Bagged Manure

I generally buy Levington's Organic Farmyard Manure, great stuff and reliable.
This year my local nursery has run out and so I bought some J Arthur Rank Organic Farm Manure from another nearby nursery but found this absolutely awful, the smell is putrid and doesn't diminish and it is claggy in a way I've never seen before. Have I got a duff bunch of bags or is the J Arthur stuff always like this? as I need to buy more. Any recommendations?

Cheers
GG

 

I've not bought manure GG but visit the local stables. Quite often they are only to happy for it to be taken away free of charge as long as you do the digging.

The manure you have bought sounds dodgy to me, if it's well rotted there should be hardly any smell at all.

 

I recently got some of that stuff half price at a nursery closing down sale (still waiting for horse poo to rot down) and it is rather smelly. I put the fact it's not very friable down to it being so wet. Made sure I got it out the car as soon as I got home and it was only a 1 mile drive.

 

I have had some bags of stuff that smelt vile and was rather sticky. But I have also had some wonderful well rotted stuff that was a delight to work with. Stick to the one you know The only problem with the farmyard stuff is that you will probably have to let it mature for a year before using ......

 

Thanks all. @Scrungee I've used most of mine, but like you only because I didn't want it in the car again to return it.
I'm thinking the difference may be in the storage. Where I usually go all their bagged compost etc is outdoors but sheltered under a canopy. Where I got the stink stuff was outdoors but with no overhead protection. Maybe? Or just difference in brands. I'm going back to Levingtons.
GG

 

Some composts/etc. come shrink wrapped on pallets and are nice and dry.

 

was it wet and soggy ?? more than usual , just made me laugh reading it back

 

Both the Levingtons and J Arthur bags were sound and no smell on the latter when I was picking it up or in the car driving home. I'm thinking it is the quality used. On thinking about it, the smell of the J Arthur stuff was like that slurry they put on arable fields around here, acrid in the extreme. Lesson learned.
GG

 

Well, if the shoe fits ........................ innit

 

Farmyard manure..nothing really seems to work like it. I get mine locally and it always seems to pong even when it is a year or so old. The commercial stuff from my local Charlies and used by some of my lady friends is pong free. I am not sure it is as good a the real thing straight from the Horses a***. so to speak.