Posted 2007-05-30 8:33 AM (#61461) Subject: Ammonia
Veteran
Posts: 230 Location: Louisiana
Our horses stay outside 24/7 but have access to their stalls in the barn if desired. I have noticed as of late a horrible ammonia smell in the barn. It has been very wet lately and the stalls did get mucky. I stripped one of then down about 6 inches and then filled with limestone and topped with shavings. The smell is still there. Any tips on how to get rid of it and how to control it in the future? I want the barn to smell fresh and clean. It has a 16 foot aisleway with huge openings on either end so there is plenty of ventilation.
Posted 2007-05-30 11:08 AM (#61472 - in reply to #61461) Subject: RE: Ammonia
Elite Veteran
Posts: 648 Location: Coconut Creek, FL
I dig out the urine spots on a daily basis, sprinkle the hole with PDZ and fill with fresh sand. Never have a urine smell or build up in the stalls. I would hate to have to strip the whole stall - much easier to do 1-2 spots a day. Luckily my gelding usually pees in the paddock and is out all night so it does lower the amount of urine spots.
Posted 2007-05-31 11:06 AM (#61558 - in reply to #61473) Subject: RE: Ammonia
Veteran
Posts: 294 Location: Fort Worth, Tx
Sweet PDZ is a zeolite granule, it is available at some TSC and feed stores. It works great. I prefer the granule over the powder, the powder gets EVERYWHERE if there is the slightest breeze. Works great-it keeps urine from turning into ammonia...not sure if it will get rid of ammonia already there. I would try an enzymatic cleaner like "Get Serious", available at Petsmart.
Posted 2007-05-31 8:40 PM (#61581 - in reply to #61517) Subject: RE: Ammonia
Expert
Posts: 1989 Location: South Central OK
Dig out the urine and let it air dry before covering with lime dust and then fresh shavings. This is a major problem in dirt bottomed stalls, and I've yet to see a real cure.
If you want your barn to smell clean and fresh place real(vulcanized and about 100lbs for 4'x6') top quality stall mats wall to wall and then cover in shavings. This is overly simplified but there are dozens more steps you need to take under the mats before they are laid out.
Posted 2007-06-01 10:02 AM (#61602 - in reply to #61461) Subject: RE: Ammonia
Location: KY
ditto Huntseat on the mats, they are wonderful, just wish they weren't so heavy and costly. Over time, they are worth it tho. Notfromtexas, I have found the powder sweet pdz better for my barn, but everyone is different. The powder will work on wet spots, just need to be generous with it at first.
Posted 2007-06-01 2:38 PM (#61617 - in reply to #61461) Subject: RE: Ammonia
Regular
Posts: 81
"Dig out the urine and let it air dry before covering with lime dust and then fresh shavings"
Big Ditto on the lime if mats are unaffordable, but be sure to ask for Dolomite lime as other types of lime are caustic.
Having been raised on a farm, I learned early on that dolomite lime has many uses (Google it, including burial
If we have to lay a dog or cat to rest, we cover the grave heavily with lime as an additional way of deterring animals from smelling the dead animal and digging it up.
Posted 2007-06-04 8:25 AM (#61754 - in reply to #61461) Subject: RE: Ammonia
Veteran
Posts: 230 Location: Louisiana
Thanks for all of the replies. We can't swing the stall mats just yet because we spent a small fortune on lumber. But it was a gorgeous weekend to I put everyone out to pasture for two days and stripped the stalls down to the limestone and let them air out for two days.
I bought a bag of lime while at Lowe's. I haven't put it down yet but now I am concerned that it may be the caustic kind. I will check before I do anything else.
After being stripped and open to the air for two days the smell is pretty much gone. But we have to come up with a longterm solution. The stall mats are the end goal and we have the stall prepared underneath already. I think that just a few more inches of limestone to level it out.
What about "Stallskins"? Those look pretty interesting.
Posted 2007-06-04 1:00 PM (#61774 - in reply to #61754) Subject: RE: Ammonia
Expert
Posts: 1989 Location: South Central OK
99.9% sure the stalls are not ready for mats. (If you did all the prep you wouldn't use them until they were finished.) If there is any moisture under them you might as well not use mats. The floor must be dry level and packed down hard. Stonedust works really well then cushion sand to add some give but packed down all the same. (I have friends that swear mats don't work but their stalls are 24"+ below the hall, urine pits with one cheap mat in the middle...it's hardly worth the effort.)
Stallskins are a newer product and I have had no experience with them. They look like they would need lots of prep work too.
The more prep work you do the better the end product will be... this works for painting, stall mats, construction, grooming, etc.
Ammonia
, including burial