Composted manure has already done its composting thing and won't heat up your pile. Composted manure should be put directly into the soil. Fresh manure is the best for that - it has nitrogen and organic matter in forms that have not been aerobically biodegraded yet. Dehydrated manure is a question mark: the term does not explain (to me anyway) whether it's composted or not, just that it's dried out.

Dehydrated manure is that manure that has been run through dryers to remove any water. Dehydrated manure has not been composted and could still contain the disease pathogens that fresh manure often has. Most all dehydrated manure comes from Confined Animal Feed Operations (CAFO's) and most likely contains fairly large amounts of antibiotics that are fed to these animals to help them gain weight on less feed.

Composted manure, if properly composted should have the nutrients that fresh manure had just no longer as readily available. Some of us have used composted manure in our compost piles with good results, not quite as good as fresh manure, however.

Fresh manure should be used with great care due to the potential for disease pathogens in that manure. Fresh manure spread on the garden should be tilled in as soon as possible after application and any application of fresh manure should be timed (90 to 120 days to harvest) so foods grown in that garden will not be exposed to those potential disease pathogens.

kimmq is kimmsr

For more heat, add nitrogen ... from any source. There's nothing magical about manure as such.

Coffee grounds, a cup or two of ammonium nitrate fertilizer dissolved in several gallons of water and dumped into the pile, urine-soaked sawdust ... there's a long list of things you can use.

IMO there is no point in adding composted anything to a compost pile - instead add it directly to the soil.

In fact, I won't pay for anything to put into a compost pile. To me that is like burning money.

Instead spend the money on compost <grin>.

here's another FACT for you - if you respond to 6 year old posts you may find that some of the original posters are not even alive any more...

...and are missed.

Also, the issue is whether or not antibiotics and other common veterinary medicines show up in livestock manures (no one is discussing eating the treated animals!!) and they DO. There are plenty of scientific studies one can research online to confirm this fact. Obviously, these are likely to be more present and in a greater concentration with fresh manures, with levels declining in proportion to time aged or composted.

HU-61200328 is arguing about the statement: "large amounts of antibiotics" and whether they are "fed to these animals' as kimmq stated.

In the past I raised some cattle that were never given any drugs, nothing at all. The beef I raised was far and above the quality found in Americas supermarkets.

Perhaps the solution for gardeners here is to scout around where they live for manure. Horse manure is available from horse boarders everywhere in the US; even in NY City. I googled that. The barn I get mine from has two horses. They're going to tend to have more concern for their animals than a racetrack or race horse breeders seem to have for their animals.

Generally i would suggest avoiding anything bagged, unless you bag it yourself.

I'm only pointing out a simple point. Antibiotics aren't given to animals unless absolutely necessary no different than you as a human, or your pet dog. You're not going to find "large amounts of antibiotics" in any manure, ever. This holds true whether eating the animals or using their poop for your garden. It's just a simple fact that anyone who's ever raised animals would know.

If antibiotics actually "helped things grow" they'd be a whole different classification.

As for an old post.... things stay alive on the internet forEVER, and people searching for information will continue to see this post, so being careful to speak of the truth is important so that we are actually helping people, not hurting with incorrect information. So hopefully this post can now cease to serve as a scare tactic for those searching it in the future. And clearly not all original posters are dead, but that was sure a morbid way to put things... I'm not trying to offend anyone, just trying to be sure we communicate in truths, since I look to this website for good advice and I think others do too. Happy Gardening Everyone! Enjoy the sunshine :)