Spreading Farmyard Manure in dry conditions.

Runswithfeet

Hi folks,

Have stuff to get spread as have purposely eaten down the ground where’s it’s going on with sheep.It’s dry enough stuff as it’s winter bedding of straw in sheds where sheep were fed hay in round feeders so the sheep would have pulled hay out too to mix in the bed.

I know the thinking now is to clean out sheds like that in the Spring into a covered manure pit,and mix it up every few weeks using a front loader to help it to break down,before spreading it then later in the year.

But that’s double work and it’s a contractor will be cleaning out and spreading for me in one go.I wonder with it looking like it’s going to be dry for next 10 days should I leave it a while yet before spreading (as it might get scorched in sun)…….or should I get it out before the grass starts to grow again.Ground is bare now.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Silverdream

idk, I wouldn't fancy having dry lumps of dung on the ground when there is no moisture about. I've always got best results from FYM when spread on the fields in autumn with the results seen the following year.

bogman_bass

Fire ahead. There isn’t much nitrogen in FYN so losses in t ha regard are small. The P and K are going nowhere

Who2

I done it last year with very straws type dung and it was grand. I’m going doing the same next week as well.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120659179#Comment_120659179

fresh FYM takes nitrogen from the soil to break it down though