Employees take more pride in their jobs and work output improves. Production advantages are also likely to be realized by proper in-house manure management. Anaerobic decomposition of manure produces more than 40 gases which may be detrimental to animal health and productivity, unhealthy to workers or offensive to neighbors. Ammonia and other gas concentrations in swine housing has been closely associated with ventilation rates and manure management systems. Continuous breathing of ammonia, even in low concentrations, increases the susceptibility of animal's to respiratory diseases such as rhinitis and chronic pneumonia.
Ammonia also causes a loss of appetite resulting in slower gains.
Hydrogen sulfide, when rapidly released during agitation of stored manure, is toxic and can kill quickly. The presence of dried manure on floor surfaces contributes to dusty conditions inside a production facility which can also damage an animal's respiratory structure. Therefore, proper consideration should be given to the manure management system in the planning stages both from a production and environmental standpoint to meet the objectives of enhancement of the operational efficiency of the production unit and prevention of nuisance conditions. Low temperature, high ammonia content, excess hydrogen ion content and excess volatile solids were often inhibitory or toxic for anaerobic digestion in the pits. These characteristics were accentuated in grower and finishing buildings.