Goats Shed...REALLY SMELLY...Baking Soda??

[cassie]

Good grief!! I just now noticed the date of this thread and that I had replied to it ages ago. I need to pay more attention

 

[GringoJRF]

They are in an open corral. Wire fence, no roof, dirt floor. The ground is dry as we live in the desert.

 

[Zoomie]

OK, so yours are sheep then? Not goats? I can suggest wood shavings, or even sawdust if that is what you can get, because it will soak up the urine. Then I would suggest to find the "wet spots" and remove them daily. Yeah... I know... that's a lot of work, but I do it for my night pen for my goats. Seems to work. It gets a lot of the urine right out of the pen, so it's not there to create ammonia fumes.

Another thing you might consider: a night pen and a day pen. That way, each pen has a chance to dry out for some of the hours of the day or night. You would put them right next to each other, so it would be a matter of opening a gate and herding them through twice a day. Then once they are on the other side, you can clean out as much of the urine as you can. Those ammonia fumes can be really bad for them, so you are right in trying to cut down on them.

ETA: Put the gate *in the corner*. Animals naturally go to a corner to find the way out... if you put a gate in the center of a fenceline your life will be pure misery trying to get animals to go through it on their own. Yes... I know it's harder to put the gate in the corner. However in my experience, life is much happier if you take the time to do it, as it's so easy to herd them through.

 

[AndersonsBackyardFarm]

Yes shavings are all you should need, but not treated in case they harm your goats. I use more shavings than I do hay. I put down some hay but more often top this up with fresh shavings which does a great job of keeping the smell at bay. However, I have an issue with smell outside in their yard. I'll post about this!!

 

[VAfarmgirl9]

Sweet PDZ is a good product.

I am so glad I found this post and, excited about trying the PDZ in our large rabbit hutch. The urine smell is just bearable with constant cleaning and sprinkling baking soda. I've been looking for a product that isn't more spray as the wall are already wet. So I hope these granules are going to be the answer.

 

[cassie]

The things that are responsible for odor in barns and sheds are dampness and poor ventilation.