Is all poop created equal?

Hi new friends. I'm getting ready to start up my MM, and am finding it more difficult that I anticipated to find 5 kinds of compost. I already have mushroom and cow composts. I've found sources for hen, alpaca/llama, and horse composts/manure. Would those be considered too near the makeup of the cow poo, or since they eat different stuff, is it sufficiently different to make up the rest of my 5?

Thanks brilliant and generous people! Can't wait to show off what I've created - with YOUR help of course!

Tracy

I am jealous! You are lucky to have found that many different kinds of compost. That's great!

I can't wait to see your creations!

Oh, so I'm good then? Poop-heavy isn't a bad thing?

jazzymaddy wrote:Oh, so I'm good then? Poop-heavy isn't a bad thing?

Poop poopy doop is a very good thing!

The other day a forum member said something I liked about animal manures:
"Different stuff going in; different stuff coming out." So that's why each type of manure counts as one.

You have a great start on your compost. It will work, but it could be better. What I'm about to say, is stuff I don't know much about! I'm hoping someone will come along soon with the details.

Products that go into compost piles are usually considered to be greens or browns. There are optimal ratios recommended for each to help achieve a good balance of minerals etc. I can never remember what is what. If you're into micro-managing everything, this is stuff you should know.

For myself, all I do is throw in some manures and throw in some plant material. Convenient plant material, for me, is grass clippings, leaves, and straw. I don't worry about ratios or that other stuff. Poops and plants, whatever I have around works for me.

boffer wrote:The other day a forum member said something I liked about animal manures:
"Different stuff going in; different stuff coming out." So that's why each type of manure counts as one.

You have a great start on your compost. It will work, but it could be better. What I'm about to say, is stuff I don't know much about! I'm hoping someone will come along soon with the details.

Products that go into compost piles are usually considered to be greens or browns. There are optimal ratios recommended for each to help achieve a good balance of minerals etc. I can never remember what is what. If you're into micro-managing everything, this is stuff you should know.

For myself, all I do is throw in some manures and throw in some plant material. Convenient plant material, for me, is grass clippings, leaves, and straw. I don't worry about ratios or that other stuff. Poops and plants, whatever I have around works for me.

Hmmm. Lots to think about. I guess for my first time out, I am leaning toward the micro-management side of things. I actually just found another source for a great mix. Chicken, llama, rabbit and goat mixed. My mushroom compost looks like it has a bunch of stuff in it, including peanut meal and feathers. Would an equal mix of those two mixes be a good thing, or should I keep up the hunt?

I fear I may be over-thinking again, but I do want to start off as strong as possible.

Thanks,
Tracy

I certainly would consider each type a different source, but more because they are likely made slightly differently than because each species of herbivore is fed all that differently (except chickens which technically are a granivore - grain eater). Certainly horses often get a bit higher protein in general than most other herbivores, but there are likely smaller differences in the manure components than in the sum total of the other ingredients in each of the bags.

I think the TOTAL of all the different components that go into each brand should qualify each as a different compost source. Unless you have the same brand and each bag lists the exact same ingredients except the animal producing the manure, I think you're safe in counting each separately.

I personally use cow and horse manure interchangeably in making my own compost. Each has a different texture and odor when new (certainly have differences in how they ferment their feedstuffs), but the texture of the finished compost seems more affected by the brown component than the manure. I certainly don't have any scientific facts to back up this opinion, I haven't seen any studies done, but I'm sure there have been some. I just don't know how valuable they'd be because every farm feeds a bit differently. There is no sense in comparing farm X cow manure to farm Y horse manure or farm Z rabbit manure.

Be happy if you can find multiple different compost sources from whatever brand, beware of compost that is too cheap (in my experience less than $5.00 for 2 cubic feet of bagged compost is going to be a bit questionable quality), and get as many as you can to blend together. If you're getting bulk compost - go look at it first, ask what all goes into it (I've had bad experiences with that, too), and get recommendations from people you trust who have actually used products from that company before.

Sum total for the OP, it sounds like you're all good with what you've found. You've got plenty of variety in the manures going into the products, if they have good variety in the browns listed, too, you're golden.

Thanks for all the help everybody! I think I may actually have it!!!