That sounds interesting, and is probably effective, but I think I'll stick with alfalfa tea (aka "green manure) which is j-u-s-t disgusting enough for this gardener.

Here's some info on calf-manna . . .

Here is a link that might be useful: Calf-Manna

Sounds - and probaly smells - primal.

My experience with horse manure has been disappointing. The amount of weed seeds it brought with it created a whole set of different problem. Avoid the same mistake - make sure it's well composted.

I suspect that you need a system of aeration - e.g. an aquarium bubbler. Without good aeration, anaerobic breakdown takes over. When that happens, it is going to stink. And that could spell trouble for the state of your relationship with your neighours.

Actually with manure, you need to know what the horses are eating. If they are on an all alfalfa diet (hay or pellets or cubes), their manure is heaven, and should create no weeds. If they are eating grain hay - wheat, barley, rye, oat, etc - these grains will regrow from the manure. Not sure about a diet of grass/grass hay as we don't feed it.

If the horse ranch already feeds a vitamin supplement, you wouldn't need the calf manna (which is just one of a zillion horse supplements). I've never heard of adding horse vitamins as rose amendments (?)

Pure composted alfalfa based manure as compost is awesome in and of itself. I'd guess that making a tea from horse manure from any diet - again even without additives, would not create a weed problem and be beneficial.

Thankfully we live on 5 acres, so we don't have close neighbors! The horses eat alfalfa and also grass and oats.

We also have goats and chickens, so we have lots of manure opportunities.......manuretunities?

Oh heck - you're in great shape. I tried the "poop tea"... once. Used a garbage can to let it steep. What a pain in the behind distributing the liquid. I personally found that just using it composted as mulch is tons easier. Kept it away from your canes if you do. You get some growth from the oats, but their roots are minimal and they're easy to pull up.

There seem to be lots of stuff to try out. Here it's traditional to make the "tea" from nettles and comfrey. It really makes roses, any plant really, grow!!. Horse manure is used both well composted and "fresh". I have had fresh herbs and grass make my plants wilt, but never a day old horse or cow manure.

I do the alfalfa tea. I use about an 8 or 10 oz. plastic cup and put 7 of those into a 32 gal. garbage can. Then I add fish emulsion and/or blood meal. I may also add Miracid or Miracle Gro.

I steep it for about 10 days, and it stinks. I apply it, and then refill the garbage can with water and steep a few more days and add more ingredients such as Miracid or fish emulsion, etc. and then apply again. I do this as much as I can using a single garbage can in a growing season. I find it is most helpful if done while the soil is moist because there is less alfalfa tea run-off.

Incidentally, I am using alfalfa meal obtained from my local feed store.