Manure and carboard compost

[gila_dog]

If you had lots of cow and horse manure, lots of cardboard, and a good tractor to work it all with, would it make good compost, good fertilizer? Would it be a marketable product?

[big rockpile]

The Manure if Composted and dry should be very easy to sell. I know several that sell Rabbit Manure by 5 gallon Bucket full.

big rockpile

[jwal10]

Are you wanting to spread it on the ground and work it in or make compost, or both? either way you need to get the cardboard small enough to work in and compost quickly, a grinder of some sort. Tub grinder maybe? Just mixing it together would take some time if big pieces, thick or waxed cardboard....James

[gila_dog]

I'm not sure how to make it. Maybe lay down several layers of cardboard, then use the loader to dump manure on it, wet it down, repeat for many layers. Leave it for a week or two, then rig some fork lift bars to the bucket and stir up the pile, wetting as necessary. Push it up into a deep pile. Keep doing this until it's compost. I can see how waxed cardboard and any plastic junk could be a problem. Some things would just have to be removed and discarded. Then maybe dump it thru a screen to get rid of any rocks, chunks of wood, etc. Final product is nice compost in large quantities. The idea is to use what is plentiful and cheap in an efficient process.

[jwal10]

Tub or horizontal grinder, run it all through, screen and compost....James

https://www.google.com/search?q=tub+...52%3B448%3B336

https://www.google.com/search?q=hori...w=1051&bih=452

[Crisste]

You do NOT need to cut or grind the cardboard.

Just soak it in water for about two hours and then mix it all in. The nitrogen in the manure and the cardboard will turn into a bacterial play ground in no time.

Turn the pile every 10 to 14 days.

I use cardboard for my worms all the time and they love it. you just have to soak it and get it sloppy wet first. I toss in entire 3 foot sheets and they eat it right up.

[rambler]

Might be some issues trying to pass that as organic fertilizer - ink and glue on the cardboard, while I don't think it would bother me in those small amounts, need to be ok with whomever is using the fertilizer or produce.

Paul

[Danaus29]

I'm not 100% sure but wouldn't the cows and horses have to be fed an organic diet for their manure to be labeled organic?

But either way, yes, there would be a market for composted manure. If you could get some leaves to mix in too it would be even better.

[gila_dog]

I wonder if cardboard has stuff in it that would make the compost toxic or bad in some way. Or would the composting process break down the glue, ink, etc, and make it harmless?

There is also some hay produced around here. Sometimes some of it gets rained on and spoiled. That would be good compost material, too. And being grown nearby it would be even better.

I'm thinking of a way to do this where you don't have to buy a specialized machine, like a tub grinder. Just a basic tractor rigged as a front end loader, maybe with a backhoe.

[Rustaholic]

To some the cardboard would be an issue.
Straw or hay would be a lot better.
A tub mixer is rather expensive.
It would be cheaper to build a Papercrete Tow Mixer.
That would break it down to pulp though.