3,710. A Sheepfold in a Field

Hilchos Shemittah v’Yoveil 2:4

One may remove manure from a sheepfold and put it in his field in the manner of those who transport manure. If one makes a pen in his field during shemittah, he may not make it larger than two beis seah (about the size of a football field); he may then bring his sheep into it. When they have fertilized the whole pen, he may leave one wall of the pen and build another pen on the other side. This enables him to fertilize four beis seah of his field.

Hilchos Shemittah v’Yoveil 2:5

However, if the entire field is only four beis seah in size, he must leave part of it unfertilized so as not to give people the wrong idea. This way, people will realize that the sheep “did their business” there and fertilized the field incidentally, rather than thinking that the owner fertilized his whole field during shemittah.