Author Topic: manure flies - good or bad? (Read 6209 times)

jesse · « **on:** March 24, 2012, 09:26:54 am »

Hello, I'm new to the forum, already 4 eyed from reading as my brain tries to get to grips with understanding pasture management

I have a pony and horse on a 2 acre field, and am trying to establish a more holistic approach
than the traditional horse management system of large livery yards

Manure is a big challenge, so I am collecting mine daily into a set of pallet boxes I have built near the gate. I hope to turn it into a useful product instead of a waste problem

I notice that the little flies ( not house bottle or horse flies ) that descend onto fresh manure break it down initially, and there is a layer of them living on the piled fresh stuff in the boxes.

Can anyone tell me what these little flies are called?
They dont seem very interested in the horses, are they beneficial to the manure/compost process or should they be discouraged in some way?

jesse

robert waddell · « **Reply #1 on:** March 24, 2012, 09:39:00 am »

dung flies?

Fleecewife · « **Reply #2 on:** March 24, 2012, 11:12:54 am »

If they stay on the dung pile and don't bother the animals then they are ok, but not possible to tell without seeing them.
For rotting down your manure, the pile needs to be in contact with the soil so that worms and other composters can gain access and get to work. It's not clear from what you say whether the boxes have bottoms, or are compost heaps made out of pallets....

jesse · « **Reply #3 on:** March 24, 2012, 07:35:45 pm »

Thanks for the reply, drat, one box has a sand bag on the floor, but I put a few holes in it, the other is on the ground with just the sides lined. Its made out of 4 pallets held in a box shape by rope

I will try and get some photos of the flies, its tricky because they are so small

Can you advise if carpet a good liner for the sides?

jesse

chrismahon · « **Reply #4 on:** March 24, 2012, 08:25:01 pm »

We get flies like that around our compost heap. I thought they were midges but they seem to move a lot faster.

Rosemary · « **Reply #5 on:** March 24, 2012, 08:28:24 pm »

Like you, we lift the ponies' droppings daily. We get tiny flies and BIG beetles under the dung. Neither seem to bother the horses but the birds seem to love them since they break up the dung piles to get them (I assume they don't break them up for fun

)

No idea what they are. TBH, I never really thought about it

jesse · « **Reply #6 on:** March 24, 2012, 09:24:09 pm »

I expect youre busier than me hehe!

I wont do anything about them then, glad the birds like them , I am putting up a few nesting boxes tomorrow

jesse

clydesdaleclopper · « **Reply #7 on:** March 25, 2012, 10:44:41 pm »

Get some hens - they love em

jesse · « **Reply #8 on:** March 26, 2012, 04:30:18 am »

.... more poop, lol!

Funny, I used to have a chicken called Ginger, she liked to ride in the car, perched on the head rest.
Never pooped once. I miss her.

jesse

ellisr · « **Reply #9 on:** March 26, 2012, 09:37:20 am »

Remeber to throw some straw or grass cuttings and it gives you a much better manure to sell/give away or use back on the land.

I have found if it is just pure collected manure from the field the results are quite as good.