[loosey]

I have plenty of piles of just poo woth no bedding so may give the log maker a go and see if it works. Me and my OH were inspecting the "potato poohs" as we call them and wondering if we could use it as coal ... will get some of these drying out too I think!

Juno - how long do you dry them for before you use them?

[Juno]

all dependent on the weather but rule of thumb wait until they break up easily in the hand  (the scientific level is less than 7% moisture) once dry i then stored in my outhouse in bags off the floor

what i want is someone to build me a machine that will shred and then squish into brickettes

[loosey]

I'm a lot less squeamish about it than my OH, being that I've hands my hands in poo since I can remember! Do you use other fuel alongside it and does it give off enough heat would you say? I have the day off tomorrow so will get to work!

[Plantoid]

Any experieinces that you may be able to share?

I've been looking online about using horse manure in our multi fuel burner. It seem's it's possible if not a bit of work but seeing as we have limitless supplies, I'm willing to give it a go!

Ye gods you'll stink the area out for 15 miles down wind if you do burn it... might even get some beared sandal wearer or potential ex townie  complaining they can't eat their nut cutlets because of the stink when they press the local council to prosecute you for causing a statutory nuisance .

 You have said " Horse  manure " ..I take it you mean mixed with urine soaked bedding not just neat lifted off the field in a paddock clear up and well dried .
If it is even slightly damp it stinks of very strong horse sweat and pee , burning it produces enough moisture to activate things .

I've used  bone dry cow pat in my smoker for bees when I ran out of my normal fuel  ( used to run 50 hives  plus 40 neuc boxes ) and even that smoke  was still slightly damp , ammoniated / urineated as well as very herbal .

 In 1995 I tried to burn a massive heap of rabbit muck and bedding out in the field in stages that was there in place when I moved to my last small holding .. I got a visit from the environmental health because of complaints from  several people well over 1 3/4 mile down wind .. I had to put it out there and then or face prosecution as it was on a stop right now nuisance notice .  I used my big hot water pressure washer to put it out and boy did it  stink until it was cool.

[doganjo]

Any experieinces that you may be able to share?

I've been looking online about using horse manure in our multi fuel burner. It seem's it's possible if not a bit of work but seeing as we have limitless supplies, I'm willing to give it a go!

Ye gods you'll stink the area out for 15 miles down wind if you do burn it... might even get some beared sandal wearer or potential ex townie  complaining they can't eat their nut cutlets because of the stink when they press the local council to prosecute you for causing a statutory nuisance .

But horse nmanure has no smell when it's properly dried out  I know that for a fact because I was at Rosemary and Dan's on Saturday and we spoke about using it for fuel, and we smelt the dung from her ponies.

[Plantoid]

Think your olfactory organ meed a revamp  ... it always smells even ten year old composted stuff .

 Do you own or have close associatioin with horses by any chance ... if so  ..... it's a bit like a smoker not smelling  that other smokers stink as well as themselves  .

[alexhristov]

It burns, but stinks like hell.

[Olly398]

Have you folks considered Anaerobic Digestion (AD) to produce biogas? More complicated to set up but much better when operational as you get controllable, storable flammable gas and fertilizer out of it. Some bedtime reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestion
http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/methane_generator.html
http://alternative-car-fuels.com/diy-biogas/

[Juno]

  if you just burn the poo once dry it has no real smell i use if along side wood/logs, my chickens love the ash too.

I have to agree though the wet stuff/bedding is better rotted down as compost as the wee does really smell and if it started rotting its even worse.

[doganjo]

if you just burn the poo once dry it has no real smell i use if along side wood/logs, my chickens love the ash too.

Thanks, Juno.  I know that teh stuff at Rosemary's didn't smell - I don't live near horses, I don't have any, and there's nothing wrong with my sense of smell - but I wonder if any residual smell is related to what the horses are fed? 

[Sandy]

A women we know in Devilla Forest burns her horse bedding and poo all the time and it actualy smells nice!!!!!!!!!!!!

[loosey]

No Plantoid, as I say, it is not mixed with any bedding at all, just pure poop!

I burnt some of the "potato poos" last night ... they obviously didn't last that long as as they were not pressed and were bone dry but they didn't half go! Managed to heat enough hot water for two showers and a big load of dishes from it and no smell whatsoever ... if anything, it smelt nicer than burning wood or coal!

[Sandy]

The  lady I met always has a wood burner going in a shed type thing and we often say as we pass, how nice it smells, we stopped to chat with her one day and she said it was horse poo!! Yes, it did smell nice too, maybe it is dependant of what the horses are fed, I know thats the case with humas  , after a spicy hot curry the "droppings" are not nice 

[Juno]

woo hoo Loosey  

my ponies are kept as 'au natual' as possible but i have found winter poos, due to the fact they get extra feed, smell different, sweeter, it must be something in the feed (woundn't like to feed them curry OMG)

[Coley]

Maybe you have solved the problem of what to do with human waste loosey - burn it.
There was a project in Scotland which was in effect going to be a power station fuelled by sewage, an excellent idea I thought, but last I heard it had fallen foul of EU regulations