Whats better for improving soil, horse or cow manure?

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• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  August 2023

  It depends as much on the type of husbandry system the manure comes from as the type of animal. 

  
  

  Manure from cattle over-wintered on a deep litter system, then stacked so that it heats up and rots down, can be very good indeed. 

  
  

  Some ‘stable manure’ consists mainly of the animals’ droppings which will not add much humus tk your soil. However this type of manure is very beneficial added to a compost heap where it works as an activator helping to break down the plant material and make very good compost. 

  
  

  Also some older horses with poor teeth are unable to masticate them oats and grass seeds properly .., these seeds can pass through the gut undigested and germinate in your soil if the manure’s not been stacked and allowed to heat up properly. 

  
  

  So really, you need to have a good look at the manure available to determine its content and how it’s been treated, rather than look simply at the type of animal it comes from, to decide if it’s suitable for your purpose. 

  
  

  
  

  
  Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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