# Manure management in paddocks



## gothicangel69 (Aug 2, 2011)

We just built a few new paddocks at the barn I board my horse at. My guy got moved to a nice paddock with some grass in it. Now, I like to keep my paddocks very clean. I think it looks better than having piles of poo everywhere. Paddock cleaning is not in the boarding agreement, but I don't mind picking up after him. His old paddock was a dry lot, and I used to pick it out everyday, however the BO does not want me removing the manure from his new paddock because she says I am taking away the nutrients that the grass needs from the manure. I have started breaking up the manure very well, and spreading it around the paddock so that there are not huge piles everywhere and so that the grass is getting some nutrients. I am just wondering what everyone else does to keep their paddocks clean? Is it better to remove the manure, or spread it out? Any advice is appreciated.
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## cowboy bowhunter (Mar 15, 2012)

I spread it out. But well i dont want to have to walk and spread it out everyday so i got chickens they do a great job spreading it out.


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## bettyb (Mar 13, 2012)

Small paddocks or paddocks with a lot of horses in then poo pick.

Bigger ones that are stock rotated and it's harrowed in.


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Depends on the size of the paddock, the weather, etc.

Breaking up the manure is advisable not just because of aesthetics, but also because exposure to air and sunlight kills the parasite eggs in the manure.

I try to manage my paddocks just by rotating and dragging them to break up the manure, and it works very well 85% of the time. If the weather is dry or I leave them in one paddock for an extended period of time, then I do have to pick the paddock. Fortunately for me, that only happens 1 - 2X/year.

If you're breaking up/spreading the manure, and your barn doesn't rotate or rest paddocks, make sure you leave some areas completely free of manure. Horses prefer not to graze over manure and will go to a clean area over a dirty one; but if there are no clean areas the urge to graze overcomes any fastidiousness. 



It is true


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## gothicangel69 (Aug 2, 2011)

Thanks for the great advice! His paddock is about a 1\2 acre, and he's the only one on it.
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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

What the BO may not realize is that the nutrients in the manure, takes 3 years to break down before the grass is edible. Because it is high in nitrogen it can be toxic to horses. In a large pasture a horse won't eat within three ft of a pile. It is better to build a pile, let it age all summer and put it on the fields in the fall. At least when you scatter it the sun kills worm eggs.


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## Elky (Apr 17, 2010)

I pile mine up daily in one corner. Good size paddock, one horse. When the pile is big enough for a trailer load, I call a landscaper to come & get it. Last year he picked it up from the year before & half the summer. Did not charge me a penny. He took it to his yard and will run it through his chipper this spring and sell it out for flower beds and other projects. Win win situation for both of us and the paddock stays clean. Manure should age for at least a year, or longer if possible, before being usesd as fertilizer on lawns or flower beds because of the high nitrogen.


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## BigGirlsRideWarmbloods (Mar 28, 2010)

What *saddlebag* said, the nitrogen level in fresh manure is too high for grass and will actually burn it away. Horse manure needs to be fully composted before being used on grass.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I have an area from three winters ago where round bales had been set. All the manure and wasted hay created an area of no growth. Pulling small harrows behind the quad I've "raked" this many times over the few summers. This year it is perfect for the garden and will likely yield a good pickup load. What the pasture lost, the garden will gain.


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

I pick up all the manure pile it up, it is turned over weekly, after a couple of months it usually is black dirt, I spread it on my field or dump ready to use in the garden. No you don't need to compost over a year or wait three years to use it, that isn't true. The manure is fertilizer aka a source of nitrogen and should be added to "greens" broke down living stuff like vegetable peels, grass chipping stuff that is alkaline, or lime the manure and use it has soil. If your concerned about what the manure spread on your field is doing get a $2 home soil test and use it, it takes 10 minutes and you can find out what to add. Nitrogen is what makes the grass green, also can make the grass taste badly to a horse so they won't eat where they pass manure, but no it isn't poisonous.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Horse manure isn't very hot so it doesn't need a lot of time to sit and cook. Cow manure on the other hand is very hot and needs to cook for a good length of time to prevent burning your grass.


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## Elky (Apr 17, 2010)

Too much Nitrogen can and will also burn & kill the grass.


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