[Fluffywelshsheep]

i found this went i did a search

http://www.cityfarmer.org/petwaste.html

[rustyme]

 Parrot dropping would be ok , once again, best to go through the compost heap though ! The sand paper I would put through the heap too . As for the seed, I used to keep budgies and parrots and put all the waste through a heap and then on the allotment , well I grew a goodly crop of sunflowers millet and even hemp.... saved a fortune on bird feed.  It is best to compost anything really, as putting it straight onto a flower or veg bed will cause nitrogen inbalances due to the decomosition process. Plus most manures will be far too strong 'fresh' for most plants . One exception to that would be comfrey . That can cope with huge amounts of fresh manure and thrive.

Russ

[stephen]

thanks for the replys! think ill stick with throwing it away for the time being until we have more space and i can compost it or use the idea in the link linz provided! 

[Guy]

Russ , ive heard loads around comfrey - is it used for a liquid fertiliser or such like? if so how good /easy to grow?

looking to the final end product of all our composting activities- the purple sprouting is now in abundance and awaiting harvesting - best crop ever ( not difficult as last year the dog got in and trampled it all to nothing!!!) plus when i see the cost of it at work it gives you even more reason to be cheery

also - the new calabrese seedlings and cauli seedlings are starting to say "hello" in the greenhouse ( get ready for a massive cold snap to kill them off! - better get some more parraffin ready for the heater!  

[rustyme]

Comfrey is just about as easy as it comes , to grow. The best type to get is bocking 14. It is a sterile variety and therefore won't seed all over the place.  You start off with a root cutting , I got mine from chase organics, and whenever you want more just dig up a plant , and take some of the thick root chop it into 1" sections,  plant,  and away it goes . You can use it as a liquid feed , just cut some comfrey stick it in a barrel fill with water and leave for a few weeks . The gunk that comes out stinks to high heaven , but when watered down is a very good feed. You can also just cut it for the compost heap . You can cut the plants every 6 weeks or so and if you put plenty of manure on it , it will provide huge amounts for composting.
    Well done with the purple sprouting....that is sooo lovely fresh , and from what I have read , is very very good for you too.   If heating oil is still cheaper than parraffin you can use that instead. I tried it in parraffin lamps and it worked fine.

[Guy]

thanks russ - thats good to know - i will start to look into it - much better than putting anything manmade onto the garden if poss.

didnt think of using heating oil - tick v.g.
well off to work for me now - my turn on "duty" to face the wrath of the customers , abuse of the staff and the general chaos that is working in retail (at least i have the thought of my  quiet easy life here to keep me sane lol)

[rustyme]

thats Josie my big lump of a horse. She is about 16 hands + so is a fair size, she has some Clydesdale in her so is quite heavy . The other ponies are much smaller , still able to do some work though .

[stephen]

very nice russ... like the white nose and "boots" (dont know if thats the right term!) 

[rustyme]

Blaze and socks I call them , but that doesn't mean it's right ...lol. She is nice, as are the others...it's just the food bill that isn't so nice !!!

[stephen]

haha i know that feeling!! we get a breeders discount on cat food but the bill is still always massive, still you get what you pay for i suppose!

[rustyme]

well guess what ? I was digging again today !!!! yep... I kept looking at the very rough edges of the plot and along one side it was very curved, so I just had to straighten things up a bit . Still a bit more to do , but it is something that I can either do or just leave, so isn't such a weight on my mind   I did pick out a huge heap of stone as well and did some other bits and bobs , not too bad weather wise either. It felt very much like a showery spring day today ....which is exactly what it was really    I couldn't face carrying any stone up the hill or digging any gravel from the river for the shed , so had a really nice sit down and just watched all the birds getting ready for nesting for a while. I was watching an aerial dog fight for 10 minutes or so . A buzzard was attacking a red kite right above me. Their territories must overlap above my land as this is always happening . Really good to see so many kites about again now though .

[Rosemary]

Hi, Russ

Do you work your horses? I broke Smokey to drive last year and I always kind of thought that if we had more land he could do a bit of light work, if I coudl get the equipment. He's bred for it, as a Highland pony.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

[rustyme]

Hello Rosemary,
                  Josie is broken to ride ok and Welly ( the middle sized one ) has been sat on a few times, but other than that no . I have been collecting smalls bits of tack/working gear over the years, but it has been a slow process , as good stuff is so dear. You can get old stuff cheap but I found that most of it was so old and rotten it needed completely remaking. I have a horse plough now and enough gear to train them now so , as and when time allows, I shall get them into doing a bit of work for me.  There is a chap not far from me who is a champion horse ploughman . He trains horses to work with the plough , but once again it means lots of money about 400 pounds to do. So it would seem that it is down to me to try .... Well done  with getting your one trained . He should be able to do plenty of work , they are very hardy , tough little lumps highland ponies...all the gear costs the earth though 

[Guy]

You just cant leave your fork alone can you Russ?!!   - mind you although i am now a total convert of the "mantis" the fork is still always there - like a trusted friend , always happy to help in any weather or condition - plus its really handy for hanging my coat on!!!! i like the horse - i must admit i do miss having mine , but as you and stephen say i dont miss the feed bill , nor the farrier costs

[rustyme]

lol ..yep...all this digging, I must be a forking maniac   I hang my coat on either the fork or spade too.  Food bills ....god they are a pain ...16 quid a week for a big round bale of haylage. That isn't too bad as it is equal to about 12-14  normal small hay bales , maybe even a bit more . Hopefully only another 6-8 weeks of feeding till the grass starts up again, maybe even less?  Thankfully I already have enough wormers for the horses, so thats another 45 quid I won't have to find . I don't shoe my horses , so that saves on that score . I trim their hooves myself , just give them a lick with the rasp now and then when needed.