The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: stufe35 on July 15, 2014, 04:09:43 pm
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A family have moved in near us who have around 8 horses. I vaguely know the bloke and have chatted to him about the possibility of taking away his horse muck for him.
My question is whether horse muck is any good for anything. I have no issue with storing it for a year or 2 before use to allow it to rot, but is it any good then ?
I have about half an acre ploughed up where I grow veg and potatoes, and 9 acres of grass land which I graze with sheep and/or mow for hay.
Should I charge to take it away ? I know some in our area have to pay.
I sort of see it as an opportunity to get in with the guy, he has expressed an interest in buying hay from me which would suit me down to the ground, and he will doubtless need some paddock maintenance, chain harrowing etc, which I am well positioned to provide.
Any thoughts or experiences are welcome.
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no helpful reply from me other than to say i wish you were my neighbour!
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Fantastic for veg. growing but not generally root crops. We usually leave the stuff we get from our neighbours for about a year befom using, but also use it as a mulch round our fruit trees as long as it doesn't touch the trunks. Great find!
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Eight horses can produce a lot of muck and there are limits on how much you can spread onto fields. I would charge for taking it as it will no doubt be needing removing regularly in bad weather and can soon churn up your gateways and land getting it into store.
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Old dung is old gold :thumbsup :- anyone growing potatoes, vegetables cereals or any crop for that matter , including grass would or should be only too glad to have such a neighbour as you. Pile it up I say and then start to use it after a year or preferably two. I travel miles to draw trailer loads home in order to grow our potatoes and veg in particular. As for the suggestion of charging to take the same away - I don't think, Buttermilk, :'( that you are from a country background to be honest?
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Most people around me here charge for taking it away. My neighbour delivers it to my field! :excited: I have really heavy clay, and I plough it in every year trying to improve it. Work in progress....
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As for the suggestion of charging to take the same away - I don't think, Buttermilk, :'( that you are from a country background to be honest?
Great comment. I have owned horses for 50 years, lived on a dairy farm for 35 years and had goats and sheep for 20 years. As we live on clay land I know just how much gateways and headlands can suffer with repeated use over a wet winter. We have improved soil condition a lot over the years with good doses of FYM but there have been the odd wet winter when we have not been able to spread any due to ground conditions.
If you are in the fortunate position to have perfect hard gateways and perfect spreading conditions every year then yes just the muck can be payment in itself but if you are living in the real world then the drawbacks of bad weather, when the muck amount from the horses is greatest, is a financial cost to be considered.