Question
Hi.what is chemical composition of cow manure and sheep manure.which out of two is best for my apple orchards.

Answer
Any zoological vegetarian is an ideal source of rich organic matter. Rabbits, Horses, Cows and Chickens are most commonly seen here in the U.S., but Sheep, Elephants, Goats and the rest of the animal kingdom qualify as producers of free fertilizer.  Anything that doesn't eat meat is close to perfect.

Vivek, IMHO it is splitting hairs to identify one of these manures as better than another, because the quality of manure is more than the quantity of molecules x, y and z.

Why would I say that?  

OK.  Consider the soil conditioning benefits of manure.  It's excellent.  

Now consider the characteristics of the soil and other environmental factors that determine the fate of those molecules x, y and z -- primarily Nitrogen and Potassium, although the N is highly volatile while the P does the opposite, accumulating until a tipping point is reached and it does more harm than good.

Manures in general are a source of vital trace nutrients: Calcium, Zinc, Copper, Iron, Magnesium.  Manure-producing ruminators -- Sheep, Goats, Cows -- swallow Weed Seeds that get into their cud.  So while we like to avoid those nasty seeds, they're almost always present in Manure, and there is very little we can do about it if your Manure factory is a ruminator.

How about the salt content?  Thought about that?  No?  This is precisely the reason Manure from Dairy Cows is preferred to Steer Manure.

What did the Manure-producing animal eat this week?  That more than anything is going to determine the quality of the Manure. Garbage in, garbage out.  Oi.

There is neverthless a devout perfectionistic heart in every true gardener, so I know these comments fall on deaf Vivek ears.  After all, what's wrong with having a fondness for fertilizer that's Manure, preferred for any reason?  It's a free country, you are entitled to this answer.  Let's being by comparing Cows (standard NPK reading: .25-.15-.25) and Sheep (.70-.30-.90).

As you no doubt know, the stomachs of these manure-producing herbivores digest food in four stomachs.  One of these stomachs contains a workforce of rumen bacteria that dissolve the cellulose in plants these Sheep and Cows are eating.  Rumen bacteria dismantle the cellulose in eaten plants and re-make them as molecules of energy-producing glucose.  So when you feed Cows and Sheep, you are not really feeding the animals; you are actually feeding the rumen bacteria.

The Eco-chem website posts its own breakdown of the FRESH content of these two manures:

http://ecochem.com/t_manure_fert.html

Eco-chem maintains that the NPK content of "Cattle" manure is .5-.3-.5; Sheep manure is .9-.5-.8.  Sheep manure has less moisture than Cow Manure.  Sheep that are fed hay and grains produce more nutritious Manure than Sheep that are grazing out on the land.

Eco says that "Sheep" manure contains 0.2 (Ca) and 0.3 (Mg).  It is 30.7 percent organic matter and 64.8 percent water.

A report issued several years ago titled 'Review of recycling of animal wastes as a source of nutrients for freshwater fishculture within an integrated livestock system" breaks down 'Farm animal waste output and waste composition' with listings for Pigs, Chickens, something called "Feedlot Beef", Sheep and Dairy Cattle.  Here it is:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/field/003/AC526E/AC526E02.htm

Table 30 lists the 'Chemical composition of excreta of different farm animals'.  Here it is:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/field/003/AC526E/AC526E07.htm#tbl30

Note one line in particular: 'Nitrogen in animal wastes may be in the form of NH3, NH4, NO2, the levels of which VARY CONSIDERABLY.'  (emphasis added there.)

Translation: It is almost impossible to predict the nutrient content in Manure on any given day, week, month or year -- from the same Cow -- because there are so many variables.  You never really know what you are getting until you can analyze it AFTER you have it.  As for the fruits of your efforts, you don't know those until your soil is tested.  And as you may know, I firmly believe we should test our Soil to make sure, especially in your case to monitor the Phosphorus content to avoid a toxic level.

I understand that Dairy Cows are preferred over Steers due to their lower salt and weed seed content. Though cow manure has low nutrient numbers, that's what makes it safe to use in unlimited quantities.

A Chinese study in 2004 of the results of applying Sheep Manure to an Apple Orchard may be most germane to your question:

wwwlib.teiep.gr/images/stories/acta/Acta%20638/638_19.pdf

The report is titled: 'Sheep Manure Improves the Nutrient Retention Capacity of Apple Orchard Soils.'

There is also the cattle-manure Serbia study in 2009, 'The effect of zeolite, organic and inorganic fertilizers on soil chemical properties, growth and biomass yield of apple trees':

www.agriculturejournals.cz/publicFiles/13722.pdf

Scientists found that a "combination" of organic and inorganic fertilizers produced a higher yield, i.e., trees with more apples, and other benefits.  But it was their use of Zeolites that laid the ground for the success of this experiment:

'Zeolites prevent unnecessary losses of nutrients, making them available exactly when needed(Podle氠kov?et al. 1967). They are excellent carriers, stabilizers and regulators of mineral fertilizers, themselves being a source of certain nutrients (Bagdasarov et al. 2004). As carriers of N and K fertilizers, they increase their efficacy by decreasing application rates for equal yields to be achieved (Polat et al. 2004). The stated author also suggested that zeolites, being of weakly alkaline reaction, can be combined with mineral fertilizers to maintain soil buffering and indirectly regulate soil pH. According to Torii (1978), zeolites improve the growth and development of plants, including Apple.'

This, and not the choice of Cow versus Sheep manure, may be your most important decision.

Since we're on the subject, may I recommend some bedside reading about E.coli and Strep bacillus in sheep, cows and horses, courtesy of the USDA:

http://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/25/1/1173.pdf

There is also the issue of various drugs used on the manure-producing animals and how many pesticides they ingest with their GMO breakfast, lunch and dinners:

www.soilminerals.com/compost_manure_humus.htm

That, I don't even want to think about.

This is an ever-changing field, and it is changing incredibly fast now.  Issues we never considered (GMO in our food? Use of pesticides in cotton that gets into the fertilizer that is used by the apples?  Bacteria?) are now demanding immediate answers.  It is no longer an easy, simple question: Cows or Sheep?  Moo or Baa?  There is so much to consider, and too much to worry about.

Thanks for writing.  Your followups invited.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER