Straw from cereal grains would have more nutrients than from wood shavings. On the downside there is a potential for herbicide residues on the straw.

Lloyd

Wood shavings, chips, sawdust has a Carbon to Nitrogen ratio of around 400/500 to 1 while straw has a C/N ratio of about 80 to 1. That means less manure is needed to digest the straw than the wood shavings.

Will the pH of the compost be different/affected?

Does straw tie up the nitrogen the same way as with pine shavings?

Mature compost tends to revert to a neutral Ph from what I've read. There may be differences during the active phase, that I don't know.

Straw will tie up nitrogen in the same way, which would be worse depends on a lot of variables. Too many to come up with a definitive answer.

Kind of weaselly but if anyone comes up with a black or white answer they are probably wrong.

Lloyd

The only thing you have to worry about as far as pH is whether the horse owner uses lime to control odors in the barn. It can and does lead to very high pH manure.

I think the person you quoted was wrong. Carbon is carbon. I'm not sure what he/she means by 'valuable,' but before animal manure is used in gardening, it should be fully composted. And once it is, it doesn't matter where the carbon came from.

Carbon is Carbon
Hay/Straw is not Pure Carbon
Pine shavings are not Pure Carbon (either)
Hay is not Straw
Straws/Hays are not created equal

If I had fresh horse manure, I would prefer it to be mixed with saw dust. I have no scientific data to prove why. Only 7 years of composting experience...which in "compost speak" is but a blink of the eye

What's wrong with kim's point?

If I had to choose my favourite C material it would be fall leaves for their micro-nutrients. Second choice would be straws from cereal grains and my last choice would be paper or wood due to their lack of other nutrients. Carbon may very well be carbon but the addition of other nutrients would be beneficial IMO. Composts made with mainly wood and paper are not the best nutrient wise.

Lloyd

from 1959...just up the road from me Oregon State University...Go Beavers!

Here is a link that might be useful: Sawdust Mulch Effects

Anybody know why mushroom growers will take horse manure with straw bedding but won't take manure with pine bedding?