How does the rate of manure spread by the cattle compare to that spread by machinery?
The cattle were calculated to spread about half the weight of manure and bedding that was spread on the raw manure strips, or approx 15 tons/acre at equivalent moisture. I had calculated originally for the cattle to spread the same 30 tons/acre as was spread by machine, but had neglected to adjust for the much lower dry matter content of manure direct from the cow. Why is feeding cattle in a corral/drylot appear to be such an inefficient way to cycle nutrients? A: There is a number of reasons for this: 1) There are a lot of nutrients in cattle feed. Each round bale of hay (1384 lbs or 628 kg) we fed contained approx. 27 lbs (12 kg) of nitrogen, 3 lbs (1 kg) of phosphorus, and 25 lbs (11 kg) of potassium. 2) Cattle don’t retain a lot of nutrients in their feed. Figures vary somewhat, but seem to be in the 10% range for nitrogen, 15% for potassium, and 20% for phosphorus. 3) Nitrogen is expelled by the animal mostly in the urine, not in the dung. And the urine form is 90% urea. This urea
