The Motherlode

[u/backdoorjimmy69]

A heaping cubic yard of composted sheep manure/bedding. My day job is making yogurt from the milk of the sheep that made this mess.

[u/ArtemisInSpace]

Wow. That's some truely pissworthy (complimentary) compost. I'd be jealous if I planned on using any of the compost I've been "making."

[u/Lucifer_iix → u/ArtemisInSpace]

Grass digested by sheep, then pee'd on by the sheep, then bacteria (enzym), then manure (compost) worms, then bacteria again.

The trick ofcourse is to take something that is already digested with a animal that has these grinding teeth. Or you need to buy a good sredder or lawnmower and add the energy to the system your selfs. Here the sheep does the work for you grinding the lignin and hemicellulose in return for shugars. After the cell structure is broken, bacteria can infect the cells and get inside. The hardes part of composting is stopping the bacteria/fungi protection of the plant and make your molucules actually available. Grinding and shredding is the most important thing the manure provides to you. Nature has a lot of protections against bacteria, fungi and virus inffections. Thus leaves can't get wet aslong the wax layer is still present. After digestion the wax is gone and everything becomes hydrophilic.

Try manure/straw from horse/donkey/sheep with around a 1:20 -> 1:30 ratio. You will be supprised how fast the smell is gone, how hot it get's and how mutch volume you will get in a short amount of time.

[u/Ancient-Patient-2075]

Oh man that's awesome! I always get some half composted sheep💩/bedding from a friend, just kept in sealed trashbags for 10 months or so to mellow it. I find it's pure garden magic, really I think the best mulch + fertilizer there is. Sheep are incredible.

[u/Lucifer_iix → u/Ancient-Patient-2075]

I also use manure. When i compost leaves and garden greens. It shrinks so mutch, it's not worth the effort. With manure it's already digested grass/greens. Goes hotter easier because of a good ratio. While at the same times gives you mutch more volume of compost in the same time span. My garden is very small, thus two big compost containers with a lot of manure is already enough for my small garden.

Also the straw is drenched in pee. Thus i do not need to pee in my compost bin my sefls ;-)

[u/Ancient-Patient-2075 → u/Lucifer_iix]

Honestly I compost anything compostable I can get my hands on and it's all worth it. I have a small allotment and my garden waste does make lovely compost with some cardboard etc, I just wait until I have enough inputs and then make a free standing pile and cook it in one go. It's great I wish I always had a pile going. I don't drive so I have limited choice for inputs, I'd love to have manure in my compost but oh well, beggars can't be choosers.

[u/Lucifer_iix → u/Ancient-Patient-2075]

I am surrounded with horse stables at walking distance. There is also a petting zoo at the otherside of my street.

[u/Crimestar → u/Lucifer_iix]

I’ve been making massive piles the last two months in my yard with just leaves and grass clippings. Definitely worth at my house.

[u/BriefNormand_6 → u/Ancient-Patient-2075]

That truck bed is loaded to the brim, no way that's making it out without a little spillage on the first bump

[u/backdoorjimmy69 → u/BriefNormand_6]

Nope, I kept the whole load. Even the stuff that fell onto the rear bumper made it home with me.

[u/Lucifer_iix]

That's great. Paying others to grow mushrooms in it would also be silly. My village is full of horse stables. They pay $180 per truckload to remove there manure/straw mixture.

I assume you have enough space to just let it just compost on it selfs ? (Without forced air)

How mutch fresh material do you get per day ?

You also feed them your own grass or do you have a good feed supplier for the animals ?

What water do you use ? Ground, rain or tap water. I also compost manure, and it soaks water like creazy.

[u/backdoorjimmy69 → u/Lucifer_iix]

The bedding is collected roughly every two weeks. Eight large bays as pictured and left to compost in place, no forced air, no turning. The sheep are rotated through several pastures and forage. I think they might get some supplemental feed in the winter time. They're watered by trough via well pumps.