[GSBN] Suitablity of fresh cowdung supplies from feedlots for natural plasters

[Andy Horn]

Hi all

I am busy with 3 large straw bale public building, coating in a thick
dipping of earth plaster and well worked in to the bales, which we are
protecting with 2 top coats of lime, sand, cow dung and clay water plaster
using a recipe I learnt from an old builder Herbert whom was taught it by
his grandfather for the plastering of the adobe buildings of his old
Moravian mission town.

 

We are having a bit of difficulty getting sufficient supplies of fresh cow
dung near our site in Johannesburg, however we have located a nearby
feedlot, where the stuff is readily available only thing is that I are
wondering if this kind of cow dung would still be suitable ..as I imagine it
would have less fibre than cow dung sourced from free ranging cattle.
Apparently the cows at the feeding station are fed on about 10% hay/grass
and 90% grain.

 

What Herbert our old heritage builder tells us is that it should be fine so
long as they are fed some fibre and that indeed he has made use of such cow
dung before and one cannot even tell the difference. For him the more
important thing is that the cow dung is fresh .i.e. no more than 3 days old.


 

So anyhow I was wondering if any of you lot out there have any with
experience in using feed-lot cow dung for their plasters and if you have
come up against similar issues in terms of what the cows get to eat
affecting the quality of the cow dung before and if you have any
opinions/experience with this.

 

 

Incidentally the plaster mix that we get with this receipt is particularly
good. It is both very strong and extremely durable as well as being
particularly forgiving and really easy to work with as lime plasters
typically go. 

 

So if any of you are interested I could email you a pdf document directly (
please respond to me separately on andy at ecodesignarchitects.co.za ..do not
reply to the whole mailing group) that I have written up on the process.as I
am not sure I can mail it to this address direct..unless you want me upload
it somewhere. Joyce I would be more than  happy for you to print it up in a
forthcoming "Last Straw" magazine too.

 

cheers

Andy

 

 



 

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