[gwynrew]

What's best - leaving cow pats to break down where they dropped or spreading them out?

Some sites say that with healthy dung beetle populations, the pats disappear in a few days as the grubs feed. We have beetles, but the pats don't just disappear. Tyne's sheep book and Thrower's Dexter book both mention spreading cow pats to let the grass grow underneath and spread the goodness, but does this mean the dung beetles don't get a chance?

So, what's best?

[SallyintNorth]

One thing to question is what wormers and other meds (including pour ons and other fly deterrents) are you giving your livestock.  Sadly many of them will deactivate many of the dung-loving flora 

I guess the short answer is that harrowing is never bad (well, when you have a decent sward, anyways, and maybe not if you have lots of flowering weeds in it with seed heads on them), so if you have harrows and time, why not.

As to the dung beetles not getting a chance, I think that all the dung-loving flora will still find the smaller lumps if you spread it out, won't they?  Just won't be able to lay so many eggs in one place, those that lay in it where it is.  (Don't dung beetles gather it up themselves?  But some of the other dung-loving flora lay eggs in it where it falls?)

[landroverroy]

I never spread the pats and they break down fairly fast so aren't a problem. I do use pour on wormer on my cattle, but only about once a year. I also graze my pastures with other stock eg sheep and donkeys which are wormed differently, so probably the dung beatles live on in their droppings, unaffected.
Spreading the manure is not a bad idea as it harrows the grass as well. However, I would never do it with animal's on the field, or due to come on. How would you like your food spread with manure? 

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

not sure on your system but i hear good things aout having chickens follow cattle/sheep a couple of days after spreading and eating any eggs in the dung

plus you get the added bonus of having nice fresh eggs

[Buttermilk]

not sure on your system but i hear good things aout having chickens follow cattle/sheep a couple of days after spreading and eating any eggs in the dung

plus you get the added bonus of having nice fresh eggs

We have lots of rooks and other birds do the same job as chickens naturally without the hassle of keeping hen keeping.

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

each to their own