Horse Manure compost

[mudbuddy]

Started screening the HM compost piles yesterday. Needed some exercise & having good weather. Still frozen down 6" but got the thawed 6" screened & stored. Piles are over 1 yr old, I covered with plastic & let it cook were mixed 4 or 5 times & re-covered after each mix.. They quit cooking in Sept & froze in Nov. It has rocks from the way the farm I got it from stacks it on a gravel pad. Screening is good either way, I get the gravel, hooves, knives & other big stuff out of it. Fluff it one more time before stored I covered.
Out of 30 yards I get about 16 or 17 yds of good compost.
Storage area

10 loads of a 3 yd trailer stacked & covered & cooking


Today's Screening pics:

[Corn]

That's fantastic, MB! I've been wanting to compost horse manure for awhile, but I'm kind of worried about weed seeds. I grow enough weeds without planting more with the manure. I assume that if I composted a big heap that it would wipe out any weed seeds -- is that correct? Thanks for the pictures!

[garnede]

If you turn it, it should reach 150-160 degrees and cook most seeds.

[mudbuddy]

That's fantastic, MB! I've been wanting to compost horse manure for awhile, but I'm kind of worried about weed seeds. I grow enough weeds without planting more with the manure. I assume that if I composted a big heap that it would wipe out any weed seeds -- is that correct? Thanks for the pictures!

If you get the stall bedding with the manure, (it absorbs the urine & is real high in nitrogen to generate heat) any pile over 3 feet deep & wide should generate allot of heat. Mine get around 150°f. When they start to cool, I mix them , get the outside layer to the middle & give it a light mist/spray of water. It will heat up again. I also cover mine to keep in moisture & heat (& the odor)
Pretty much weed free compost. I screen mine due to it having rocks (loading & mixing on gravel), but really it's good to go.
Pile it up fresh, in about 3 weeks, mix. In another 3 weeks mix again. Should be good compost in 10 to 12 weeks.
I started mine In April & May & had good "done" compost mid August. About a 40 to 50% shrinkage.
Damp, not wet is key.
Good reference: http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/horsecompost2.htm