Roof dungstead or not?

minerleague

Just watched Farmer Phils' father walk around and his wishlist (pretty much like my own - machinery shed, better handling/loading facilities) One thing he said was he would like to cover the dungstead, now I had planned to build a small one here and cover it but reading an article online a farmer claimed dung rotted down faster with a bit of rain to keep it moist. I believe he had a telehandler so he would be able to stack higher and footprint lower though. Went on a few farmwalks with a view to joining organic and I think most had L shaped unroofed steads alright. Anyone here have either? would you change either way if you could

monseiur

Not sure if covering dungstead is a good idea. The decomposing bacteria need up to 60% moisture, there is also the danger of overheating which would kill off worms and other organisms required for the decomposing process (In a rare extreme situation overheating could be a fire hazard)

Mooooo

Perhaps build it in a way where it can be roofed with a high roof, could double up for other uses when empty if need be. Regs would mean catching all the water that falls in it anyway.

I think adding a bit of topsoil and turning every so often would help it breakdown as well

893bet

Under new regulations coming in do dungs steads have to be covered for 2027 or is that just slurry storage?

minerleague

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120084978#Comment_120084978

Yes that was my idea, high roof ( for contractor machinery anyway) would be part ( 1 bay ) of bigger general purpose shed. Suppose could turn water hose on it the odd time.

funkey_monkey

Would roofing negate the need for an effluent tank?

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120085047#Comment_120085047

I doubt it,

But I'd imagine it could be a lot smaller as there would be much less.

cute geoge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058278829/roof-dungstead-or-not

fuk it out in a heap in a quiet corner of a field away from prying eyes job done 10k spared

Say my name

There's another idea on this too if on concrete.

Seen online of a couple in England that successfully made bokashi from fym in a silage pit. They only piled up the dung a few feet high in the pit. Mixed in oyster shell. Sprayed with microbes. Then covered it with a plastic sheet as you would silage. In a few weeks it was made and ready to spread. There'd be a sweet smell off this too. Hard to believe but Sin E.

Diarmuid B

I built one last year with the tams grant along with a slatted shed. But a T junction at the pipe at the front so I can channel the effluent into the tank in winter, and then in summer channel the clean water away into a separate pipe and away from the tank. The rules then stated it either had to be roofed or you had to have a tank to take the effluent

blue5000

I think it rots down quicker outside. Last summer we stacked some dung at one end of the shed that it was bedded in and it got very hot in the middle. It was mostly wood chip though. I should have turned it every 2 days, with the benefit of hindsight to stop it over heating. It was our first time stacking dung in a shed.

Normally we stack it against a wall in a silage pit and collect the effluent in the slats, bit of topsoil or old dung from last year mixed through it helps break it down. It was like topsoil when it was spread in September.

If you have to add water don’t use water with chlorine in it as it will kill the bacteria. I think turning it a few times while it is stacked and the little bit of topsoil is the trick. The best place to get the topsoil is from under mature beech trees as there’s lots of fungi there.

Top pic is the wood chip stuff that was stacked in a shed and bottom pic is the stuff stacked outside.

alps

Anyone got a proper windrow composting system hoing on?

blue5000

I think Purcell’s organic farm in S Tipp are doing it.

minerleague

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120085925#Comment_120085925

Saw that at open day, supposed to be the best way of handling it, but not for the amount I'd have

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120085479#Comment_120085479

Thats what I do now, (hard to get away from prying eyes now)or else leave it build up in shed until spreading. Field gets messy putting it out and at spreading time, doesn't rot down fully if left undisturbed in shed. Effluent would be going into existing slatted shed

3 the square

Could farmer Phil use the front half of the silage slab for dung and let the back half of the slab empty and send the clean rain water to water course??

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120085047#Comment_120085047

A neighbour did one for the grant and he has it sloping to the back,

If effluent comes out it has to be tanked, it's the same as if you were straw bedding cattle,

You're alright if there's no effluent coming out

K.G.

But why do we need to compost the dung heap.we just fire it out in the spring when we are reseeding ground.alot nicer than looking at it for the year

minerleague

Traditionally put dung out in late Autumn, no tillage or reseeding done to plough fresh manure in. Its about having somewhere to put say waste silage, bedding from calving pens during the winter when land is too wet to travel also.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120098275#Comment_120098275

Think on balance I'll roof it like planned ( won't be huge anyway and 1 wall already exists )

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120098275#Comment_120098275

I think composting helps kill seeds of weeds etc being one big advantage.

johnnyw20

Soil uses up nitrogen breaking down dung too

RockOrBog

Afaik fresher dung is more acidic and not as good, I leave for 6 months and turned it once with the digger in the meantime and it spreads and breaks down well. It's great stuff for fertility.

I see the neighbours spread straight away in spring, old silage and straw lying on top of the ground for weeks.

minerleague

Came across a UK farmer on youtube - Billy Lewis, who does a bit of composting. Over winter he keeps it under a roof to keep it from getting too wet (becoming anaerobic) Interestingly in light of ban on burning bushes he chips light materiel into the heap and turns narrow rows every so often out in the field keeping a small bit of previous years stuff to add microbes. Nice HE cows too