Buy Now, Pay Later with Affirm | Pasture Vacuums & Arena Drags Starting from $76 | Select Affirm at Checkout
At Greystone USA, we recognize the vital role manure management plays in maintaining a healthy environment for your animals. We also understand that cleaning up manure can be a laborious chore. In this post, we’ll delve into the importance of cleaning up animal manure and illustrate why Greystone Vacs could offer you the ideal solution to manure management!
Top Reasons for Cleaning Up Manure:
- Parasite Control: Manure can harbor parasites harmful to animals.
- Disease Prevention: Accumulated manure attracts flies, which can spread diseases.
- Environmental Protection: Proper disposal prevents water pollution and maintains ecosystem balance.
- Pasture Health: Regular removal prevents nutrient overload and supports grass growth.
- Hygiene Maintenance: Clean areas reduce the risk of bacterial growth and improve overall farm cleanliness.
Horse and Alpaca Manure Management
For horse owners, managing manure is essential for several reasons. Horse manure, if not properly handled, can become a breeding ground for parasites, leading to health issues such as colic. Flies attracted to horse manure can spread diseases, impacting both equine and human health. Moreover, when horse manure is washed into waterways, it can lead to environmental issues, such as water pollution.
Alpaca manure, often easier to manage due to their communal defecation habits, still requires regular cleanup to prevent health risks. It’s a sought-after garden fertilizer, but without proper management, the same benefits can turn into health hazards.
So, now that you've learned why you should clean up the manure, the next step is deciding how you will clean it.
Option 1 - Traditional Manure Cleaning Methods
Manual Collection typically involves using tools like pitchforks, shovels, and wheelbarrows.
- Time and Effort: Labor-intensive and time-consuming, especially for larger areas.
- Limitations: Difficulty in reaching all areas of a pasture or paddock, potential for incomplete collection.
- Manual Labor: Requires physical effort to load manure onto a cart or wheelbarrow and transport it to a disposal or composting area.
- Time Factor: Can be a prolonged process, depending on the size of the area and the amount of manure.
- Nutrient Management: Inefficient collection can lead to nutrient imbalance in pastures.
- Risk of Contamination: Potential for water contamination if runoff occurs.
Option 2 - Using a Greystone Manure Vac
- Versatile Use: Designed to handle various types of manure (wet or dry) and different terrains.
- Labor Reduction: Significantly reduces the physical effort required, as the vacuum does the heavy lifting.
- Time-Saving: Streamlines the process of manure collection, reducing the time spent cleaning.
- Ease of Operation: User-friendly, light-weight and easy to operate allowing for faster and more effective cleaning compared to manual methods.
- Thorough Cleanup: More effective at collecting manure, reducing the risk of parasite spread and environmental contamination.
- Nutrient Management: Facilitates proper disposal or composting, aiding in nutrient cycling.
Additional Benefits:
- Multi-Functional: Can be used for other tasks like cleaning wet patches in stalls, picking up yard waste, etc.
- Healthier Pastures: Regular use helps maintain cleaner pastures, reducing worm counts and fly infestation.
In summary, while traditional methods of cleaning up horse and alpaca manure are tried and tested, they are labor-intensive and time-consuming. The Greystone Manure Vac, on the other hand, offers a more efficient, less laborious solution. It significantly reduces the time and effort required for manure management, improves environmental protection, and contributes to healthier living conditions for the animals.
So, which Vac is right for you?
The Greystone Vacuum product line, consisting of the Yard Vac 200, Pasture Vac 400, and Pasture Vac 800 models, offers a range of solutions for manure management, each tailored to specific needs and environments.
Yard Vac 200
Best Fit: Ideal for smaller farms, livery yards, stables, and private yards. It’s perfect for those who have a limited number of animals or a smaller area to maintain.
Features:
- Push-around model, eliminating the need for a tow vehicle.
- Capacity of 1-2 wheelbarrows, making it suitable for smaller tasks.
- 11-foot reach with a 7-foot hose and 47-inch nozzle.
- Effective in all conditions and terrains.
This model is particularly useful for easy nut collection, vacuuming leaves, hedge clippings, wet patches, and even water troughs.
Pasture Vac 400
Best Fit: Designed for medium-sized setups, this model is ideal for those with 1 to 6 horses or up to 20 alpacas. It suits clients who need a balance between capacity and maneuverability.
Features:
- Built with A-grade polyethylene and powder-coated steel frames and wheels for durability.
- Approximately 3 wheelbarrow capacity.
- 12-foot reach with an 8-foot heavy-duty pick-up hose and a 4-foot nozzle.
- Versatile enough to handle various types of manure and other debris.
Apart from manure, it can be used for emptying water troughs, picking up leaves, hedge clippings, and more. The machine offers a balance of efficiency and capacity for medium-sized operations.
Pasture Vac 800
Best Fit: Suitable for larger properties and farms with more animals. This model is perfect for those who need a higher-capacity vacuum to reduce the time spent emptying.
Features:
- Larger powder-coated steel frame and wheels to handle heavier loads.
- Approximately 5 wheelbarrow capacity.
14-foot reach with a 10-foot heavy-duty pick-up hose and a 4-foot nozzle. - Strong suction for picking up in all conditions, including wet areas.
- Benefits: This model is highly efficient for larger operations, saving significant time in cleaning. It’s also versatile, suitable for various types of manure, landscape debris, and more.
Each of our models addresses different scales and types of manure management needs. From small yards to large farms, Greystone offers a tailored solution to make manure management more efficient, less labor-intensive, and environmentally friendly.
At the end of the day, no matter how you choose to clean up after your animals is your choice but the important takeaway is that you should be cleaning up the animal manure and Greystone is here to make the job easier!
If you have any questions, please reach out to our team! We’d be happy to answer any of your questions.
