Topic: Dog Poo Wormery - anyone tried one?

[posie]

I know that you can't use the product of this on the veg patch, but was wondering if anyone had used one on their flower beds at all?  I've got 2 springers that we clean up after every day and this seems like an ideal way of getting rid of their waste rather than blocking up my loo or putting in bags in the bin?

This is the one I was looking at

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Dog-Poo-Wormery-The-Worm-Tower-Composter_W0QQitemZ350045115522QQihZ022QQcategoryZ75665QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[asbean]

Do you mind, I'm just about to eat  >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

[manicscousers]

sounds good but I'd worry about putting it on the garden, don't know why  :)

[posie]

My apologies Asbean! lol  ;)

Well my darling springies seem to delight in doing it all over what little earth there is in my garden anyhow manics! I don't have small children and they're regularly wormed and vaccinated too, but as yet I'm undecided.

[manicscousers]

it's just the thought, posie, can't say why..we had a bin that we buried in the ground, bought stuff to put in , it dissolved the dog poo..it went horrid, I think our soil is too clayey..wouldn't drain away  :)

[posie]

Ah i c.  Well my garden only consists of 2 x 3ft high walls with a 1ft gap in between filled with soil and a lot of pots dotted around so thankfully the drainage is pretty good on it.  The smell of it is what worries me the most I suppose once its in liquid form and ready to pour on.

[manicscousers]

well, if u get one, let us know what it's like, our staffie produces much more than she eats  ;D

[Baccy Man]

Vermicomposting is effective in reducing pathogen levels in biosolids as shown here: http://www.vermiculture.ca/articles/pathogen_stabilization.htm

Essentially that means you can use worms to compost any fecal material dog, cat, human or whatever else you wish to compost & once the worms have finished with it it will be safe to use in your garden even on the veg patch.

[grawrc]

How about the poor worm??? :o :o :o Or are they not affected?

[Baccy Man]

There are no adverse effects on the worms they are just as happy to live in dog manure as they are to live in a heap of horse manure they are not affected by any pathogens the manure may contain. Their food supply will regularly be topped up & they will be protected from predators if it is all kept in a wormery.
The only possible adverse effect would be if manure from a recently wormed dog was added to their food supply as it is likely to contain traces of a drug which would kill them. Therefore it would be best to discard all waste the dogs produce within 2-3 days of being wormed to avoid risk of contamination.

[Powderfan]

Hi Guys and Gals

I was under the impression that you should not use poo from meat eating animals on gardens.  That's why its OK to use horse, cow, rabbit and chicken manure etc.  If dog poo could be incorporated safely that would be great news for me as our two dogs seem to produce loads and we bag it and put in the bin. 

What with rumours of local councils charging for rubbish collections by weight to encourage recycling we would get hammered as a sack of $h1T is rather heavy and you sure know when there is a weeks worth in there.  Heaven knows how heavy it would be if the council did fortnightly collections.

Michael

[Baccy Man]

All organic matter is compostable it is simply that manure from meat eating animals requires different methods to compost it than manure from vegetarian animals.

To get an idea of how the different methods required work have a look at the humanure handbook, you can download a free copy from their website HERE.

There is also a thread specifically about composting dog manure on a composting forum HERE, please note it comes with the following warning:

WARNING: This post includes lots of language offensive to those that perpetuate the supression of the original anglo-saxon language the fornicating normans started long ago upon their invasion of england.

[star]

 ;D ;D ;D. I like the warning Baccy man,

Just to add.....we have compost toilets at the farm, the resulting compost will be used in the future on fruit trees in the orchard.

I do think the dog compost will be safe to use, though to be honest its just the thought of including it in the veg beds. I would use it on top fruit, peas, beans and other stuff you dont harvest from underground. 

[Robert_Brenchley]

Remember the Chinese maintained their soil for millennia, partly by putting their own manure on it. It doesn't harm the soil, the danger is disease, particularly worms.

[Tin Shed]

I know this is interesting and valid - but I wish I had never read this thread :o

[Baccy Man]

Remember the Chinese maintained their soil for millennia, partly by putting their own manure on it. It doesn't harm the soil, the danger is disease, particularly worms.

The problem there was that the Chinese 'night soil' was uncomposted therefore still contained millions of pathogens if it had been appropriately composted it would of eliminated them & been safe to use. Worms are capable of eliminating some very nasty pathogens for example toxoplasmosis most frequently found in cat manure which would normally require the compost heap to attain temperatures of at least 160ºF for a minimum of 5 minutes during the composting process to destroy it. So vermicomposting is probably one of the safest ways to compost pet waste in a domestic situation.

[DenBee]

Every few years the farms next to our town fertilise their fields with treated human sewage.  It absolutely stinks, and creates no end of comment in the place, even to the extent of shopkeepers putting notices up in their windows explaining what it is.  And advising where to send any complaints.  ;D

[posie]

Phew, glad I don't live in your town Denbee!  Actually that above all things is my main concern, I don't want to annoy my neighbours with whiffy pongs.  Well I don't want to annoy one of my neighbours.  The one next door but one can be as annoyed as they like cos if it stinks then they won't sit in their garden with the music blaring so loud I have to leave mine and lock myself in my house!  Grrr  >:(  Apologies to all who have been eating their dinner whilst coming across this post!  ;D

[manicscousers]

Ray's decided we will try one, I feel like you, awful putting plastic bags full of muck in the bin..so, next week, we're getting one  ;D
thanks for the link

[calendula]

I think if all dogs were fed quality raw food instead of the gunk and who knows what that goes into pet food then composting it would be no problem - just my tuppence worth :D