How to Reduce Odor in Horse Manure

Horse manure smells like...manure, and humans can do very little to change it. Composting, the best technique to reduce the smell, requires little effort. It also reduce flies. As manure composts, the pile reduces in size to about half. After manure turns into compost, local building and/or landscaping companies will come and take the manure away to use as fertilizer.

Things You'll Need

  • Lime
  • Wheelbarrow
  • Pitchfork
  • Heavy machinery (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Clean your horse's stall thoroughly with a wheelbarrow and pitchfolk. Take the waste to a location close to the barn, but far enough away that it doesn't attract flies into the barn. The pile needs to located away from any human-occupied buildings.

    • 2

      Create small piles of manure about five to seven feet in diameter and three feet high. Piles of this size generate enough heat to compost the manure without interference. Any larger, and the manure doesn't get enough air to turn it into compost. This method works best for small farms, which don't have the machinery to turn the manure. Generally, piles, which aren't turned, take longer to compost.

    • 3

      Create a large pile and use a tractor or other large machine to turn over the manure to increase airflow in the pile. The large quantity of manure that originates from a larger farm necessitates this type of composting to reduce flies and odor.