Why do we use cow manure in so many things but other animals’ poop (i.e. cats and dogs) are considered to be toxic?
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From what I understand it depends on what the animal in question eats. Cows and chickens get fed a plant diet while cats are carnivores. Something happens during the breakdown that creates a toxic substance in carnivorous poop while the other passes along the nutrients that came from eating said plants.
That’s what I’ve been told.
Begs an answer how many cats to produce the same amount of poop one cow does in one day?
you can use dog and cat poop but first it must be composted properly. This rids it od any parasites like heartworms, etc and releases the nitrogen so plants can use it. I use regular clay in my cat box w/o clumping or scent and then I toss some of it in my compost. By the time it’s ready, you’ll never know if there was ever cat poop in it.
Regardless of what poop is used it should be composted. As I understand no poop should be used from an animal that eats animal flesh.
Cow poop is basically already composted to the fullest extend. Because of how ruminants work. But in areas where cows aren’t as common, other big ruminants are used such as goats or camels poop is commonly used.
The reason cow dung (along with other ruminant poop) is such a good material fit for many purposes is simply because it is made of basic fibre and some nutrients that bind it together. Making it an excellent binding agent when mixed with things. Once fully dry and hardened, it doesn’t even smell of anything but dirt – well it can have that specific smell for a long time but once the microbe activity stops and those byproducts go in the air you can’t really tell it apart from regular dirt unless you know.
But the problem with meat eating animals is that they can carry parasites and pathogens that can affect humans. Just like humans can. However just like human waste, if you compost or process it by drying it thoroughly, or alternatively burn it, those microbes and parasites wont be an issue.
Cows are vegetarian and have 7 stomachs. They poop compost. We also use chicken,turkey,bat and worm manure for agriculture, just to name a few.
Where we live, we weren’t originally allowed to put pet waste in our organic waste bins. Apparently the facility that was processing it at the time didn’t have the ability to get the compost to a high enough temperature to kill all the nasties.
They have since changed processors and we can now put our pet waste in our organics bin.
Holy s**t. The highest comment here should be that cows have 4 distinct chambers in their digestive tract. Or commonly misunderstood as 4 stomachs. Their poo is closer to compost because its broken down more. One of the main arguments about adding chemicals to cow food is that the chemicals aren’t broken down and therefore carried to plants, milk and meat and hence to you. The chemicals that make cows huge may make you huge, the manure from cows on plants carries the chemicals to you etc.
Cats, dogs, humans 1 stomach, not digested enough. chemicals from them still in the poo. Parasites, yes. But do you know anyone that doesn’t take some kind of drug? Tylenol, caffeine, blood pressure medicine, ADHD ? There wouldn’t be dessert in Texas or anywhere if we could use humanure.
Cows (and horses) produce huge quantities of poop compared with other animals, especially compared with predator species. They are a much more efficient source of potential fertilizer.
Cows tend to be kept together in large numbers, and those groups are eating a common diet. So the huge volume of poop from that herd source is usually fairly consistent in content. Much easier to convert by volume processes to fertilizer or some other use with a commercially consistent product.
And cows convert plants into poop, much better than meat-sourced poop for fertilizer for more plants.
Predators (cats & dogs) don’t produce much poop per body weight compared with grazing herbivores. They have a much more efficient digestive system; takes in less, produces less. A St. Bernard’s daily offering may look impressive, but it is nothing compared with the poop production from even a small cow.
And in this day & age cats & dogs are usually pets and live individually in homes, and are not kept in large groups. They eat different diets in their different homes.
So cats and dogs are not good sources of large volumes of consistent poop for commercial processing.
(The exception I can think of for large groups of cats or dogs kept together would be adverse situations like puppy mills and hoarders).
Actually, we use the poop of almost any ungulate. Cows, sheep, water buffalos etc. We use that because their poop is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. They are also thick, and good at holding water. Carnivore and omnivore poop, on the other hand tend to be higher in protein, and much lower in things that plants need. They also tend to be packed with parasites and bacteria that are easily transmissible to humans.
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