[dmg]

Our plots are going to be getting supplies of both cow and horse manure. Does one have any more benefit over the other and is there any specific crops that do better with one over the other? Obviously they will be used when they are well rotted, do they rot at the same rate?

Thanks
Dmg

[BabbyAnn]

Not sure about which would rot down quicker - most likely about the same.  My friend swore by horse manure but it tends to be full of weed seeds.  I haven't really noticed much difference with plant growth between the two to be honest.

[JayG]

Anyone who hasn't had weeds germinating from compost or rotted manure is either very lucky, skilled, or telling porkies!

Cows are apparently about 3 times as efficient at digesting greenstuffs than horses, so in theory there would be less viable seeds left in the "end product."

Nutrition-wise I don't think there is much to choose between them.

[RichardA]

what were they bedded on ?? -- cows on straw give a bulky manure whereas horses may have been on shavings so that will be less bulky so easier to move but puts less fibre into ground but the urine and feaces content which is "nutriment" is similar.
R

[compostqueen]

I would gratefully accept both. I'd be inclined to further rot down the horse muck, straw and all, in my compost bins. It will rot down fast once the weather warms up and kill off lots of those pesky weed seeds.  It has to get hot though but that shouldn't be a problem given the nature of the material 

Cow poo is as stated above but it's very heavy going trying to move the stuff so take care!

To handle, I prefer horse muck as it's easier for a small lady like me to cart about and lift whereas cow muck is dense and weighs a tonne 

[Stewpot]

                                 Nitrogen (N)       Phosphorus (P)     Potassium (K)

Cow Manure                 0.6                     0.4                      0.5

Horse Manure              0.7                      0.3                      0.6

There is not much in them as you can see, other than you get a few more weeds from Horse Manure.

[conteasy]

Horse for "quick" crops and cattle for heavy things like brassicas.  Good rich cow manure provides longer lasting texture for light soils.  Pig manure for Celery and Leeks.  But that's the ideal, for most of us, whatever we can get hold of!  Cattle are usually fed on silage, horses may get hay that can be full of viable seeds that spill into the bedding.  Well stacked horse manure rots down sooner than others, mushroom growers can have it ready quite quickly.  Stacking well is important whatever you have, don't build a shape that sheds water or it can dry out.  A flattish top but covered with something permeable helps it stay moist without getting too wet and leaching entirely.

[fatcat1955]

I thought i read somewhere, Horse manure is hot and cow manure is cold. Going by that i don't think you should put cow maure in the compost bin but spread it straight over the soil for the worms to take down for you.

[WirralWally]

If its well rotted then don't worry.

Aged animal poo (cow or horse) will only improve the soil quality.

It does help, however, if it is mixed with hay, straw, wood shavings, sawdust, etc which horse poo is more likely to be.

I would accept any of the above (cow or horse poo) but would be more likely to incorporate it into my compost heaps for a year before spreading it onto my precious soil.

[Benandbill]

I'm no expert but I have been getting cow for the last couple of years.  I heard horses are greedy and don't digest their food as well as cows and so you're more likely to get too much straw in horse, however I don't doubt there's some decent quality stuff around depending how they're fed.  I also heard, be careful what you're getting from a farm cos if they're using pesticides, it might not be good for your ground at all.

[BussinSpain]

I have found that Cow (and pig) manure takes an awfully long time to rot down properly prior to use.  I favour horse poo, especially if it has been "poo-picked" straight from the field!  I used to do this with my horse many years ago.  If you know someone who has a horse/es, ask them to let you wander around the paddocks picking up the "poo" - you could get your manure for free and help out the horse owner in the process. 

[Stewpot]

gardeners keep saying that they use manure complete with wood chippings/sawdust, do you know that wood chippings encourage WIREWORM.

[JayG]

gardeners keep saying that they use manure complete with wood chippings/sawdust, do you know that wood chippings encourage WIREWORM.

Not saying you're wrong, but that's a new one on me - can you let us know where you found that information?

[BabbyAnn]

I was intrigued by that statement too so did a little google search -

1) I found an article on a US agricultural site about pests on farmland
2) to determine how many wireworm are present in a field one simple test is to bury a series of perforated pots containing sawdust with intentions of digging them up later.
3) sawdust gives off CO2 which apparently attracts wireworm - any captured is a sample of how many were in a field (if it needed treating with pesticide or whatever)
4) wireworm are attracted to CO2 because it is a by product of seeds when they are germinating - so a field heavily infested with wireworm could have a devastating effect on the crop yield

Whether this is applicable to UK allotment plots and gardens is another matter, but it may be an alternate to burying that potato trap