Pig Manure - Asset or Liability
I went to a waste minimization/recycling conference once, a long time ago. The keynote speaker said WASTE…… ONLY EXISTS ………. BETWEEN PEOPLES EARS …….. Meaning our perception of it...
I have ALWAYS put sawdust bedding (and other bedding like corn cobs, wheat straw even grass straw) in my pig pens, both in RSA, NZ and here in Botswana.
Yes, it could be more labor-intensive but could actually SAVE TIME and MAKE YOU MONEY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOW THAT I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION I’LL EXPLAIN HOW!!!
1) Firstly it gives you greatly contented pigs - they LOVE digging in it.
2) I believe THERE IS MORE MONEY IN PIG POO (yes I doo) - LOL- than PIGS
(if you are near towns with gardeners in - or using it to grow vegetables yourself)
I HAVE DONE THIS in South Africa, New Zealand and now in Botswana - Sell it, that is...........cash is king.
HOW? do you ask....
Let's first talk about how putting it in and taking it out can SAVE YOU TIME/MONEY - AND WATER I MAY ADD.
DEEP LITTER is the answer
you put in a layer of 15-20cm of sawdust/shavings (it will compact down to 5cm)
and when it is soiled by pig poo & urine, you put another layer of clean on top of the soiled stuff.
Repeat this until the layer gets too high for the pen.
Then you take out the toilet area (where they poo and urine are)
Pigs are the cleanest farmed animals by far - they poo in the same place every time !!!!!!
Where their water is and
as far away from their feed as possible
Where they can see the pigs in neighboring pens
So you did not have to wash out EVERY DAY - and saved water and labor.
What you take out makes THE BEST COMPOST THERE IS.
It is guaranteed weed-free,
turn into a beautiful black ODOURLESS compost high in both N, P & K
It improves a very clay soil by getting better aeration and root penetration.
It improves very sandy soil by improving the water-holding capacity.
Pigs doing the turning for you …..
HOW to make Aerobic compost:
Put soiled bedding in a wind-row about 3m wide at the base and about 1.5m high.
Keep adding on the same side every time - very important -
then you can harvest the oldest compost when it is ready to sell.
The heap will get VERY HOT (70 deg C) , which kills pathogens,
and then over 5 weeks, cool down after every turn
You have to turn it weekly - by shovel or tractor with front-end-loader - to put oxygen back in.
It will heat up again after every aeration until it is completely spent and then BAG IT AND SELL IT.
Always bag from the oldest side (should be completely cold by now)
Because of the heat, it creates you have to water it - to keep it moist - or it will stop the process.
Cost of Fertilizer in Botswana
UREA - P390 for 50kg (46:0:0) for nitrogen boost
Potassium Sulfate - P670 for 50kg (53% K) head forming in cabbage
Super phosphate - P365 for 50kg ( 10% P)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So the value of 1 kg P is:
In 50kg bag of Superphosphate there is 10% P = 5 kg P and at P365 /50kg = P 73/
kg P ???
So the value of 1 kg N is:
In 50kg bag of Urea there is 46% N = 23 kg N and at P390/50kg = P16.95/kg N
The value of 1 kg K is:
In 50kg bag Potassium Sulfate there is 53% K = 26.5 kg K and at P670 = P25.28/kg K
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So the fertilizer value of 1 Ton of Spent bedding (Sawdust and Pig Manure) is:
9kg N = P152.55
10kg P = P730
18kg K = P455
P1337
I sell 60 L of compost for P40
60L weigh about 20 kg dry
So P2000/ton
I pay about P200/1000L for
bedding
1000L weigh about 300kg
So bedding in 1t soiled bedding
cost ~ P600
So the profit = P2000 - P600 = P1400
Additional Benefits include:
Fly larvae and Pupae are cooked and it make up 85% of fly population
Reduce smell to earthy smell
Provide an income long before the first pigs are ready for market..
Nutrient Removal Rates
