I sure wouldn't salt the manure! If you did, it would go from being good fertilizer that you or someone else might want, to being poison to the plants anywhere you spread it.
Any chance of enlarging your containment area? It will get bad when things thaw. I hate to see cattle belly deep in "mud". And if they don't have anywhere to go, that is what happens. Cattle panels are pretty easy to handle and stay in place fairly well if tied together and to some T posts.
When I was a kid, my Dad and I built a feeder connected to our barn. It had a roof over it and allowed me to feed our cattle without going outside. I just dragged bales down the feeder and opened them and split them a bit. With that feeder, the wasted hay went to almost nothing. The area where the cattle stood while eating was sloped a bit, so manure and any liquid flowed off of the ramp, away from the feeder. It was sure a lot easier than feeding outside on the ground, where there was also a lot of wastage. We had about 15 acres that was well fenced to keep our cattle wintered in. They did fine with no real shelter except a lot of pine trees. In the late Spring, we would move manure from the barnyard, trying to spread it on our cultivated fields where it was needed most. I remember how thrilled I was when we got our first loader tractor, since we loaded manure by hand before that. I hate to think how many loads I did that way...but it had to be done.
If I was going to winter cattle again, I would build a similar feeder, only I would use more concrete and less wood. Our old feeder worked fine, but after about 10 years, there was significant rot that needed to be repaired. But my Dad went out of the cattle business and quit keeping any animals through the Winter when he retired.
Maybe a little late for this season, but it might be something to consider if you intend to keep raising cattle in future years. Good luck!
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Earthmaster Project Progress Just a little update on my Earthmaster......it's back from the dead! I pulled the head, and soaked the stuck valves with mystery oil overnight, re-installed the head, and bingo, the compression returned. But alas, my carb foiled me again, it would fire a second then flood out. After numerous dead ends for a replacement carb, I went to work fixing mine.I soldered new floats on the float arm, they came from an old motorcycle carb, replaced the packing on the throttle shaft with o-rings, cut new ga
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
