Horse Stable Manure Management
diminish fly breeding.
| Material | Pounds of water absorbed per pound of bedding |
|---|---|
| Wheat straw | 2.2 |
| Hay--chopped, mature | 3.0 |
| Tanning bark | 4.0 |
| Fine bark | 2.5 |
| Pine chips | 3.0 |
| Pine sawdust | 2.5 |
| Pine shavings | 2.0 |
| Hardwood chips, shavings, sawdust* | 1.5 |
| Corn shredded stover | 2.5 |
| Corn cobs, ground | 2.1 |
[Reproduced with permission from Livestock Waste Facilities Handbook, MWPS-18.]
*Walnut shavings cause founder so all hardwood shavings should be avoided on the chance that some walnut shavings could be mixed in.
| Form | Material | Density lb/ft3 |
|---|---|---|
| Loose | Alfalfa | 4 |
| Non-legume hay | 4 | |
| Straw | 2-3 | |
| Shavings | 9 | |
| Sand | 105 | |
| Baled | Alfalfa | 8 |
| Non-legume hay | 7 | |
| Straw | 5 | |
| Wood shavings | 20 | |
| Chopped | Alfalfa | 6 |
| Non-legume hay | 6 | |
| Straw | 7 |
Manure collected from paddocks and pastures may be added to the stall waste stockpile.
Horse manure has been considered a valuable resource rather than a "waste." Fertilizer value of the 8.5 tons of manure produced annually by a 1,000-pound horse is about 102 pounds of nitrogen (N), 43 pounds of P2O5 (phosphorus pentoxide [phosphate] = 43.7 percent P), and 77 pounds of K2O (potash = 83 percent K). The nutrient content of horse manure can also be represented as 12 lb/ton of N, 5 lb/ton of P2O5, and 9 lb/ton of K2O (nutrient values for any manure vary widely, so these are only guidelines). Traditionally, nitrate-nitrogen is the component that presents the most pollution potential since it moves freely in the soil. Most of horse manure's nitrogen is contained in the urine.
These values are an average for horse manure (urine and feces). With the large amount of bedding material mixed with manure in typical stall waste, the fertilizer nutrient value would vary (see Direct Disposal section below).
Environmental Impact
Minimizing Nuisances
For a suburban setting, one potential problem includes overcoming misconceptions about the nuisance and pollution potential of horse facilities. Most people enjoy horses, yet neighbors can be more concerned that horses are manure-generating, fly and odor machines. A horse facility operating with a large number of horses on limited acreage can intensify nuisance problems not noticed at small stables. Generally in the Northeast, 2 to 3 acres of good pasture per horse is needed for summer feeding purposes. More horses per acre are common and successfully managed with supplemental feeding. Fortunately, careful management and attention to detail can overcome potential problems of intensive horse operations.
Pests commonly associated with animal agriculture are flies and small rodents, such as mice and rats. Flies and odors are the most common complaints, but proper manure management can virtually eliminate farm pests and odors. Figure 2 shows some simple yet important site-planning features to minimize nuisances associated with manure management.
