Goats are bred for dietary meat and milk, and manure is a natural waste product of these animals.
Therefore, goat owners are forced to look for different ways to dispose of their excrement.
When used correctly, goat manure turns into a good natural fertilizer that fills the soil with nutrients and microelements, thereby strengthening the immune system of plants and increasing productivity.
Benefits of Manure
Manure is much more effective than mineral fertilizers, since they contain only one element. But even if they have a complex composition, it is difficult for them to compete with manure, because natural fertilizer has the most optimal balance of micro- and macroelements, and the degree of their digestibility is ideal for the soil.
In addition, the droppings have a long-lasting effect on the soil - even after several years, its positive effect continues. By comparison, mineral supplements have a quick effect, the effect of their use lasts only one season, and when they break down, they form compounds that are difficult for plants to absorb. Even if you follow technology when applying these fertilizers to the soil, you can see that its consistency becomes similar to plasticine.
Manure also takes a direct part in the formation of the humus layer of soil. The introduction of excrement helps to increase the biological activity of the soil, increasing the intensity of all ongoing processes - this allows plants to receive even more nutrients. In addition, they facilitate the breakdown of harmful chemicals used in rodent control.
Which plants to apply to – dosages
Many people ask how to use goat manure and which plants like it best. Firstly, all plants love organic matter rich in nitrogen. The exception is a group of coniferous trees and shrubs that feed on nitrogen from the air. Therefore, we can say that goat manure is suitable for all garden and vegetable plants, especially berries and ornamental ones as mulch.
For flowering and fruiting, berry plants need potassium and phosphorus, of which there is plenty in the litter, so they set fruit well. Potassium is responsible for the accumulation of sugar, the uniform ripening of berries and their quantity, and phosphates help potassium to be absorbed.
To be sure of the correct application of organic fertilizers, novice farmers are recommended to embed it in the ground in the fall, when the crops are harvested and the bed is free. The droppings are evenly distributed throughout the area and dug up.
In the spring, many gardeners scatter fresh droppings on the snow. The fresh substance contains a lot of ammonia, but while the snow melts, the excess will evaporate, and the nutrients will enter the soil with melt water. The method is not labor-intensive, but effective.
Video: Goat manure is the most valuable fertilizer
You can make a liquid solution:
You need 1 liter of liquid fertilizer for seedlings and a bucket for shrubs in the spring. Fruit trees are watered with the same solution in the fall, but large volumes are needed here: it can take up to 20 buckets per adult tree.
Goat manure as fertilizer
Among organic fertilizers, goat manure is the most effective, as it releases its nutrients quite quickly. This fertilizer can be applied 5 times less often than cow fertilizer, and 4 times less often than horse fertilizer. Animal nutrition greatly influences the content of useful components in the litter. On pasture, goats choose exactly the vegetation that contains the largest amount of necessary substances, so the mineral nutritional value of their manure is extremely high.
The quality of manure depends on the nutrition of the sheep
If goats are kept in a barn, the content of trace elements in the excrement will depend on the quality and quantity of feed they are given. This is also influenced by the methods and timing of manure storage, and the type of litter used.
Goat manure, like sheep manure, is active and breaks down quickly, which is why it is considered “hot.” In places where a lot of it accumulates, the waste is used to fertilize cold and compacted soils, or for gardening and garden plots. But still, goat excrement is a little “colder” than horse excrement.
Reviews and discussions on forums
The most reliable reviews on how to use goat manure, as well as useful tips and tricks, can only be found on specialized forums, where users share their experience of fertilizing the garden with this material.
Therefore, we have prepared a list of several such forums :
- Goat breeding in Ukraine;
- Warmcafe;
- Golden apples of the Hesperides;
- Rosebook;
- Virtual club of goat breeders “Magical Country of Goats”.
Positive aspects of manure
It is known that a ton of fertilizers includes 6 kg of potassium, 2.5 kg of phosphorus and 5 kg of nitrogen. In addition, it has some advantages over other types. Goat or lamb manure as a fertilizer brings a much greater effect than cow manure - approximately 7-8 times. It can be used for a wide range of crops, because it brings great benefits to both plants and soil.
Compared to other types of excrement, goat excrement needs to be introduced several times less often. It retains heat in the ground for a long time and can be used as biofuel to heat greenhouses in the spring. Like sheep, goat manure differs in the form of granules, and when it dries, the smell disappears. It decomposes quickly and retains its properties for a long period. Nourishes the earth for a long time.
What is he?
The digestive system of small ruminants (SCR), which includes goats, is very different from the digestive system of cattle (that is, cows) and pigs in that the feces are less moist, formed into balls 0.5–2 cm in size.
Therefore, goat excrement often resembles a bunch of large dark, almost black peas . In addition, they have a less strong odor than cow or pork, because they contain less skatole.
In terms of its chemical composition, it is completely identical (to sheep manure), because the digestive tract of both types of animals has the same parameters.
Therefore, goat manure contains noticeably more nitrogen than the excrement of cows or pigs and is comparable in this parameter to bird droppings. In addition, it has a higher specific content of organic substances , which is caused by lower initial humidity.
However, after drying, the organic content in any bird or animal excrement is approximately the same, which cannot be said about other substances important for plants.
Special properties of fertilizers
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It is believed that fresh manure should not be applied to cultivated plants. This is explained by the fact that it contains nitrogen, which is in a free state. In close contact with plants, high concentrations of nitrogen can cause burns to the roots. In addition, plants can absorb and assimilate animal waste that has not had time to decompose, which can harm their development and growth.
As already mentioned, animal nutrition has a special influence on the quality of goat and sheep manure as fertilizers. When using roughage - straw, legumes, hay and bran - the best organic supplements are obtained. Such feeding creates favorable conditions for fermentation of manure.
It is worth considering that if goats graze near large roads where there are a lot of cars, then fertilizers made from their waste will contain a large amount of heavy metals and impurities.
Goat waste is more effective than cow waste because it contains twice as much nitrogen. We must not forget about the proper preparation of fertilizers, because they contain harmful substances - ammonia and methane. Their presence is explained by the presence of bacteria, which, after processing raw materials, release final products.
Goat farming as a business: goat breeding farm.
In order to start raising goats, you need grazing, space for a small farm with a fenced paddock. Since in winter the main food for goats is hay, you will need a place for haymaking to make hay. You don't need a heated room to keep goats. There are no special requirements for premises for keeping goats; it is necessary that there is no dampness or drafts; the main condition for keeping animals is the presence of dry bedding.
It is very important to decide on the breed of goats for breeding; the most popular dairy breeds are:
- Zaanenskaya.
- Toggenburgskaya.
- Gorkovskaya.
- Russian.
The Saanen breed is considered one of the highly productive breeds; the duration of lactation is 10 months a year. The Saanen breed is characterized by fairly good milk yield, about 6 liters per day, the Gorky and Russian breeds are 4 - 5 liters.
The cost of a 3-month-old young Saanen breed is about $200. The cost of adult females can reach $1000.
In the summer, the main food for goats is grass; as additional feeding, goats are given root vegetables from the garden and feed in small quantities.
In winter, grass is replaced with hay; hay consumption for each individual is about 2 kg. Additionally, additional feed is introduced from silage, root vegetables, wet mash from mixed feed and bran. Dried young tree branches are also fed to goats as additional nutrition.
The goat is a grazing animal and requires daily walking, at least 1 hour in the morning and in the evening. On farms, the stall-pasture method of keeping goats is usually used.
Goats are milked several times a day, usually in the morning, afternoon and evening. For goats with high milk yields of more than 3 liters, milking is required at least 3 times a day. It takes 10 minutes to milk each goat.
As for milk, it all depends on the breed; each breed has its own milk yield. So-called outbred goats produce less milk and are not milked in winter, but they are less demanding on the quality of feed. Pedigree goats are distinguished by high milk yields, but are demanding in terms of living conditions and the quality of feed. Farmers practice crossing outbred goats with purebred goats, and the resulting goats with good performance are left for further selection.
Regardless of the direction of activity and the choice of breed, raising goats requires pasture and a room in which the animals will be kept. The room must be heated in winter and be dry. For heating, in economic terms, it is best to install special boilers that run on any type of fuel.
Where to use goat excrement
The scope of use of goat manure in the form of fertilizers is quite wide. It is excellent for growing grains, vegetables and fodder crops. After introducing the manure, cucumbers and tomatoes produce a bountiful harvest, and the onions become more tender and pleasant to the taste.
Using goat excrement
Also, excrement acquires excellent properties if you add other types of fertilizers to it, depending on the type of plants being grown.
Storing goat excrement fertilizers
The most common method of storing manure is briquetting, due to its slow accumulation and density. One animal can produce several kilograms of excrement per day. Stable replenishment of waste also explains the popularity of this type of storage, because it prevents decomposition and loss of useful qualities.
If fertilizers are to be stored for a long period of time, then the briquettes should be placed in a ventilated room or under a canopy, surrounded by straw on a dense bedding and fenced so that liquid does not leak out from under them.
And if you plan to use briquettes in the near future, then they must be crushed to saturate them with oxygen. After this, they need to be moistened to obtain a dough-like mass and laid out in the open air on straw mats. Then you will need to compost by mixing the excrement with other organic waste. It is necessary to stir them all the time.
Fertilizer storage
How to make droppings suitable for applying to the ground
Over the course of several weeks, the resulting composition will begin to rot, and the temperature inside it will reach 60-70 degrees. Under such conditions, dangerous microorganisms will die. Goat and sheep droppings used for fertilizer are quite dense, so it is worth maintaining moderate humidity by adding water from time to time. It is necessary to stir the mass all the time so that oxygen containing various components can penetrate into it.
Most often, organic waste is added to the mixture, but it is not worth throwing wool, fats and bones into it, as it will take a lot of time to process them. Care should be taken when adding leaves as they may have fallen from the affected tree. Therefore, it is better to add foliage at the beginning of the process so that it rots and harmful organisms, if any, are destroyed. The composition required for fertilizers will be completely ready after a couple of months.
Methods of introducing waste into the soil
This process is absolutely identical to introducing fecal matter from other animals into the ground. First, you need to apply a small portion of fertilizer in the fall, and in the spring, additionally pour it into the holes where the seedlings will be located. It is not advisable to introduce excrement in its pure form due to the high concentration of nitrogen. A few weeks after application, you can begin planting.
By studying the distinctive features of goat manure and how to use it, you can successfully use it to fertilize the land and grow various crops. Its effectiveness is so great that the harvests collected from the garden will surprise and delight any summer resident or farmer.
Sheep manure supplement
