Sourcing manure

[SunnyU]

It's nearly that time of the year again where we'll have to start thinking about the manure delivery.

We usually get a delivery in the autumn which the Council kind of arranges and we just pay up. Unfortunately last year's delivery was pretty rubbish and the "manure" was full of rubbish and bricks and stuff.

How and where from do you source your manure and does anyone happen to know where we might be able to get some decent manure in or around West Yorkshire?

[lindyloo]

you could try asking a local farmer to drop you off a load, or a stables; the farmer might charge you a bit for delivery, the stables especially if it is a small private horseowner, will probably be glad to get rid of it. just cut out the middle man (the council)

[Guzzik]

Our allotment gets its manure from a local farming chappy..........Last years was more straw and hay than muck but, hey ho...........I am the BHS rep for the Purbeck district, went to a local stables that has a HUGE great BIG pile of well rotted pooh and asked about buying it for the allotment "Yeah John, no problem, £45.00 a load and you dig and deliver yourself".............My answer will remain hidden. A few days a go, another horsey lady said to me "OI JOHN!!!!! Need any 'orse sh*t? I got millions of it I want getting rid of, yer can 'ave it for nowt!"..................Oh joy........How the hell do I move it?

[WrexTheDragon]

Try a local farmer.
Pig muck is best, followed by cow then horse.

[staglioni]

Our allotment gets its manure from a local farming chappy..........Last years was more straw and hay than muck but, hey ho...........I am the BHS rep for the Purbeck district, went to a local stables that has a HUGE great BIG pile of well rotted pooh and asked about buying it for the allotment "Yeah John, no problem, £45.00 a load and you dig and deliver yourself".............My answer will remain hidden. A few days a go, another horsey lady said to me "OI JOHN!!!!! Need any 'orse sh*t? I got millions of it I want getting rid of, yer can 'ave it for nowt!"..................Oh joy........How the hell do I move it?

Hire a skip they might even do it cheap because they dont have to pay tipping charges.

[Two_Sheds]

This page says rabbit manure is the best of all (I guess that includes guinea pigs too?)

[Guzzik]

Hire a skip they might even do it cheap because they dont have to pay tipping charges.

Good idea that is! Wonder what the stable/land owner will say if I arrived with a chuffing great skip though

[funstuie]

Over the past three weeks I have moved 3 ton of manure using gravel bags, a shovel and my horrible volvo estate. I know it's three ton as I asked at local building site for a load of 1 ton builders bags that were lying about after a delivery. The guy handed me a hard hat and told me to "fill my boot". I have since transferred all the manure I have carted onto site into these bags (and subsequently transferred it into my beds).

I get all the manure from a local organic farm and I have been assured it's completely safe and chemical free. Lots of the other plot holders use it and haven't complained so it seems OK.

[Snadger]

Over the past three weeks I have moved 3 ton of manure using gravel bags, a shovel and my horrible volvo estate. I know it's three ton as I asked at local building site for a load of 1 ton builders bags that were lying about after a delivery. The guy handed me a hard hat and told me to "fill my boot". I have since transferred all the manure I have carted onto site into these bags (and subsequently transferred it into my beds).

I get all the manure from a local organic farm and I have been assured it's completely safe and chemical free. Lots of the other plot holders use it and haven't complained so it seems OK.

Just womdering why an 'organic' farm wouldn't use all their manure on their own land?

[Paulottie]

This page says rabbit manure is the best of all (I guess that includes guinea pigs too?)

Alpaca is very good too

Just womdering why an 'organic' farm wouldn't use all their manure on their own land?

probably its a livestock farm rather than arable Snadger.

[Freaya]

I was just about to ask exactly the same question so you will have to have to excuse my added queries on the subject, I don't mean to hijack.

I don't have an allotment and so no communal supplies, and no local veg gardening contacts to ask for advice/contacts.

I also don't have a trailer for my car so it's tricky to collect or a drive to ask some kind farmer to deliver onto. I doubt my neighbours would appreciate a heap on the road for a few days whilst I haul it all UP to the garden around the back of the house. Stupid garden is about 20 ft uphill of the road and quite a long walk around the house and up two sets of steps.

There are plenty of farms and stables around but how do you actually ask for poop? Do you look up local farms on google? Just call them up and ask for rotten poop....oh and can you deliver? (don't think my mechanic would be too impressed end of this month if I had spent the last few weeks carting bags of manure when he has to sit in the car for the MOT) What is the going rate for delivery?

[Jeanied]

Freaya well rotted manure does not stink the car out, especially if it is not a long trip. I pop round to a local man who keeps horses - he puts the stable manure out in small bags -I think they are feed bags - and people passing by can collect what they want. I can get up to 7 bags in the boot of my car. Then I take them straight to the lottie and tip them out into a dedicated compost bin or into the mixed compost bin, and use it a few months later. I have also carted smaller compost bags to another stables and been told to help myself - lovely stuff - gooey but not stinky. Quite often the stables owners are all too happy to let you help yourself as it saves them the cost of disposal.
Delivered manure in our area seems to have a price of about £35 a load - and I suspect most of that is delivery - but I'm not sure how big a load is.

[SunnyU]

Cool - thanks everyone. There are a couple of horsey places around and I might just go round and ask. You don't ask you don't get I guess. I'll have to ask the other half for the car one day for a "trip to the shops" or something or he'll go mad!

I do like the skip idea...

[funstuie]

Just womdering why an 'organic' farm wouldn't use all their manure on their own land?

They do. The pile is about 10 foot high and 20 foot wide so there is plenty to go round. It's mostly stable manure and fruit (they have a small shop and whatever doesn't sell goes on the heap) waste.

I have had to fight of hens, roosters, swans and what looked like a tiny peacock when I have been loading up. There is always a collection of birds scavenging from the heap.

As others have said rotten manure doesn't smell. I have shipped loads in the car and my wife doesn't even notice (I do hoover it afterwards).

[Freaya]

Thanks all, I will have to get myself some thick bags and take a trip to the local stables and ask if I might help myself to the pile.