Wastewater Management Guide Bulletin 604 Controlling Odors When planning a new livestock facility or enlarging an existing one, consider the odor nuisance potential.
Odors can be a nuisance to producers and cause complaints or even lawsuits by neighbors.
The two principal classes of odorous compounds are those containing sulfur, e.g., hydrogen sulfide, and those containing nitrogen in the amine form, e.g., ammonia. The generation of these compounds is affected by the type of livestock and is primarily associated with the level of protein and amount of roughage in feed ration. For example, poultry and hog wastes produce more offensive odors than cattle. The manure-handling system also affects the rate of odor generation and the characteristic smell of the odor. Manure that is collected and field-spread daily has less offensive odors than stored manure.