What do you do with your sh*t?

Here is how we have managed our waste over the last 5 years.

We collect the droppings from the dogs, and any green material (Bermuda hay, leaves, sticks etc) and we pile them in the corner of the yard. As it piles up we add a couple 50# sacks of hydrated lime (about 2x's yearly). There is virtually no smell, unless it is extremely hot and dry. Or when it is really wet, then there is an earthy odor. Neither of which is bad.

Before this, we had 5 gallon buckets placed throughout the yard with black trash bags and lids. We would clean daily, then each week when the trash man comes, well, he had a surprise! I figure this new method saves the landfill somewhat, and we have come up with a use for the "compost".

Once the matter has broken down, it resembles a "rich" garden compost mix. We haul it across the yard and fill holes, or back fill an old chainspot (pictured).

Please share some of the creative ways you dispose of, or recycle your dog yard waste.

S_B

I have three set ups for dogs. Above ground kennels and kennel set ups both of which are setting on a concrete slab that 15x60. It runs slightly downhill and funnels at the end. We dug a hole for a 55 gal barrel cute out the btm and use it like a septic tank. The chain spots on the other side of the yard has one set up but we haul the waste to it

feed raw and you won't have to do much at all
very little smell and that "stuff" is gone in a matter of 2 or 3 days

Very good topic, actually.

The last place I had a lot of dogs was Florida. There were so many dung beetles, they would handle most of the shit before I could even get out there with a shovel :lol:

Widerange,

That is something I've thought about doing as well. Kind of modeled after the Doggie Dooley.
Do you add Ridex, or enzymes to break the waste down? Also, what about water?

I actually thought about using a green plastic barrel, perforating it and burying to the top, making a hinged lid that would open when you step on it....and connecting perforated pipe in ground as well.

Never got around to it, but glad to hear a similar system is working for you.


Jack,

Yes it is a real issue, dogs eat, dogs shit. No way around it. We've got a few dung beetles, but nothing like Florida I'm sure of it :exclamation:

Yeah use rid-x and have used other septic tank care products but if you will dig a little deeper down then the barrel is talk you can cut the bottom off completely then fill the bottom of the hole you dug with sand and gravel. This will allow the waste to drain out of the tank after the work is done. Now, the one with the slab has PVC ran into the lid so waste is washed into with water from the hose while I can the area but the other simply has a lid that I take off and often will dump old water out of bowls into when I refresh each chain spot. Now I have a friend that has a great yard set up. He has 2 acres with a 6ft fence then each dog is on a 10-12ft chain with a 6ft kennel circling right outside the chain spots. But by each kennel door the built these "septic tanks" out of 5 gallon buckets and doesn't have to carry waste but to the door of the kennels

I DID THE 55 GAL. DRUM IN THE GROUND. THE FIRST TIME I DUG IT OUT TO ABOUT 1 '' DEEPER THAN THE DRUM. IT HAD HOLES BORED IN IT WITH A HOLE SAW. BUT WITH THE BIG FROG STRANGLER RAINS IT SEEMS TO BE A SKEETER BED.SO DUG IT UP AND PUT 4 LEECH LINES OUT FROM IT. NOW WE HAVE NO PROBS. I DUMP THE BUCKET IN THERE ADD A BIT OF LIME AND LET MOTHER NATURE DO THE REST. IF ITS DRY I'LL PUT SOME WATER IN IT.I KEEP IT COVERED WITH EXPANDED METAL.

i would assume with a yard of dogs you would want to do this on a much larger scale, so instead of a kitchen trashcan... id use a large trashcan like the ones outside your house with the "flip up" lid. same idea.
http://youtu.be/YENblDs79cI

BUMP


Does anybody care to share any pics of their compost setup? The video was nice but I'd prefer to see some other bulldog folks' setups. I'll be putting one in the ground soon. Thanks.

I'm in the city so all my dog's shit goes into the green waste can. I do have a question for anyone though. I have one or two who's chain spots seems to reek more than the others. Is there anything out there to help with that. Thought about tossing in absorb all, or maybe som Dolomite in the space. Any ideas or tips?

Lime will cut down on smell. It is best to use IMO when the dirt is loose. Remove the dog sprinkle and work into the soil. Then you can put the dog back, it doesn't last super long though. Luckily where I live now there is lots of ventilation, as the dogyard sets up higher than surrounding land. I rarely have any smell at all, well except for those few males who continually piss on all their furniture!

Those trouble areas you mentioned, do they get good air flow?

S_B

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Originally Posted by No Quarter Kennel

feed raw and you won't have to do much at all
very little smell and that "stuff" is gone in a matter of 2 or 3 days

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I agree. Feeding raw will pretty much take care of the shit problem.

LOL You guys are crazy about raw and shit. I feed raw also and guess what? I still have dog shit. LOL

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Originally Posted by treezbulldogs

LOL You guys are crazy about raw and shit. I feed raw also and guess what? I still have dog shit. LOL

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Exactly, and shit still smells like shit. So does piss, so no matter what one feeds that can be an issue for those of us with sensitive noses, and or an obsession of keeping a clean yard. :D

I live in the country so I guess I never realized people had issues with getting rid of shit lol.

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Originally Posted by S_B

Lime will cut down on smell. It is best to use IMO when the dirt is loose. Remove the dog sprinkle and work into the soil. Then you can put the dog back, it doesn't last super long though. Luckily where I live now there is lots of ventilation, as the dogyard sets up higher than surrounding land. I rarely have any smell at all, well except for those few males who continually piss on all their furniture!

Those trouble areas you mentioned, do they get good air flow?

S_B

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Now that you mentined it I would assume assume not. Both spots happen to be close to a fence. Being outside I never thought about a lack of fresh air..lol.

I'll still try the lime thing to when I can get to it. It's almost time to fire up the garden again. So I need to grab a bag anyhow.

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Originally Posted by treezbulldogs

LOL You guys are crazy about raw and shit. I feed raw also and guess what? I still have dog shit. LOL

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stay with it long enough and within time (if your feeding the right amount) theyre turds will get harder & harder to find. when i go out there first thing in the morning to scoop, it literally looks like little cat shits and if you miss one, it just breaks apart like clay and goes back into the ground. as far as the smell goes, feed raw for awile... then switch back to kibble, and tell me theyre shit smells the same....lol...no way...

Bama, I live out in the country too but I still don't want to see or smell the shit if I can help it. :lol:

Mud, I figured with you being city bound you had a stockade fence or something of the sort for privacy. :D

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Originally Posted by CRISIS

stay with it long enough and within time (if your feeding the right amount) theyre turds will get harder & harder to find. when i go out there first thing in the morning to scoop, it literally looks like little cat shits and if you miss one, it just breaks apart like clay and goes back into the ground. as far as the smell goes, feed raw for awile... then switch back to kibble, and tell me theyre shit smells the same....lol...no way...

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lol You act like I just started feeding them raw haha. Nobody said it smells the same. Go check your temp, you must not feel well,you're seeing things again. lol

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Originally Posted by bamaman

I live in the country so I guess I never realized people had issues with getting rid of shit lol.

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So, what do you do, bama?

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Originally Posted by S_B

Exactly, and shit still smells like shit. So does piss, so no matter what one feeds that can be an issue for those of us with sensitive noses, and or an obsession of keeping a clean yard. :D

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I'd assume you guys don't feed raw. Well, no need to hate on raw feeders. If you guys can't smell the difference between kibble shit and raw shit then your nose must not be that sensitive. Lol. And if you were obsessed about cleaning your dog spots then I'm sure you know how it's like to scrape that kibble shit compared to raw shit. :-) People that feed kibbles to their dogs knows that kibble shit smells for days/weeks...while raw shit maybe a couple hours at most. Seriously, there is a big difference.

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Originally Posted by treezbulldogs

lol You act like I just started feeding them raw haha. Nobody said it smells the same. Go check your temp, you must not feel well,you're seeing things again. lol

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the smell part was more in response to Sb saying it smells the same, my response to you was, saying that they "still shit"..., and what i was saying in response was, while youll never eliminate your dogs shitting all together.. you can drastically alter the amount (& smell) by feeding raw. i dont know when you started feeding raw personally, however it doesnt take long to notice to benefits.

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Originally Posted by Pit Bull Committed

I'd assume you guys don't feed raw. Well, no need to hate on raw feeders. If you guys can't smell the difference between kibble shit and raw shit then your nose must not be that sensitive. Lol. And if you were obsessed about cleaning your dog spots then I'm sure you know how it's like to scrape that kibble shit compared to raw shit. :-) People that feed kibbles to their dogs knows that kibble shit smells for days/weeks...while raw shit maybe a couple hours at most. Seriously, there is a big difference.

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Committed, not hating on raw feeders at all. I think I'm possibly the only one on this thread that feeds kibble. I have been around a few dogs/yards of raw fed dogs. And I agree the smell is lessened, but shit still stinks like shit no matter what you feed. And lots of kibble produces the most terrible smell, this I'm sure we all agree on.

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Originally Posted by S_B

Committed, not hating on raw feeders at all. I think I'm possibly the only one on this thread that feeds kibble. I have been around a few dogs/yards of raw fed dogs. And I agree the smell is lessened, but shit still stinks like shit no matter what you feed. And lots of kibble produces the most terrible smell, this I'm sure we all agree on.

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I guess we agree then. ;-)

Treez I just hook my lawn trailor up to my mower and shovel it in the trailor and dump it on the back side of my property.

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Originally Posted by bamaman

Treez I just hook my lawn trailor up to my mower and shovel it in the trailor and dump it on the back side of my property.

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Good deal. I'm going to do something soon, just not sure what yet.

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Originally Posted by treezbulldogs

Good deal. I'm going to do something soon, just not sure what yet.

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Sorry I can't give you any better advice .This is a subject I never thought much on but I guess I can see where it would take some planning if you live in a neighborhood with a small yard.

http://youtu.be/8RK2mm0wJxM

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Originally Posted by Pit Bull Committed

I'd assume you guys don't feed raw. Well, no need to hate on raw feeders. If you guys can't smell the difference between kibble shit and raw shit then your nose must not be that sensitive. Lol. And if you were obsessed about cleaning your dog spots then I'm sure you know how it's like to scrape that kibble shit compared to raw shit. :-) People that feed kibbles to their dogs knows that kibble shit smells for days/weeks...while raw shit maybe a couple hours at most. Seriously, there is a big difference.

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I do feed raw so obviously I'm not "hating" on raw feeders lol. It's just comical that somebody would suggest to feed raw because there is no shit cleaning, that's ridiculous.

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Originally Posted by bamaman

Sorry I can't give you any better advice .This is a subject I never thought much on but I guess I can see where it would take some planning if you live in a neighborhood with a small yard.

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Thanks for the suggestion, bama, and as you know I don't live in a neighborhood with a small yard so that's not the case here. I'm going to start my compost pile today. I'll just do what SB is/was doing. Pile it up on a far side of the property and add leaves, straw and other matter to it until it breaks down into compost.

Turn that pile occasionally and add lime in time you'll have a super rich compost mixture. The chain spot I filled in actually grew 3 healthy tomato plants! I'm guessing the birds dropped seeds there, or it could have been in some of the dog shit as I've fed them extras from the garden.

Those plants got huge but were late in the year and froze before they were able to produce tomatoes. I use the compost to fill in any ruts made by gofers or the mower. I used some in the flower beds also. Not quite sure I'd use it in the garden but I've read where folks have.

My buddy had a large yard 50+ he dug a giant hole with his backhoe and piled it up with dog waste, sticks and his household paper trash and burned it. That is another good option but I never liked the smell of that smoke lol And I don't like to burn around the dogs very much if I can help it.

S_B

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Originally Posted by S_B

Turn that pile occasionally and add lime in time you'll have a super rich compost mixture. The chain spot I filled in actually grew 3 healthy tomato plants! I'm guessing the birds dropped seeds there, or it could have been in some of the dog shit as I've fed them extras from the garden.

Those plants got huge but were late in the year and froze before they were able to produce tomatoes. I use the compost to fill in any ruts made by gofers or the mower. I used some in the flower beds also. Not quite sure I'd use it in the garden but I've read where folks have.

My buddy had a large yard 50+ he dug a giant hole with his backhoe and piled it up with dog waste, sticks and his household paper trash and burned it. That is another good option but I never liked the smell of that smoke lol And I don't like to burn around the dogs very much if I can help it.

S_B

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I will turn it and add lime, appreciate the advice, SB. From the research I have done I've figured that I'd use it for a flower bed or filling in holes and such but I won't use it in the vegetable garden. Like you said, some say they do but I don't want to do it. lol I thought about burning it also but I don't want to have that smell either. Appreciate you starting the thread in the first place and the friendly advice you've added along the way.

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Originally Posted by treezbulldogs

I will turn it and add lime, appreciate the advice, SB. From the research I have done I've figured that I'd use it for a flower bed or filling in holes and such but I won't use it in the vegetable garden. Like you said, some say they do but I don't want to do it. lol I thought about burning it also but I don't want to have that smell either. Appreciate you starting the thread in the first place and the friendly advice you've added along the way.

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That's what we're all here for ain't it? :-bd

i heard it was "no bueno" to use carnivorous shit for garden compost? i cant remember where i heard it, but it was linked to ecoli poisoning i believe.

You're orrect, CRISIS, that's what SB was referring to above. It's ok in flowers or plants but not a edible vegetable garden. But like SB said some people do it, I read it a few times in my research I've been doing also. I won't put it in the vegetable garden though.

This is a worthwhile topic! Disposing of shit is a real issue for dog folks, and it's interesting to see how people handle this. I too live in the country, but that isn't a magic recipe for easy or sanitary disposal. Moving shit from a dog's area to another area where it is still a problem for flies and odors is only of minimal efficacy. Even country folks need a system that works, and everyone's environment is different. I can tell you as a young dogman living in the suburbs, I faced the worst fly problem ever. Those were the days when you had to rub down a dog's ears with pink Swat® paste to keep them comfortable. Now I live amidst cattle, and my dogs are never fly bit. Why? Flies go to the dirtiest, smelliest organism or material they can find. Any flies in my current situation attach themselves to cattle, and avoid the dogs.

Here's how I deal with dog shit today. When I scoop, I grab loose rocks, bedding, and dirt, and mix it in with the shit right in the scoop. So I have already diluted it, and coated it to reduce the smell. Then it gets dumped along the outside of a fence line. With a little bit in an area at one time, the pasture grass grows right up through it, and then it gets covered up. A little rain comes, breaks it all down, and the process starts over. No odors, no flies, and cows seem to be discouraged from grazing that area, smart critters that they are.

TFX I have friends that do it that way as well. I also have livestock around sometimes on the eastern corner I should try that to keep them away! :lol: Most of my dogs are used to them but I have a few that will never give in.

Surprisingly there is no smell to my rather large dog shit compost pile. But I do keep it turned and put lime on it once or twice yearly. The armadillos love the pile because it is chocked full and I mean full of grub worms.

S_B

My observation is the cattle want nothing to do with the tall, green grass mingled with dog shit. Give it a try!

Thanks for sharing what you do, TFX.