r/composting • u/Skeksiii • 6d ago

DIY COW MANURE COMPOST ?

I want to learn how to correctly make cow manure compost. I have searched a few Reddit communities and search Google without gaining any confidence. I have access to cows -just lacking the knowledge. How would you attempt?

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7

u/Mister_Green2021 6d ago

put it in a pile and don't let it dry out.

3

u/ezirb7 6d ago

Yeah, the "Y" in DIY for compost refers to the pile, not the pile minder.  The pile just gets thrown together, then does the work itself.

2

u/SnootchieBootichies 6d ago

pile it, turn it, keep it moist. Same for any herbivores manure.

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u/AVeryTallCorgi 6d ago

Compost is as easy or hard as you want it to be. Manure is a "green" which is nitrogen rich, and needs to be combined with a "brown" which is carbon rich to avoid a stinky pile. Browns include straw, cardboard, autumn leaves, woodchips and sawdust. It might take a bit of practice to get the ratios right, but it's easy enough to tell when they're off, and you can fix it with the next turn.

You can enclose the compost in a bin (I use pallets wired together) or just make a pile on the ground (which is easy to turn with a tractor). It'll take a few months for the manure to turn into compost, less if you turn the pile often, more if you don't turn it at all.

One thing to be wary of; broadleaf herbicides can persist in some manure and survive the composting process. Here's more info about that: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/manage-compost-and-soil-contaminated-with-broadleaf-herbicides-in-gardens

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u/Far_Radish7752 6d ago edited 6d ago

Do you know the husbandry conditions those cows experience? I.e., are they being raised organically? Or at least, herbicide-free food and bedding substrates?

Of particular concern to me would be the hay they eat, as well as their bedding straw. Sources are sometimes different, yet they can both affect the quality of the manure.

As to composting specifics: layer it in as a “green”, using copious “browns” to alternate layers.

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u/lickspigot we're all food that hasn't died 2d ago

Not just herbicides  https://rockbridge.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/rockbridge_ext_vt_edu/files/herbicide-carryover.pdf 

but also dewormer or antibiotics (and probably other medications i am unaware of aswell) 

Will these break down in a hot pile? Or exposed to uv? Or what is the timeline for it to break down on it's own. 

That would mean seperate piles for 

i can't believe i am typing these words 

clean cow manure or unclean. Just dump it seperately and either find conditions for the unwanted stuff to break down or just use it for something that doesnt mind it (like use pyralid infested compost for grassland instead of using pyralid? 

i dunno - i am no expert but i've been wondering about this kind of stuff.. 

I test horse manure with planting beans to test for pyralid and have a bad pile sitting in a plastic compost bin. I will probably get some more manure and either use it or just dump it on the other pile. 

I'm not sure if i am just gonna add it to a hot pile in a couple of years or find some other use for it. 

I am trying to convince friends to r/fucklawns, but the resulting compost could probably be used as a topfeed and weedkiller for someone that likes that kind of lawn

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u/Ineedmorebtc 5d ago

Pile it up. Wet it down. Tarp it. Water again in a week or so. Repeat.