of pile works better and the hay is key. The weight of the height of the pile doesn’t press down and create so much heat it cooks – having a hay layer for each contribution ensures a bufferzone of air pockets. Piles should be warm, steamy in the morning while the sun is coming up, warm if you dive your hand down in, but not so hot it cooks or burns your hand. The wild rabbits and bees love to nest in my piles because the temperature is just right.

The goodness of compost is in the living organisms that create the breakdown process. Like anything else, if you cook them they die.

Starting from scratch – fresh manure on clean earth – it takes about 90 days to create a base of black gold using this method. After about 6 months, you can take away from the pile as much black gold as fresh manure you put in. But, that also anticipated you’re in a moderately wet area, receiving at least a couple of rains per month. If you’re dry or having a drought, you have to wet the pile. During drought, I’ll empty the dirty water trough water into a wheelbarrow and dump it on the piles.

[buck22]

@carman_liz

I have seen where you can put pvc pipes thru it with holes drilled in them. Basically french drain pipes. I could ask hubs to help me put a couple up in the middle of where the pile goes! I think they get clogged easily though? I will google and pinterest more today!

A layer of uneaten/scrap hay/straw after each contribution will accomplish the same thing, aeration to keep the pile from getting too hot, air so the organisms can do their job.

[Scarlet_Gilia]

@buck22

Slowly, over time, you turn the pile over. Doing this by hand, at this slow rate, is the same rate required for a complete breakdown, turning manure into hummus.

I’ll try your method if you say it produces hummus! My husband will be enthused about helping turn the pile if it produces his favorite appetizer!

[Scarlet_Gilia]

@buck22

Slowly, over time, you turn the pile over. Doing this by hand, at this slow rate, is the same rate required for a complete breakdown, turning manure into hummus.

I’ll try your method if you say it produces hummus! My husband will be enthused about helping turn the pile if it produces his favorite appetizer!

[buck22]

Darn! wrong spelling! Humus :lol::lol::lol:

[carman_liz]

@buck22

Darn! wrong spelling! Humus :lol::lol::lol:

I never have old hay wahh!!! My pony gets a net and finishes it everytime, senior is now getting chopped by my worx blower/mulcher hay and he has been cleaning it up good. My manure pile is mainly just that, manure, and some if any shavings soiled with urine and thats it! I will try the pulling from the edges idea and maybe I can use my push mower on the are fencer off behind the barn with the bagger, that would be a good amount of mown grass on it and I keep it tarpes and the bottom grommets held down with the spikes of 2 step in posts, so the senior and pony cannot get to it! Thanks for the advice!

[Simkie]

I looked at a small property that had built a couple of 02Compost bins. They were maybe 4’ square, built into a hill, so they could be loaded from the top. A bouncy house blower was rigged to provide airflow from the bottom. It makes everything compost VERY fast and they were able to manage poop from two stalled horses on their own instead of hauling it off.

I’d love to build something here, but with a tractor and space for composting “normally,” it’s just not real high up on the list. But with limited space and heavy equipment, it would be!

Here’s the site:

https://www.o2compost.com/micro-composting-bins.aspx