What to do with used animal bedding?

[cjhubbs]

I have finally run into the problem that all animal owners will run into at some point, I have way to much used animal bedding! After having goats and chckens for three years, I officially have a poop pile that is 3 1/2 feet high and 30-40 feet around. I need to try and find a way to get rid of this bedding because I will not have it all over my property. I was wondering what you all use to get rid of your animal bedding? I have heard that some people burn it but I find that even after sitting for a month the interior of this pile is still sopping wet. I also have tried to mulch our garden with it but we have barley made a dent in the pile. To make matters worse, I have been given hints that I will be getting my long awaited turkey poults for Christmas . So what are your suggestions on how to get rid of all of this bedding? Thanks for the help...

 

[Pearce Pastures]

#1 We sometimes burn it if we are going to having a bonfire anyway. Once a fire is hot enough, the damp stuff will burn down too.
#2 I have some berms I am building in certain places in the yard using extra bedding. I take it out in a wheel barrow, dumped it, shape it a bit, and let it decay and break down, pile on more, repeat until the pile is the size I want, then cover in pretty plants. Most of it, especially the hay, reduced in size greatly in about 5-6 months.
#3 Offer it up to any neighbor who want it as mulch/fertilizer for their gardens. I have actually run out of it before doing this because it makes for amazing tomatoes and veggies.
#4 Cut down on your bedding. While I change out my chicken coop bedding regularly (I do not deep litter here), I don't put down ANY bedding in my goat areas. Any hay on the ground is from them being messy, and that I rake up once the floor is starting to get heaped up with it, and do one of the above with it. The only exception is my kidding pen-when I have a goat in labor or am bottle raising kids, that pen does have straw in it which I usually burn.

 

[TGreenhut]

I know you said you don't want bedding all over, but when our pile gets too big, we flatten the pile out with the tractor and spread it all over. The bedding and manure decomposes and grass is growing in its place within a couple of months.

 

[ksalvagno]

Do you have an area that needs to be fertilized or needs building up? What we can't burn, we spread in a section of grass that we designate needs to be built up or fertilized. Doesn't look pretty for a long time but once that stuff breaks down, you end up with one heck of a thick lawn.

 

[Bossroo]

On my 20 acres I had 30 +/- horses plus outside mares + foals in for breedingswhich I fed over 130 tons of alfalfa hay and about 20 tons of grain and tons of wood shavings which equates to a LOT of organic matter deposited by these beasties. I dailly would take wheelbarrows of this gold out to spread out onto the pastures which more than doubled the grass tonnage output. ( free feed) I also gave away tons of this gold to city gardeners for which they would gladly help in cleaning out the horsestalls and haul home their bounty.( free labor).

 

[cjhubbs]

Thank you all for the help. I will be having a bonfire sometime after Christmas so I definitley will be burning some of the bedding. I have been thinking and was wondering if it would be a bad idea to mulch my blackberries and starwberries with the goat bedding? I have been struggling with weeds and the plants drying out in the summer so maybe this would be a way for me to kill two birds with one stone?

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Thank you all for the help. I will be having a bonfire sometime after Christmas so I definitley will be burning some of the bedding. I have been thinking and was wondering if it would be a bad idea to mulch my blackberries and starwberries with the goat bedding? I have been struggling with weeds and the plants drying out in the summer so maybe this would be a way for me to kill two birds with one stone?

I would definitely do that. As long as your bedding does not have a lot of seeds in it, you will be fine and the manure will only help.

 

[PendergrassRanch]

I know you said you don't want bedding all over, but when our pile gets too big, we flatten the pile out with the tractor and spread it all over. The bedding and manure decomposes and grass is growing in its place within a couple of months.

This is what we will be doing. It will do wonders for the ground and restore nutrients

 

[Alice Acres]

We spread ours in the fields, and in our veggie garden too.
We do a big barn clean every 2 yrs, and use a skid loader, manure spreader, etc.

 

[Lupa Duende]

Has anyone used a wood chipper to mulch used bedding? Would it work to break it down?