Types of manure on a farm raising animals, even a small farm, can be varied and plentiful. There are lots of advantages for gardens, pastures, fields or lawns. However, not all manure has the same makeup or can be used in the same ways. Some manures must be composted to prevent burning plants due to high nitrogen levels; some can be used right away and some are a matter of heated debate amongst farmers and experts in organic farming.

What is Manure?

While this may seem like a simple question, manure, compost and fertilizer are often used interchangeably. They are not the same things.

Fertilizer is an additive that increases nutrition and may improve the soil. Compost can be a type of fertilizer, as can certain types of manure. However, there are also chemical fertilizers.

Compost is a mixture of biodegradable substances, mainly including vegetable matter and sometimes including shellfish remnants or manure to make a healthier mix. Decomposition and time should cause the mix to become very hot, killing any harmful substances in the mix and allowing the final product to be used as a fertilizer. Most compost takes at least a year to make without special equipment, in order to ensure it is safe to use.

Manure is the feces that comes directly from an animal. Not all manure is considered safe for use, and even as high-quality compost, animal dung from cats, dogs and humans is rarely used because of the risk of pathogens.

Types of Manure: Cold

Cold manure is dung that is safe to put directly onto plants without harming the vegetation. These are usually the pelleted manures, such as goat, rabbit and sheep. Resources will vary as to whether it is the physical or nutritional makeup that makes these cold manures safer for plants, but their nutrients release into the soil more slowly. This gives the vegetation a “time release” dose and protects the plants from burning.

There are still some issues with direct use of cold manure, however. The animals that produce cold manure are grazers and may have seeds in their dung, which can result in weeds or other unwanted vegetation in your garden. Ruminants digest their food multiple times, but certain pathogens can still survive in their stomachs or the stomachs of rabbits. This can pass through their systems, and if their manure is used cold, these pathogens can make their way from pastures to lawns and gardens where they may impact pets or humans. For this reason and others many organizations suggest even cold manure be composted before use. Organic farming certifications will actually require it.

Types of Manure: Hot

Hot manure is from animals such as chickens and pigs that have a high protein diet and produce manure high in phosphorus and nitrogen. Chicken manure is extremely nutritious for plants and often easily accessible to farmers, so it is one of the more commonly used manures. However, due to the nature of the stuff, pouring it directly onto plants will cause a literal “burning” of the vegetation and will damage or kill crops. Hence, the term “hot manure.”

To safely use chicken manure, it needs to be mixed with decomposing vegetable matter. The carbon this vegetation provides combines with nitrogen and phosphorus to produce a nutritious, safe mix. This is why animals are usually bedded with carbon-based substances. Straw, hay, shavings and other such floor coverings will mix with animal droppings and begin the composting process immediately – even before the farmer cleans things up.

Complicated Manure

The topic of manure is a more complicated one than it may seem on the surface and has changed over the last several decades. Older resources will disagree with modern ones about which animals have “cold” manure. Finding a correct balance of manure and nutrients to break down your animal waste is a scientific field that is constantly making new discoveries. The techniques behind “deep bedding” animal manure have changed over time as well. Even the term “hot” manure – for some farmers – has been used to discuss the amount of moisture in manure.

Many of these terms have been stabilized across the research arena – or are stabilizing. Therefore, when researching your types of manure and what to do with it, make certain to use modern resources and editions.

This post about types of manure was written for Hobby Farms and Chickens magazines. Click here to subscribe.