Animal waste that is good for composts and fertilizers

Here is a compost/fertilizing question that I received from a Matt:

I hope that this question isn’t too shocking, but I’ve been doing research on composts and fertilizers for small gardens and just wonder whether you know which types of animal waste are good composts/fertilizers and which aren’t.

The Garden Lady thinks this is a very important question; it is not shocking at all.  The manure from animals that are Herbivores Vegetarian, like horses, cows or elephants  is excellent for composting and fertilizers. Just be sure the manure is not fresh when you use it on your garden. That is why it should be composted or you can make a “tea” of the manure by soaking it in lots of water to dilute it. The types of animal manure that are NOT good for composting or fertilizers are from animals that are carnivores/meat eaters- like dog or human wastes. Contact your local zoo, farm or equestrian center to see if they will sell or give some manure to you. Urine is not good for a garden because it has too much nitrogen/ ammonia and can burn the plants. If dogs pee on your grass or plants, water the area copiously to dilute it.

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