[Carollan]

Me and hubby have found some time to get along to the horse stables and start collecting bags of  very fresh manure to heap on the allotment for next year.the old rotted manure has sadly been mixed up with some other clay and rubble to make a huge windbreak bank.

How should keep it?covered with heavy duty black plastic or open to the weather?
Last year,I kept the black plastic on when it was hot and sunny ,and found when I pulled the plastic back,the heap was steaming,so I assumed this was good.Should I pull the plastic back when it rains,or will this leach anything good out of the manure?

Any ideas welcome,it will eventually be a HUGE  pile,I have the freedom to take as much as I want,in fact,they want me to take it! 

[Y.E.A.H]

I just bag the stuff up and leave it a year or two then its ready! saves the trouble of emptying it all out, and its easy to move 

[DD.]

Just keep it covered, no need to open it to the rain, the cover will keep the moisture in.

I trust you're aware of the potential problem from residual herbicide. Here's one recent thread:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=78504.0

[lacewing]

This is how we do it but you may got other ideas as well.

Unlike compost which needs air to rot down, manure should be stacked to exclude air. Either a solid sided container, or a covered heap. the heap should be higher one end and covered with something waterproof, to allow rain to run off.
If you can get hold of some straw so much the better, construct your pile in layers if manure and straw, treading it down after each layer of straw, to exclude air.
If you only have manure, stack it as compact as you can, cover it and leave for twelve months.

[Carollan]

Thanks Lacewing,my common sense was telling me to cover it closely,but I shall stamp it down as well when we put a new load on.Thanks for the info and ,DD,we stacked the same manure last year and put it on the allotment this year..............so far to no ill effects,so hopefully,the same hay and straw has been used this year.I only get to talk to one of the horse mad ladies,so I shall ask her where the hay/straw comes from and if it is safe.Thankyou