Author Topic: What to do with used straw? (Read 8981 times)

laurelrus · « **on:** July 04, 2014, 05:00:01 pm »

We got two pygmy goat kids a fortnight ago and they are lovely, we're really enjoying having them and learning about their care. They are our first livestock on our smallholding, apart from chickens that we brought with us from our garden who are loving the country life!
The question we have is what to do with the used straw etc. that we clear out of their house.
I've just cleaned them out and have two wheelbarrow loads and no idea where to dispose of it.
It's really windy so if we make a pile it'll just blow all over the field (and garden).
We'd really appreciate it if someone can tell us what the correct way to dispose of it is.
Thanks very much

ladyK · « **Reply #1 on:** July 04, 2014, 05:32:32 pm »

When we first got our donkeys I was horrified too at the growing pile of mucky straw

But, as I learned (on here somewhere) that it will rot down if given the time (and you have a bit of space) - hard to believe, but it does.
I just piled on the straw on one heap for 6 months, and then started another one. 4 months later and there is barely 1/3 left of the first heap (the chickens love it too!). I plan to shovel off a few loads of the rotten down stuff for the garden/veg beds to spread over winter, and will start piling it up on the first pile again while the second pile rots down.
It is often recommended that you cover it up for it to compost better - perhaps a tarpaulin, and some spare tyres, or some logs/planks? (I don't cover it actually, and have found that it doesn't blow away once it established itself a bit and soaks up rain and moisture.

laurelrus · « **Reply #2 on:** July 04, 2014, 05:41:56 pm »

Thanks very much, sounds like a sensible plan.
We're also getting donkeys in the near future, I'm sure i'll be asking for advice on here again before too long!

jinglejoys · « **Reply #3 on:** July 04, 2014, 05:54:34 pm »

Grow veg

If your throwing that much straw away after just a fortnight I should give it to the hens to scratch through first

Treud na Mara · « **Reply #4 on:** July 04, 2014, 07:18:51 pm »

Ditto to all the above, especially the chicken bits. If you really do end up with more than you can use then a local advert - postcard in the shop or Post Office - will get folks running to take it away for their veg. !

Lesley Silvester · « **Reply #5 on:** July 05, 2014, 12:24:37 am »

I made containers for it by tying four pallets together. This helps to keep it in one place. I have a total of five containers in total, all in a row so, after the first one, I only needed three pallets to add to it. I always plan to cover it but never actually do.

When the goats are cleaned out and the contents of the shed put into the heap, it gets trodden down. My grandchildren used to love that bit. Wellies and old clothes on and they used to jump up and down on it.

What I can't use on the veggie beds, I offer on freecycle and people just come a dig out what they want.

How often are you cleaning your goat shed? Mine gets done after a couple of weeks or so, but I do keep adding bedding to the top. In the winter it gets left for a couple of months as this helps to conserve heat for them. Providing the top layer is clean, they won't get mucky.

Ina · « **Reply #6 on:** July 05, 2014, 07:19:27 am »

All the goat keepers I worked for only mucked out once a year - clean straw got added as necessary, and the bed piled up from autumn onwards to keep them warm over winter. So no trouble with loose straw whatsoever! I always pity the goats that are kept on a very thin layer of straw over concrete - very clean, maybe, but not very comfy. (You do have to climb up quite a bit when the layer gets thicker... But the goats don't mind.)

laurelrus · « **Reply #7 on:** July 05, 2014, 07:27:50 am »

Thanks for the reply - we've only had them for two weeks (not quite) and I've cleaned them out once a week!
I assumed it was like having a guinea pig or rabbit....
I'd be very happy not to have to keep doing it, but a couple of questions -
the base of their house is wooden, will leaving the straw piling up make that rot?
will leaving the straw in the house for longer encourage vermin?
I did think when I was doing it yesterday that it was very wasteful as most of the straw was fine.
Thanks very much

shygirl · « **Reply #8 on:** July 05, 2014, 08:09:23 am »

maybe paint the wooden floor to protect it, or get a rubber mat.
we semi-deep litter our goats over winter, cleaning them out every 8 weeks before it starts to smell.but we are on concrete in a big stable.
shaving under the straw, or just shavings is also a good choice. its the urine that smells with our goats.

plumseverywhere · « **Reply #9 on:** July 05, 2014, 08:15:50 am »

We use the deep bedding method here so they get cleaned out twice a year (more if ones been poorly obviously) and then by winter its nice and warm. So long as its well ventilated in there.

the straw we muck out, we put onto a large compost pile, it rots really quickly and goat compost is fabulous stuff. I also put it round our fruit trees (the ones that aren't too far to wheel it to

)

Treud na Mara · « **Reply #10 on:** July 05, 2014, 01:50:41 pm »

When our pygmies were in a wooden floored shed OH covered the floor with vinyl flooring off cuts to protect it from rotting. As I recall we got it from a 'wanted' post on Freecycle. After nearly two years, when we moved, the state of the floor was great and we just cleaned it out and left the shed to be used by the folk that rented the house. There was a sleeping shelf also vinyl covered and we left this too as we thought the whole shed might make a good children's playhouse.

Lesley Silvester · « **Reply #11 on:** July 05, 2014, 10:25:42 pm »

When I moved here eight and a half years ago, my then goat took the garden shed to live in, which had a wooden floor. I drilled one inch diameter holes in it, quite well spaced apart, for drainage. The shed has since been extended but I now have four goats using it. There is only one small plank that is showing signs of rotting. They get cleaned out once a month or so in the summer and at the beginning of the winter. I also use shredded paper as bedding.