Can You Compost Pig Manure?
Do you have a litter of pigs and do not know what to do with all that manure? Composting the pig manure might be a great option!
Pig manure is one of the smelliest manures - and it can harbor dangerous parasites and diseases if left untreated. It can be hard to figure out what to do with all that pig manure and dispose of it or repurpose it, but we’ve got you covered!
In this article, we will discuss how to compost pig manure, the risks of using pig manure in your garden, alternatives to composting pig manure, and more.
Read on to learn about all the uses and processes of pig manure.
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Can You Compost Pig Manure?
The short answer is, yes - you can compost pig manure for your non-edible, non-consumable garden or lawn. Pig manure can be highly beneficial to your garden as it is rich in nitrogen and other nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium. Here are a few basic tips to consider before we dive a bit more in-depth:
Keep the compost pile hot (at or above 140 degrees Fahrenheit).
Avoid putting your composting pile upwind.
Turn up or stir the pile, bringing the materials from the bottom to the top, every few weeks.
Keep the compost “cooking” for at least four months.
The longer you let the compost sit, the better the end result for your intended purposes.
Take a look at this video where the creator takes us through his new and improved pig manure composting site:
Is Pig Manure Good for Soil?
Let’s get into the specifics of pig manure and how pig manure affects the soil.
First, pig manure has three chemicals that are abundant: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. All three of these chemicals are extremely important for plant health and growth. For pigs, their manure is highly nitrogen-rich which is great for most plants.
However, raw pig manure can be incredibly toxic and dangerous for both you and your garden.
Because pigs are omnivores and eat almost anything, their poop then carries various parasites (like roundworms) and diseases (like salmonella and e. coli).
Not only does pig manure absolutely reek and cause sickness in you and other animals, but, if mixed with the soil of your edible crops, can cause serious illness and contraction of certain diseases.
Plus, because pig manure is rich in nitrogen, it could negatively affect your soil health. This is why it is important to always measure the nutrients nd ph levels of your soil to determine its needs before you apply any kind of fertilizer at all.
For soil, it can be beneficial (on account of those chemicals), but, as stated preciously, it is important to always measure your soil’s health instead of soley relying on the pig manure. It is common to use other fertilizers in tandem with pig manure for your soil.
Long story short, pig manure can be good for soil as long as it is managed properly.
How Toxic is Pig Manure?
Pig manure, most of the time, is toxic to humans, plants, and surrounding animals. Their omnivore nature contributes to their toxic feces.
On top of that pigs poop a lot on account of their diet. Depending on the size of your litter and the pigs themselves, you can be picking up to 20 pounds of poop a day!
Parasites like roundworms (Ascaris suum) live in the pigs’ intestines and lay their eggs there, which are then shed in their manure. This specific parasite is highly infectious which is why you should absolutely not use raw pig manure for your edible crops.
Further, these parasites can negatively affect your pigs’ health. Because parasites like Ascaris suum rob the pigs of essential nutrients from their feed, the pigs’ immunities will be weakened and they will fall ill.
Sometimes, these parasites might even be found in their lungs which will cause severe respiratory issues.
If the content in the pig manure was not enough, the smell is also toxic. When exposed to the rancid odor for long periods of time, it can make you sick. And, if it’s bad enough and your stockpile or pig pen is situated upwind, then your neighbors could get sick as well.
Now that we know the toxicity of pig manure, let’s look at how this affects your garden.
Risks of Using Pig Manure in a Garden
Raw pig manure should not be used in your garden. This substance harbors dangerous diseases and parasites that will negatively affect both you and your garden.
Currently, so many pigs carry E. coli, salmonella, and various parasitic worms that are highly infectious. Even further, fields and gardens that use raw pig manure are more likely to become infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a type of staph infection that is resistant to antibodies. Therefore, MRSA is incredibly difficult to treat.
It is imperative that you never use raw or composted pig manure in your edible gardens. It is not worth risking your health to potentially give your crops more nutrient-rich soil.
I’d like to emphasize that using pig manure, composted or raw, is not recommended for edible crops. However, we will go over how to compost your pig manure to use it for your flowers, lawn, shrubs, trees, etc.
What Can Pig Manure Be Used For?
Since you can’t spread raw manure on the garden, here are a few alternatives to help you manage the manure load on your farm.
Compost
Raw pig manure may be harmful, but composting it is extremely beneficial for your non-edible garden and plants. Some people do use this kind of compost on edible crops as well with no problems, but it’s important to note that the risks are there and this should only be done on extremely aged, extremely hot compost.
Composting enhances the rich chemicals in the manure that are essential for healthy, vibrant plants. In addition, cooking pig manure in hot enough temperatures kills all of the bad parasites, diseases, and other ailments that are harmful to humans and other animals.
By composting your pig manure, you naturally aerate the soil and add much more helpful nutrients for your plants, Additionally, the compost helps keep the moisture in the soil which, in turn, allows the roots of your plants to easily penetrate.
Plus, it helps eliminate the smell of the pig manure! Since composting at high temperatures kills off harmful parasites, diseases, etc., then the smell will not be as pungent.
Fuel & Other Energy Sources
Although this use for pig manure is still in heavy research, this method of disposal can be used for various fuel and energy sources. Through heating and pressurizing processes, researchers have been able to turn pig manure into a crude oil to be used as fuel.
The gist is to use this material (manure and hog fumes from lagoons) to create a renewable natural energy source.
However, the issue still lay within the fumes of these stockpiles and lagoons. If left unchecked, the piles of manure will generate methane, ammonia, and various other pollutants that are extremely harmful to local communities.
These pollutants can cause heart disease and respiratory issues.
This method is still being thoroughly researched. For more information regarding this process, check out this article.
How Long Does it Take for Pig Manure to Compost?
Typically, it takes about four months minimum for pig manure to properly compost and remove all of those harmful elements. That is if you keep it at a hot enough temperature and keep turning up the compost pile.
Tips for Composting Pig Manure
If you decide to compost your pig manure, follow these tips.
Build a Composting Bin If You Don’t Have One
A composting bin is a priority especially when you are planning on composting pig manure. Compost needs heat to properly decompose so a composting bin helps keep all those materials close together and create a warm environment.
Because pig manure needs higher temperatures than most other composting materials, customizing this bin for pig manure will be helpful.
Check out this article to determine how to build your own composting bin and what methods to consider.
Don’t want to build a compost bin? You can also buy one. Here’s a good option.
Mix with Other Greens and Browns
When composting pig manure, you must mix it with other materials in order to properly break down all those materials. Mix some dried grass, leaves, lawn clippings, etc. into your compost pile.
Keep It Moist, Not Sodden
When dealing with pig manure, it’s important to keep the compost pile consistently moist, but never soaking wet.
Soaking the compost pile will negatively affect the decomposition process and can cause harmful substances to rise like ammonia.
Higher Temperatures
Pig manure needs higher temperatures to compost properly. To start, you’ll want to get the temperature to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. It is okay if the temperature climbs. In the winter, it’s better to keep it even hotter (around 150 degrees Fahrenheit).
Turn it Up
Before you hit the four-month mark when the compost is finished cooking, the pile will need to be turned up with a rake, shovel, or other methods to keep everything aerated.
A rake is one of the most effective tools to aerate the compost pile. Make sure to bring the material from the bottom of the pile to the top every couple of weeks.
Keep it Away from Your Dwelling
Although the smell will die down after a while, it will still smell when you first add manure to your compost pile. Make sure to keep the pile in a safe place that is away from your dwelling.
Compost Right Before the Winter
One of the best times to begin your compost pile is a few weeks before winter when you’re cleaning up your yard of all the fallen leaves. You can throw all that into a pile with your pig manure and some garden soil.
After turning it up consistently for a few weeks, you can cover it with a tarp and let it cook through the winter.
Alternatives to Composting Pig Manure
Composting is probably the best way to handle pig manure because it is the safest, bang-for-your-buck method to practice. However, let’s take a look at some alternatives to pig manure compost.
Stockpiling Manure
Stockpiling manure is primarily for those raising pigs indoors and with concrete floors, but you can do this if you are practicing on-pasture management.
This method involves shoveling the pig manure and piling it somewhere that is not by your dwelling, not upwind, and not in an inconvenient place that may disturb your neighbors.
If you’d like, you can build an enclosure with a roof to prevent the smell from carrying or place it in the center of a barrier of trees and shrubs.
After you’ve stockpiled your manure, you can compost it or sell it for commercial farmers to buy for their holding tanks and lagoons.
On Pasture Management
On pasture management is another good option. Essentially, this just means managing your pigs in a way that the manure is never really allowed to accumulate - ie, through good pasture rotation.
Move your pigs to new “grazing” areas often (even though, yes, pigs are not grazers). This will not only help to spread the manure load out among more acreage to make it more manageable but it will also help protect your land from the pigs’ constant rooting action. It gives it more time to rest!
A housing system like this can be hugely helpful in improving your pasture management systems!
Remove
Removing pig manure is similar to stockpiling in that you need to store the manure until you figure out a method to remove it.
One of the best ways to remove pig manure is to sell it to commercial farms or local nurseries as fertilizer.
Final Thoughts
Pig manure can be a fantastic fertilizer for your garden as long as it stays far away from your fruits, vegetables, and other edible crops.
Because of a pig’s omnivore nature and their diet of eating anything and everything, their manure harbors harmful parasites and diseases such as roundworms and salmonella. Therefore, the safest method for using pig manure is composting it.
If you are considering composting pig manure, there are a few things to keep in mind: temperature, consistent turning up, and mixing additional materials with the manure.
Heat is one of the most important components when decomposing pig manure. Keeping the heat at or above 140 degrees Fahrenheit kills off all those bacteria and parasites.
Turning up the manure will help activate and maintain the decomposition process to get your manure to a safe-enough level to use for your non-consumable crops. Use a rake, shovel, or another tool to help you move the bottom materials to the top every few weeks.
It is important to leave your compost cooking for at least four months to properly decompose. If you want to leave it to cook longer, feel free to do so!
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