How to Build a Manure Pit

Manure pits collect waste from livestock farms. The pits hold the refuse while bacteria break down the manure. Farmers then pump the liquefied waste onto crops, or pump the waste into tankers. The tankers take the waste to fertilizer processing plants. Manure pits can be open to the air or covered by a barn. Covered manure pits contain the smell, but they also hold in toxic gasses and may cause suffocation or explosions. Open-air pits must be deeper to accommodate rainfall, but are safer and cheaper to build.

Things You'll Need

Surveyor's tape
Stakes
Back Hoe
Cinder blocks
Concrete

Instructions

- 1
  Place your manure pit on a flat area slightly downhill from the livestock area. This makes it easy to flush or move the refuse into the pit. Check with your local property laws. Most areas require manure pits be located one-quarter to one-half mile from the edge of the property. This helps to contain pit odor.
- 2
  Measure the dimensions of the manure pit with the surveyor's tape. Calculate the cubic feet needed to accommodate the manure for the entire herd. Calculate approximately 500 cubic feet per animal. Add the volume for annual rainfall. The depth of a pit must be a minimum of 8 feet and can be up to 20 feet deep. The deeper the pit, the less surface area is open to the air. Mark the outer dimensions with stakes.
- 3
  Dig the pit with the backhoe. Start at the middle. Dig the deepest portion in the center of the pit and give your hole sides that slope at a 45-degree angle.
- 4
  Place a two-level wall of cinder blocks around the top of your pit. The number of blocks depends on the size of your pit. Leave a 6-foot area with only one level of blocks to give your manure pit an emergency runoff.
- 5
  Coat the sides and bottom of your pit with 4 inches of concrete. The amount of concrete varies depending on the size of your pit.
- 6
  Allow the concrete to cure completely before sluicing manure into the pit.