I learned that if you break up the manure piles and spread them thinly across the field, the manure dries and breaks down quickly, fertilizing the pasture and killing most of the parasites. Then I looked up "drag chain harrows" and found a great selection available to pull behind a tractor, ATV, or riding lawn mower. But the prices were $200 and up. There was no way I could justify that kind of expense. So, I showed pictures of those drag chains to my son and hubby and they created one for us that didn't cost us a penny. I love it! It might not be pretty, but it works great.
We use the drag chain from early spring through late fall. Once the temperatures are cold enough that the grasses and clovers aren't growing anymore, we resort back to collecting the manure in a wheelbarrow and hauling it out to the compost pile. This is much easier and faster to do in the winter, however, because the grass is short, the ground is hard, and the manure piles (which are often frozen) are easy to scoop up.
Here are some pictures of the drag chain my we built and us using it for the last time this season.
what a good idea been looking how to make one for ages now can have a go as we are on a mates farm and there is 6 fields to do takes ages by hand x
ReplyDeleteI came to Western North Carolina in my teens with my family after leaving Vermont...its ok but I want a place that's my own. Anyways I took a few online tests to recommend places to live and Spokane, WA came up repeatedly, and after looking into it a lot it seemed like the place to be, is it weird to want to move there?
ReplyDeletephlebotomy schools NC
I live on an island outside of Seattle, on the west side of the mountains (Cascade range) from Spokane. However, I spent several years living and working in one of the many towns outside of Spokane. It's a beautiful area, much drier than the Seattle area, with cold winters and hot summers. It's about as different from Seattle as you can get! Much of the area remains rural in nature, so if you want a farm or horses, you'll have many places to choose from. Real estate remains affordable and Spokane offers both the feel of a city but with the huge influence of rural living. If you want to do it, take a trip out, rent a car and explore. Life's too short, if you don't move there, at least spend some time there and get a feel for it before you make any decisions.
DeleteWould this work to cut tall grass?
ReplyDeleteAlice anne, Spokane is a wonderful place. We loved living in eastern Washington state. Very different from western North Carolina!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, the drag chain harrow will not cut grass; it is for breaking up the manure and spreading it across the field. The mower we use to pull it will not cut real tall grass very well. When we need to cut tall grass we use the Farmall Cub with a belly mower.
ReplyDeleteWONDERFUL! Thank you so much for sharing! I too am on small pasture (4 acres) but feels like 40 when you have to scoop!! Your awesome idea just saved me from thinking I would have to some day spend 900-2000.00 for a manure spreader! U are a blessing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Joanne. We still get out there with the wheelbarrow and fork sometimes, but not near as often. Let me know if you make any improvements!
DeleteLove this idea! Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to try it in a few months.
ReplyDeleteWhat if I went over my small pasture with a riding lawn mower set up as high as it will go. That would seem to break up the bigger pieces.
ReplyDeleteJana, in our experience, that does work, kind of. The material is still intact enough that it takes a long time to break down. If that doesn't matter to you, it's probably fine. Our pastures are small so we want the decomposition process to occur faster. Good luck!
Deletewhat is the main component?
ReplyDeleteThe main component is a chain link gate.
ReplyDeleteAre you waiting for the manure to dry out completely, before harrowing it, or are you harrowing the field with fresh and dried manure?
ReplyDeleteThanks
We harrow with fresh and dried manure present.
ReplyDeleteIngenious!
ReplyDeleteDo you have problems with flies doing this?
ReplyDeleteNo, actually it helps to break the manure up into tiny pieces that dry up and don't serve as a breeding area for the flies.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you secure the blocks with so they don’t fall of the fence when dragging?
ReplyDeleteThe cinder blocks aren't secured and they don't move around. Our pastures are pretty smooth; no rocks or other obstructions to bump over. So it's not been an issue.
DeleteWill this work to pull up unwanted objects in the pasture? Like metal that could hurt the animals. We have found things around different areas in the pasture and would like to find a good way to sweep the area without going to just dig.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think this will work for your intended purpose. It just breaks up manure piles and spreads them out so they will dry and break down faster.
Delete