Factors to Consider When Putting in a Muck Heap

Nov 7, 2011
Chris Thomas

Manure Should be Cleared from Yards and Paddocks - C. Thomas

The correct placement and design of where manure is going to be stored on the horse property is highly important.

A muck heap may be seen as a necessary evil on the horse property. The fact of the matter is, horses can produce in excess of 8 tonnes of manure a year. When considering that some studs and performance facilities can have from 50 horses, up to in excess of 300 horses, that is a lot of manure!

Consequently, the collection and storage of manure as well as its removal or use should be considered. When it comes to choosing a place to store manure that has been picked up from yards, stables and paddocks, there are some important factors to consider with regards to location:

Proximity to water sources
Ease of access
Affect of smell on nearby areas

It is important to ensure that manure isn’t located in such a place that when the rains come, the runoff from the muck heap ends up making its way down drains or via another means into local water sources. Checking with the local council about how close to waterways manure piles can be, will ensure that horse properties are abiding by council law.

Having a muck heap that is enclosed on three sides, with a concrete surface may also help with regards to secure storage and avoiding runoff. Creating the heap so that the surface slopes toward the back wall, will also help to avoid runoff going in the wrong direction. This may however, make it difficult to completely clean out the area if this is desired at certain times of the year.

Ease of Access for Filling and Emptying the Manure Pile

The manure pile should be close to stables or yards that are going to be consistently cleared of manure. It should be easy to access with a wheelbarrow or to back up a trailer to if utilising a four wheeler bike and trailer to clean paddocks. It should however be far enough away from neighbours or clients that may find the odour less than desirable.

If the manure is going to be made available to the public to make use of, it should be easily accessible for people to get to with a vehicle and trailer. Having it close to the entrance also avoids potential strangers driving around the property. This method of manure removal can be particularly helpful to the horse owner that has no other way of getting rid of excessive amounts of manure, and it can be offered for free or at a price.

Utilisation of Manure

The horse owner may want to make use of the manure that is removed from paddocks. This can be done in the form of composting and putting back into the paddocks, or on the garden. Another method that avoids the manual labour of picking up manure is to harrow paddocks that are going to be spelled from horses for awhile. Whatever methods are utilised on the horse property, the factors relating to the storage of manure should be considered before determining where the muck heap will be located.