Feed mulcher for a manure prepare'er

[dwragon]

Hi all, I am starting to get buildup of hay and manure in my sheep pens, i need to spread this out in a field which has a bad area in it, basically no huemas to hold down the sand. I have an old feed chopper i am hoping will mulch the hay, and an old rotating fertilizer machine to spead the hay/manure combination, has anyone tried this combination, or should i just get a wagon?

 

[Aaron SEIA]

I'd go buy a manure spreader.
AaronSEIA

 

[showcrop]

Please tell what is "an old rotating fertilizer machine"???

 

[dwragon]

An old rotating manure speader, looks like a jd lf-12 ezee-flow grass seeder., two 4 ft long coffin type boxes with a wheel rotated shaft with blades on it.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 08:48:41 03/08/22) An old rotating manure speader, looks like a jd lf-12 ezee-flow grass seeder., two 4 ft long coffin type boxes with a wheel rotated shaft with blades on it.

That does not sound like a manure spreader. It sounds like a very old type of lime-fertilizer spreader. I had sheep. Thirty at one point. Not only do you need a manure spreader you need one that has the capability to chop it up good before flinging it out. Google "dry manure-litter spreader".

 

[SVcummins]

Thats a dry fertilizer spreader unless you turn the manure to
powder and it is completely dry it wont work . Its made made
to spread granular fertilizer or grass seed

 

[dwragon]

(quoted from post at 16:46:29 03/08/22) Thats a dry fertilizer spreader unless you turn the manure to powder and it is completely dry it wont work . Its made made to spread granular fertilizer or grass seed

ahhhh, ok, well, I only gave $50 for it.

Well, I looked at manure wagons and they are too big, but I think I already have what I need, with a little bit of work I have an old peanut digger? similar to the pic i can convert to a short bed wagon by adding a headboard, floor and sides, after leveling the belt system .

This post was edited by dwragon on 03/08/2022 at 05:35 pm.

 

[dwragon]

well, right not we only have 5 Finish Line Race sheep (phone auto correct for Finnish Landrace) , but we are hoping the heard "grows".

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 04:41:15 03/08/22) Hi all, I am starting to get buildup of hay and manure in my sheep pens, i need to spread this out in a field which has a bad area in it, basically no huemas to hold down the sand. I have an old feed chopper i am hoping will mulch the hay, and an old rotating fertilizer machine to spead the hay/manure combination, has anyone tried this combination, or should i just get a wagon?

That will not work. You apparently have no appreciation for how "sheep manure pack" binds together. Since you don't wish to believe, I suggest that before you expend any money or effort on your peanut digger, that you first remove some of the material from a pen, and just pile it, so that you can find out what your spreading needs are.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Never had a manure spreader to big. Save all the hair brained ideas and go buy a spreader it will be well worth the cost and fooling around. Or go make an old stone boat then fork it off of that. You will then appreciate the manure spreader for your job.

 

[dwragon]

I agree with never having a manure spreader to big, however, as for all the hair brain ideas, compare the visual mechanisms of the two machines, they are basically the same. I am starting this operation from scratch and we dont have alot of money, but I do have time and mechanical skills. If you want to buy me a manure spreader, or donate an old one that is too small for you now, I would certainly be ready to accept.

 

[dwragon]

First, I dont know what you mean by sheep manure pack, if it is fresh clumped manure, or packed manure and straw mixed. Second, I googled "dry manure-litter spreader", and it just shows various manure spreaders. Of what it did show, I am certainly am not spending thousands of dollars on new equipment. It also showed old manure spreaders which do nothing more than shove the manure out of the back of the wagon with angle iron and a flail wheel. If you note on the peanut digger posted in the previous post, it has tines as well as the angle iron, and I think this will help move the manure/straw mixture.
Third, innovation is what got us where we are, and necessity and laziness are the parents of invention. What if Maytags wife had never left him with six kids.

This post was edited by dwragon on 03/10/2022 at 05:29 pm.

 

[Roger Tomfohrde]

From past experience, sheep pen pack is the worst material to get spread uniformly. My recommendation would be to use a loader, if possible, to tear it loose and pile it in a location that you can turn the
pile like the composters do for a while to get it to break down(probably over a few months). A 329 New Holland would bunch it if it was not hand loaded with small fork fulls at a time, even then it is almost
needing a drag to spread it. The three beater John Deere ground drive did the best job spreading the material. A sheeps foot construction roller gives you an idea how packed it gets. We would break fork
handles if you were not careful peeling the manure loose. Good luck, I got many calluses from cleaning the sheep barn which was a low building that you could hardly stand up in and don't really miss that job..

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 18:29:15 03/10/22) First, I dont know what you mean by sheep manure pack, if it is fresh clumped manure, or packed manure and straw mixed. Second, I googled "dry manure-litter spreader", and it just shows various manure spreaders. Of what it did show, I am certainly am not spending thousands of dollars on new equipment. It also showed old manure spreaders which do nothing more than shove the manure out of the back of the wagon with angle iron and a flail wheel. If you note on the peanut digger posted in the previous post, it has tines as well as the angle iron, and I think this will help move the manure/straw mixture.
Third, innovation is what got us where we are, and necessity and laziness are the parents of invention. What if Maytags wife had never left him with six kids.

This post was edited by dwragon on 03/10/2022 at 05:29 pm.

That will not work. You apparently have no appreciation for how "sheep manure pack" binds together. Since you don't wish to believe, I suggest that before you expend any money or effort on your peanut digger, that you first remove some of the material from a pen, and just pile it, so that you can find out what your spreading needs are.

 

[J.Wondergem]

I don't know what you are calling a manure wagon, but, if you want to build something, build a manure spreader, like a manure spreader.

 

[Roger Tomfohrde]

Basically sheep pen pack is any place where sheep can walk on hay and manure together pressing it into a layer. add urine and rain water, if in the open and eventually you will have a layer so packed
together it almost becomes wooden. Our sheep house where they would stay in would have straw , hay and manure intertwined. If your manure is loose it is different and becomes easier to handle. Manure
spreader is your best option yet mentioned.

 

[dwragon]

Sorry I haven't been here awhile, had some internet difficulties, ditched atnt, anyway, Showcrop, I ran across what looks like a John Deere L Series 51 manure spreader for $75, needs wood and some belt? repairs, do you think this one would be sufficient?

 

[showcrop]

No, as I posted earlier pen pack is very hard and is hard to break up.

 

[lastcowboy32]

(quoted from post at 18:29:15 03/10/22) First, I dont know what you mean by sheep manure pack, if it is fresh clumped manure, or packed manure and straw mixed. Second, I googled "dry manure-litter spreader", and it just shows various manure spreaders. Of what it did show, I am certainly am not spending thousands of dollars on new equipment. It also showed old manure spreaders which do nothing more than shove the manure out of the back of the wagon with angle iron and a flail wheel. If you note on the peanut digger posted in the previous post, it has tines as well as the angle iron, and I think this will help move the manure/straw mixture.
Third, innovation is what got us where we are, and necessity and laziness are the parents of invention. What if Maytags wife had never left him with six kids.

This post was edited by dwragon on 03/10/2022 at 05:29 pm.

5 sheep should be able to be cleaned up with a fork and a couple of five gallon pails.

We used to have about 100 chickens. By cleaning every day with a fork/shovel and a couple of five gallon pails, I never had buildup or pack... and I would just walk the pails out to the garden and give their contents a toss.

Even had a little song about it to the tune of "Jingle Bells"...

Chicken poop, Chicken poop
Makes the garden grown
Daddy puts it in a pail
And throws it on the snow... ohhhhhh...

Anyway, if your herd stays at 5. The recommendation would be to keep it as simple and cheap as possible.

If you are going to grow your herd past what you can handle with human labor; then maybe consider sizing the right equipment for the task... and or... consider whether you actually WANT to grow the herd.

My experience is that herd sizes are sustainable (we deal with cattle) if they are really big... or really small.

In between? You have all of the problems and equipment needs of the big herd, but not enough herd size to reap the economies of scale to justify the equipment... and it's too much to handle with human power.

That's the crux of your problem... you don't want to spend thousands on equipment to spread the manure of a few more sheep... and I don't blame you.

 

[dwragon]

:lol: Well, we now have a massive herd of 8, 4 in two 50 ft by 50 ft outside pens, I guess if it gets too bad I can plow it, scrape it and load it into the spreader, but it isn't building up at all so far after 6 months