pleasant aroma in rural areas

[SCGranny]

Ah, but ReturningWest, are those the big commercial farms, with the endless quonset huts and piles of refuse contaminating not just the air, but the groundwater? BIG difference between that and some free-range chickens in a yard, or even a couple of pigs in a paddock on pallets that get hosed down every day. My chickens smell - dusty.

My cousin lives in Phoenix in a housing tract on the outskirts. Some folks at the end of her road have a single acre where they keep four horses - and the pasture and pole barn are NEVER cleaned out. She says it stinks to high heaven - and, when the rains come, they wash all of that barn stuff down their road.

[BrokenTap]

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Ah, but ReturningWest, are those the big commercial farms, with the endless quonset huts and piles of refuse contaminating not just the air, but the groundwater? BIG difference between that and some free-range chickens in a yard, or even a couple of pigs in a paddock on pallets that get hosed down every day. My chickens smell - dusty.

My cousin lives in Phoenix in a housing tract on the outskirts. Some folks at the end of her road have a single acre where they keep four horses - and the pasture and pole barn are NEVER cleaned out. She says it stinks to high heaven - and, when the rains come, they wash all of that barn stuff down their road.

We had a small chicken farm here for 30 years or so, and while I only remember the 1980-1988 years, I will say the ammonia in chicken manure will take your breath away! It is bad.

The one good thing about it though is, it is natures equivalent of anhydrous ammonia so when the chicken plants were up and running here, farmers never used urea or anhydrous ammonia as synthetic fertilizer. It was better for the soil because it is organic matter.

From a soils point of view, I wish we had more chicken houses here now, but atlas their day has passed