# Getting rid of soiled straw and hay.



## JohnJ (Feb 13, 2014)

I was just curious how everyone got rid of their used straw and hay. I was thinking I would start trying to compost it in bins. I've tried composting before and it didn't work very well. Does anyone know a good way to get it started or do I just need to pile it and wait, or are there better ways to get rid of used hay?


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

We use a "deep bedding" system in our shed for the winter so come spring clean out the bottom layers are fairly composted. Also our goat shed is on fairly wet ground so we've got some moisture in it which probably helps.

We pile it up with the tractor in a location not close to waterways, cover it with a dark tarp, and about 6 months later - lovely compost! We do turn it occasionally. 

Ours is just hay & goat waste. We don't use straw.

I highly recommend you do NOT burn it as some suggest - the particulates from burning it are very bad for your lungs & your animals lungs.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

We burn it.


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## Hodgson (Jan 7, 2014)

Pile it, let it rot a few years, then spread it on the fields. And in the meantime, the goats and LGD's absolutely love climbing and laying on the giant piles that are all over their pastures. Best goat toys I've discovered yet! It's pretty neat seeing each hill dotted with lounging goats, basking in the sun.


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Depends on how much you have. I put mine in the compost bins, layered with grass clippings for extra "greens". With only 3 goats, the goat waste in the hay is minimal, so without added grass it takes awhile to break down. I also use hay, not straw - all the wasted alfalfa becomes bedding.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I put a add on Craig s list for it free for the garden. They come like crazy. I even leave it so they clean out the barn for me. :leap:


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I use it to fill in divits and low spots in my yard and driveway. I don't use straw, just shavings and hay mixed with the poo and urine. I just cleaned out the pen from the winter (took me 2 days to finish!) and it was 18" deep. Ugh. Got my driveway all filled in and put a nice covering over a hilly Coriopsis garden. Any extra I dump on top of the horse manure pile and my hay guy comes and hauls it away. He is a contractor and mixes it with the loam he sells. People buy it like crazy.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

If its just the straw, shavings and lose hay around the feeders (a little bit of poo in there of course) I actually put it around the base of the trees that run down my driveway and down the front and one side of the front of the house area. There is a 10 foot wide area from the fence line to the driveway. As we dont have a lot of water, I cant grow grass there and by spreading it all out along this stretch of ground, the small amount of what the trees is protected from the sun.


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## cybercat (Oct 18, 2007)

Put an ad on Craigslist and sell it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Goat Forum mobile app


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

JohnJ said:


> I've tried composting before and it didn't work very well. Does anyone know a good way to get it started or do I just need to pile it and wait, or are there better ways to get rid of used hay?


For composting to be effective, it needs to be layered with different things to get the decomposition going, covered to prevent excess water from getting in, and turned occasionally to maintain a fairly consistent temperature. Check out this article.

http://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/building.cfm


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