Whats the scoop on Goat poop?

[Gerrie]

One of our neighbors told my hubby that another neighbor (farmer) was giving away goat poop. So hubby went and got three yards of it-it's not composted and has a lot of straw mixed in, from the bedding, I'd guess. I've read somewhere that goat poop is 'hot' and not to use it. Unfortunately I read that tidy bit AFTER we got the goat poop. So, do I: compost it separately? in my regular compost piles? put it in the ground in a bed to be used in two months or what?

[cynthia_h]

in my regular compost piles?

That's the place! And congratulations on this treasure!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[toxcrusadr]

I don't have any specific info on goat poop, but I would think virtually any manure, when composted, will not be harmful to your garden. It's going to be too hot when it's fresh, and if there is a LOT of straw mixed in, it could wind up on the brown side. I've seen sawdust based barn cleanings that I had to add greens to get it to compost.

My sister had goats, and I believe they used the composted manure in the garden with no problems.

[tomc]

One of our neighbors told my hubby that another neighbor (farmer) was giving away goat poop. So hubby went and got three yards of it-it's not composted and has a lot of straw mixed in, from the bedding, I'd guess. I've read somewhere that goat poop is 'hot' and not to use it. Unfortunately I read that tidy bit AFTER we got the goat poop. So, do I: compost it separately? in my regular compost piles? put it in the ground in a bed to be used in two months or what?

Most of my past gardening experience is in NH, So the folks I would quiz were NOFA growers. I never sold much and was unwilling to jump through the hoops to become certified. So with that disclaimer spoke:

If the time between spreading manure and eating a crop out of that feild is greater than 90 days, spread and till it in now.

if its less than 90 days till harvest or you plan a root crop, you may want to compost manure first.

thats the standard as I know it

I have used multi-compartmented stomach critters manure (rabbit, goat, camilid, cattle) that I knew the farming practice of the farmer, with a lot shorter time frame.

I am not a particularly trusting soul, and started manuring gardens before NOFA was even a gleam in farmer Browns eye. If you don't know what went in the front end of the livestock you're using the manure of, I'd go with the 90 day standard.

No, you do not need to separately compost herbivore manure.

[Ozark Lady]

I sprinkle fresh goat berries right around the plants, not quite touching any leaves or stems. Moderation is the key here.

It is not hot like chicken manure, but it can get hot, once it is wet and starts breaking down, so a little will work fine, but too much is too much.

Manure tea made from goat berries are a great pick-me-up for my garden plants.

It is very comparable to rabbit manure, which is also a slower release manure, than is chicken, cow or horse manure. I really think it is the pellet form that helps in the slow release.

Goats are pretty efficient digesters and you don't get seeds that are still viable from their manure like you can from some other animals.

[nickolas]

I used to have 8 dairy goats and I would have to muck out there sheds once every month, so all there straw bedding and poo balls went into my many compost piles as a brown.

[shadowsmom]

I used to have 8 dairy goats and I would have to muck out there sheds once every month, so all there straw bedding and poo balls went into my many compost piles as a brown.

I do that every month with my sheep barn. They don't use the barn much in the summer, so I save the winter clean out in a separate pile and add it to my green compost. In the fall I give it a good cleaning and throw it right in the garden to sit all winter.

[nickolas]

I used to have 8 dairy goats and I would have to muck out there sheds once every month, so all there straw bedding and poo balls went into my many compost piles as a brown.

I do that every month with my sheep barn. They don't use the barn much in the summer, so I save the winter clean out in a separate pile and add it to my green compost. In the fall I give it a good cleaning and throw it right in the garden to sit all winter.

Nice to know I am not the only one to do the derty jobs like cleaning the barn out

[shadowsmom]

Nice to know I am not the only one to do the derty jobs like cleaning the barn out

You are in good company! I actually don't mind that job as much as some others.

[nickolas]

Nice to know I am not the only one to do the derty jobs like cleaning the barn out

You are in good company! I actually don't mind that job as much as some others.

Yes there is only one job for me that is worse than mucking out the barn, emptying the portable toilet.

[Texas.girl]

Glad to see all this helpful info on goat droppings. A couple of weeks ago a goat showed up outside my kitchen window. I quickly relocated her to my garden, where she has been happily weeding for me ever since. I live in goat country but no one has claimed her (clearly a pet and not lost livestock), so it looks like I now own a goat. She loves to lay on my compost pile (4 ft fencing wired into a circle which I filled up this summer). I am wondering how being compacted affects the composting process? Does it affect the speed at which stuff composts? She is also leaving fertilizer all over the garden. From what is said here I guess it will be okay to not clean it up before planting my spring garden. P.S. A friend insisted I name her, so she is now called Lawn Mower.

[Texas.girl]

I have been to the county Ag Extension Office and got info on goat care and spoken to several goat ranchers. I am hoping to have new accommodations available for Lawn Mower before the spring planting begins. Right now she has no protection against hail storms. Strangely, she has not eaten any of the lettuce greens still surviving, though she has stepped on them. She did thoroughly enjoy the tomato plants though, but passed on the green tomatoes still on the plants. Most of my dead vegetable plants from summer (which I have been too lazy to pull up) have disappeared. I am hoping the garden will be all cleaned up come spring and ready for me to start planting. I am too lazy to turn the compost pile, but may do so come spring.

[toxcrusadr]

Sounds like you have a 4-legged walking portable self-loading hot compost pile!

[Texas.girl]

Sounds like you have a 4-legged walking portable self-loading hot compost pile!

who also is a weed eater and lawn mower.

[toxcrusadr]

Makes ya wonder why most of us stopped having livestock in the backyard a few decades back.

[estorms]

Be careful with that goat! If it gets out of the garden it can be a real pest. I have seen them eat clothes off the line, climb on cars, eat flowers, etc.

[Texas.girl]

When Lawn Mower is out of the garden she is always on a long chain so she can graze. I will admit I do not like the way she looks at my vehicle so I keep her away from it. Yesterday I found a good article on building a goat-proof fence, which a friend and I plan to build next year. With 20 acres of weeds and Mountain Cedar trees, and a few oak trees which she really loves, Lawn Mower appears to be very happy.