Pig poop. Is there a way to deodorize?

[Dunkopf]

So we decided to give pigs another try. The timing was such that I had to convert part of a horse run in for them. Well, yesterday I finished up pig proofing a nice area for them with a lot of room. When I finally let them in they had a blast running around. Then I started figuring out what to do with the old area.

Someone stated before that they poop away from where they sleep. Well, indeed they do. They pushed all their poop through the hog panels in the same area as they're watering trays. I have the kind where you hang them on the fence. So there is a lot of water that gets around the trays on to the poop. Result is that I have an area about 6'x10' that is sodden pig poop . It has saturated into the dirt to about 1' deep. There just aren't a whole lot of things that smell like that. I was scooping up the stuff they were pushing through, but it ran a lot deeper than I thought. I think they mix dirt in with it.

So my question is this. Is there anything that can be spread on this area after I remove the best part of it that will kill the smell? I would also like to ask if there is a good way to get rid of the poop. I have heard that it isn't good for composting and I don't really want something that close to human waste in our garden. I'm worried about flies and have started throwing DE on it. There are already a lot of flies even though we put DE in the grain we feed the pigs. The pigs have been on a diet of COB and sweet feed type grain with some goats milk and water mixed in. As soon as I can get a hot wire run around the pasture fence they will have 6 acres of pasture to graze and poop on.

I would post this on the small herd forum but I have lurked over there and there aren't too many people posting on the pigs section.

 

[elevan]

Just because there aren't many people posting on BYH for pigs doesn't mean there aren't plenty of people who have them there. I spend a lot more time there than here and believe me there are plenty of people who have pigs there...they just don't have that many problems with them.

Now, for your problem:
Wood Ash works great to eliminate the smell of pig poop and break down the poo.

 

[arabianequine]

I'd be one of them that said the pigs we had pooped in a seperate area.

What I would do first thing if you have not already is move the water since it is more than likely you won't change where they want to go poop that way its not making a swampy sewer mess.

It should dry out if you have nice weather fairly fast and that helps it not stink so much too.

We use Sweet PDZ it is like lime but safe for all animals. It is at most feed and arg. type stores. There site has a nearest store locater.

www.sweetpdz.com

Also wanted to let you know a lady I talked to once swore by pig poo being the best fertilizer ever. She would rotate her pigs in different pens for the winter and where they were that winter she would move them the next year in the spring and til up where they were for the that previous winter and that was her garden that spring.

 

[spiritdance]

Actually, pig manure is great compost as long as your pile is "hot." It gets a bad rep because too many people try "passive composting," i.e. distributing and aging it on the ground or in unturned piles, which is too cool to kill any pathogens it might contain. If you are composing chicken poop, pig poop will be rendered safe and useful by the same conditions, as both are omnivores, and it is the meat consumption that requires the hot compost temps and the addition of sufficient carbon sources such as straw, wood bedding, etc. We compost our pig manure and it works great. As for the odor, once the heat gets going it's not the same as the wet accumulation you are talking about. It's a "green" odor like any other compost. And as one poster mentioned, wood ash deodorizes it well and is a great addition to your compost and soil.

 

[drdoolittle]

I read that if you only feed your pigs their pig chow and veggies/fruits/grains and no meats that their poop won't smell as bad. It's still going to smell some (it is poop, after all) but supposedly not as bad.

 

[Dunkopf]

Thanks much for the replies. I'm used to horse and cow poop in the large size. This situation is a little overwhelming because they covered it with dirt and the smell stayed down. Then I went to move it and whew. Kind of like thinking your kid has been cleaning their room fairly well and then finding that the entire underside of their bed is full of garbage. Sans smell and flies of course.

I have a bunch of ash from confidential papers that I burn. I'll try that and if it doesn't kill the smell some I'll buy some of that other stuff.

Glad to hear that it works as compost. I've got to make me a tumbling composter. Meanwhile I guess I'll do the old turn with a fork thing. Is it done when the fork comes out clean?

 

[Mr chicken dude]

The overwhelmingly strong ammonia smell you get when you walk into a Tyson or Smithfield house is the poop and urine if you have enough carbon such as wood chips, hay,etc you will not have the strong ammonia smell because the carbon absorbs the urine and poop and breaks it down and absorbs moisture in the poop and it will not smell as bad or not at all because dry poop doesn't really smell.com

Collin

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

So my question is this. Is there anything that can be spread on this area after I remove the best part of it that will kill the smell?

Pelletized lime can help with the odors

I wouldn't use wood chips or hay because it will just compact and become anaerobic, causing even more odor.

You could try adding sand to improve the drainage​

 

[arabianequine]

Op the www.sweetpdz.com is like lime but it will not burn the animals skin like lime.

Good luck!

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Op the www.sweetpdz.com is like lime but it will not burn the animals skin like lime.

Pelletized lime is Calcium Carbonate, which is the same thing Oyster shell is made of.
You can even get "feed grade" limestone

It's Hydrated Lime (Calcium Hydroxide) that is caustic​