Questions about deep litter-Turkeys & Goats that HAVEN'T been asked

[moenmitz]

I did a search before posting, as I know this is a topic that has been discussed in detail, but I can't really find the answers I am needing, so I hope soemone can help me. Started using this with our chicks and all is going well. Been trying it with the turkey poults for about a week now, and the stench is BAAAD. What am I doing wrong? I use pine shavings, stir them up every day, and have to put fresh down every day just to help the smell. bedding is not really wet, waterer is raised with a drip pan beneath. Just don't understand why it works for 50+ chicks so well, but not for 5 little turkey poults! Also...has anybody used the DL method with goats? We have 4 Boers that inhabit our barn, and man do they stink. We try to clean it every day, but it makes no difference as to the stink unless we put down lime, and doing hat daily gets costly. So, what happens is we end up letting it go a week or two between cleanings, and then holy moley, what a smelly undertaking. get it spotless only to have the little poop machines foul it up an hour later. I am thinking, in theory, couldn't the DL litter method work with goats? Would I need to add any amendments to control the smell, bacteria, and/or pests? I don't want to do anything unhealthy for them, but anything that could make them less smelly and involve less work would be a real bonus. If anyone can clue me in on these two areas, I would really, really appreciate it!

 

[moenmitz]

Anybody???

 

[helmstead]

Well, I don't like the deep litter method - so I've never used it.

Ammonia is your problem here, and the only way I know of to battle it is daily urine removal, stall lime and air flow.

The only thing that really surprised me about your post was the comment that your goats stink. I only have to muck my goat barn maybe once a month (it's a 10x10 area that the goats have free access to and spend a good deal of time in). I use kiln dried pine shavings in my barn. My chicken area stinks - but the goat area doesn't...not even when I muck it out.

As far as turkeys - there are a lot of turkey farms around my DH's homeplace in Indiana, and lots of chicken farms around our place here in GA...and the turkey farms smell WAY worse, so I'm not surprised your poults are smellier than your chickens were lol. I've never had turkeys...but I have ducks and chickens. I have 15 chickens now, and ALL of them don't smell as nasty as my 4 ducks. Go figure.

I guess my only advice is to give up on the deep litter thing and get some fans going in your barn to help push the stink out. Muck it all the way out weekly, lime it to death, and you'll see improvement.

 

[tvtaber]

Do you have uncastrated male goats (bucks) in your barn? That is the only reason i can imagine having stink from them. Is it possible there are too many animals in the area you have? Can you build an outdoor pen for everyone? Our goats are in a fairly modest outdoor enclosure with a shed, but there is no real smell and the only reason I pick up the manure at all is to put it on the garden.

I don't use DLM because I do not have a dirt floor in either of my animal sheds. My dad uses it for chickens and there is no smell at all, despite cleaning it out only once a year. However, having been in Indiana for a few years and smelling the turkey barns from the roads, I can assure you turkeys STINK!

 

[moenmitz]

We have four female Boer goats, barn is a huge old horse barn. The only other animals it houses are 50 baby chicks and 5 turkey poults. I can't believe no one elses goats stink! Are Boers extra stinky or something? It is bad enough that every time we go out to feed them, we have to shower on coming in, or we smell like goat! We use lime like there is no tomorrow, and for now have bare concrete floors. We tried straw, hay, and shavings, but they just made it worse. Now we just try to sweep it out daily and sprinkle lime. Have a fan going, also all 4 doors are usually open (1 on each side of barn) so ventilation is very good. They are not in the barn all the time, they always have access to 5 acres of pasture at any time. They just PREFER to stand inside the barn 90% of the time! I just want to lock their fuzzy butts outside to keep the barn clean, but my husband feels sorry for them, and they think they are being tortured if theya re not allowed in there! (Mind you, there is a perfectly usable lean-to in the pasture that they can go in to get out of rain, sun, wind, etc, but they refuse to use it, prefer to stand outside the barn door bleating their heads off!

I love em, just frustrated and convinced there has to be a better way!

 

[Crunchie]

Quote:
I think that might be your answer....

If they have ample shelter from the elements in their pasture, I wouldn't let them in the barn unless you want/need to. Save the barn for situations where you need to confine them or when the weather is really bad.

Though I can't understand, from what you describe, why those 4 goats would be so stinky anyway?? I have 3 goats (2 does, 1 buck) that have a pasture but free access to a small shed w/covered run, all concrete floor. They do pee/poop there on a quite regular basis (it's a great place to hang out when the weather is hot, and I keep their water there and grain them there), but it never stinks. I just sweep it out every couple of weeks, and when I'm feeling real frisky I sweep all of the "berries" out then hose it, slosh a bucket of dilute bleach water all over, sweep again (while wet), then hose once more real well to rinse.

Have you tried Stall Dry or Sweet PDZ?? They're a blend of diatomaceous earth & clay? Don't know if that would be more or less effective than the lime, I never use lime...

Good luck!! I know how frustrating stinky animal messes can be!