Manure Storage on Horse Farms

be present you can take your manure and bedding estimate and multiply it by the number of days. Building on the last example
If you will need a 6month 182 days storage period
Weight 44 2 pounds stall waste 182 days 8044 pounds 4 tons in 6 months
Volume 1 54 cubic feet stall waste 182 days 280 cubic feet in 6 months
Remember that these calculations were for one horse under specific conditions i e. horse weight turnout time bedding use. While the numbers are only an estimate they can give you an idea of how much manure you will need to plan for. If you are not comfortable running the calculations you could contact an agricultural engineer your local USDANatural Resources Conservation Service office or your local County Conservation District for assistance.
Final Volume and Shape
Now we have an estimate for volume which is required for determining the size of your manure storage. However estimates are just that not perfect. A few other factors will affect the final size of the manure storage

Settling. The pile will settle over time shrinking its volume a bit. If it sits for several months it may begin to break down and shrink even more.
Pile Height. If you are limited to using a wheelbarrow or muck tub on ground level to add to the pile it will not be very tall and will need a larger footprint. If you have equipment like a skid steer to push the manure pile higher then you can use a smaller footprint. Using a bank to drop manure into the storage also helps.

Pile Shape. Manure doesnt easily form a perfect cube shape rather it tends to mound with a curved top and sloping sides. This makes sizing based on volume more difficult. Depending on your manure storage design you will need a
little extra space for sloping sides. A standalone pile roughly coneshaped will need significantly more space than a pile with 3 walls.
There are many important considerations and tips for building a good manure storage especially when it has a solid base and walls. Some of them can be found in Horse Stable Manure Management. For technical assistance with sizing and designing a manure storage contact an agricultural engineer your local USDANatural Resources Conservation Service office or your local County Conservation District.