Where I come from raw cow manure seems to be the fertilizer of choice. You can't drive past a farm without catching a whiff of all that manure, but when you live out in the country, you get used to that smell and begin to prefer it over chemical smells. However, since composted manure doesn't stink, but instead smells more or less like soil, you're good. I think manure composting works much the same way as any other type of composting. You lay out a layer of dry straw on the ground, cover that with a layer of manure and repeat until you have several layers, and then cover it with soil. You turn it over every couple days or so, and check the temperature every so often to make sure it's working and then when it stops heating up in the center, it's done. I have no idea what type of thermometer you'd have to use to do this, but it's definitely a messy process. I understand that when completely composted the manure has the appearance, smell and texture of dirt, if that helps you to figure out when to use it.
