The Nitrogen Enhancement System
This is a very simple system for the horse owner and the final product can be applied to crops. Basically it acts like any other raw livestock manure in the soil. It should not be considered compost, however, because it lacks many of the desirable characteristics of composted manure.
In this system, the horse owner adds nitrogen fertilizer to the manure and sawdust or wood shavings mix as the stall is cleaned. The added fertilizer feeds the soil microorganisms, so they do not need to steal soil nitrogen from the crops. Use only ammonium nitrate fertilizer with an analysis of 34-0-0 or ammonium sulfate fertilizer with an analysis of 21-0-0. Other types of fertilizer (especially urea) can be lost into the air and do no good.
For a 1,000-pound horse, add about 1/3 pound (about 1/2 cup) per day of either fertilizer. Simply pick the stall clean with a manure fork, then add about 1/2 cup of fertilizer to the wheelbarrow or spreader. Adjust the amount of fertilizer for much smaller or larger horses. For example, only about 1/4 cup is needed for a 500-pound pony.
After the fertilizer has been added to the manure and sawdust or wood chip mixture, it can be used immediately or stored for several months without losing the nitrogen. It can then be spread when the field and crop conditions are best.
Composting Horse Manure
Composting has several advantages over the nitrogen enhancement system. In a properly operated compost system, the total amount of manure and bedding is reduced and the fertilizer nutrients are concentrated. Composting creates its own heat, and the high temperatures kill bacteria, parasites and insect eggs. Fully composted horse manure also will not attract adult flies.
Composting takes some planning and management. It is more than just a "manure pile," and it generally takes at least six to eight months to make fully cured compost. Finally, if too much sawdust or wood shaving bedding is used, the induced nitrogen deficiency problem previously mentioned may still show up even though the manure looks "composted." It generally takes at least six to eight months to make fully cured compost.
Points to Remember
For More Information
LPES Small Farms Fact Sheets available at www.lpes.org:
For more information on composting horse manure:
Material courtesy of LPES Small Farms Fact Sheets, authored by Randall James, Ohio State University Extension, courtesy of MWPS, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Randall James, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Ohio State University Extension.
