How do I pickup manure from grassy areas?
I would do by hand. Do you wait til pat is dry or what?
I tried scraping it up with shovel and hoe .
Is there any easier way by hand?
Thank you
If you have chickens, turn them loose in the pastures and they will scratch the patties apart.
Otherwise you need to wait for them to completely dry and harden into Frisbees.
I keep about 6 Muscovy ducks for each cow. They follow the cows around, waiting for them to drop manure, then they muddle through it. That scatters it so it dries out, doesn't stink, and won't hatch flies.
I haven't had to drag my pastures and the only patties you will see in the pasture are those that the ducks haven't gotten to yet.
I have lived on farms and ranches most of my life, both here and overseas. I have used cow chips to boil water for my morning coffee, in a Yurt in Kyrgyzstan. So unless you need the chips for fuel to cook or make heat, why in the world would you pick it up?
I normally have just a cow or two, and I pick up manure for composting in the garden. Side benefits are cleaner pastures for visitors to see the cows, and lower parasite loads.
Cows pass worm eggs in the manure, which hatch into larvae which crawl up the grass to be consumed again by cows to re-infect them and keep the life cycle going. Worse in wet, warm, humid climate and conditions. So spreading out patties to dry helps.
I don't get it all, but if I get the biggest pies that don't dry out soon, it should help.
Cows also avoid grazing where patties are, so get very uneven pasture height.
Shouldn't need to pick up manure from pasture. Pens, yes, pasture, no. Pasture should be rotated as part of overall management and some kind of drag will break up patties and help them biodegrade.
I keep about 6 Muscovy ducks for each cow. They follow the cows around, waiting for them to drop manure, then they muddle through it. That scatters it so it dries out, doesn't stink, and won't hatch flies.
I haven't had to drag my pastures and the only patties you will see in the pasture are those that the ducks haven't gotten to yet.
View attachment 66086
Male muscovy ducks weigh 15 pounds and up. Females about 12 pounds. They both have wicked claws that they use when they roost on limbs. They can inflict enough damage to make a fox or smaller predator go somewhere else for its supper.
My Dexter cattle are all horned and are pretty good at intimidating most predators.
I still lose Muscovies every once in a while. That is why I hatch replacements all the time.
I had a visitor here today that talked a lot about ways to control flies. He said that they were terrible around his place. Then he exclaimed that there are no flies on my cattle at all! That led to a discussion of the benefits of the ducks. He left here planning on buying some as soon as he got home. He was convinced!
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