Composting examples:

Photo courtesy of University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.

This is a small wooden compost bin that sits on an impervious surface and is covered with a tarp. Two perforated pipes are placed within the pile to assist with aeration - known as passive aeration.

 

Photo courtesy of Heidi Konesko, USDA NRCS New Hampshire.

This 3-bin compost system was installed in cooperation with USDA NRCS in New Hampshire. It is an 02 Compost System that uses a blower and perforated pipes located at the bottom of each bin to assist with aeration (forced aeration). The system is roofed and lined with a concrete pad. It provides composting for the manure produced by 5 horses, 1 mule and 14 minature donkeys with wood pellet bedding.

 

Photo courtesy of the Mid-Atlantic Equine Pasture Initiative.

This is a 6-bin compost system that is roofed and lined with a conrete pad. It relies on mechanical aeration with a small front end loader tractor or it can be turned by hand. One bin starts a new pile of manure and bedding. The pile is then moved to a second bin when it reaches proper temperatures (130 - 140 degrees F). The compost in the second bin is then moved to a third bin (when heated to proper temperatures) to finish or cure.

 

Photo courtesy of the Mid-Atlantic Equine Pasture Initiative.

This is an open two-bin compost system constructed out of wood and chicken wire and located on a concrete pad. It can be used to stack, move and aerate piles by hand with a fork or shovel. Another bin would be helpful to allow compost to finish or cure.

 

Photo courtesy of the Mid-Atlantic Pasture Initiative.

This is a windrow compost system where a large front end loader tractor or special windrow aeration machine is used to aerate the piles. It is important to consider lining these areas with a dense gravel or other impermeable liner and directing runoff to grassed filter strips to settle and take up the nutrient and pathogen-rich water.

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Composting fact sheets and resources

URI Fact Sheets:

Composting Manure On-Farm: Basics for Small Acreage Livestock Farms

Aerated Bay Compost System: A Pilot Demonstration
University of Rhode Island Peckham Farm

On-Farm Composting Handbook, Natural Resource, Agriculture and Engineering Service, www.nraes.org. This handbook presents a thorough overview of farm-scale composting and explains how to produce, use, and market compost.

Composting Horse Manure - UMASS Extension Fact Sheet.

Composting: Recycling the Feed You've Paid For - USDA NRCS Connecticut Horse Environmental Awareness Program Fact Sheet.

On-Farm Composting: A Guide to Principles, Planning, & Operations - Virginia Cooperative Extension Guide.

Horse Manure Management: The Nitrogen Enhancement System - Ohio State Extension fact sheet on adding nitrogen fertilizer to horse manure with a high wood bedding content.

eXtension - Animal Manure Management, Composting

O2 Compost Systems - provides resources and training for establishing on-farm composting systems.

Composting for Small Scale Livestock Operations - Penn State fact sheet providing designs for constructing small compost bins.

Rhode Island Composting Facilities - A Solution For Pollution - brochure listing commercial composting facilities and RI Department of Environmental Management contact information for laws and regulations.

Maine Compost School - provides courses, videos and resource library.

 

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