Most poultry operations remove manure regularly from the barns. Floor-reared poultry operations are cleaned after the flock has been taken out and the barn is empty. Here, the timing of manure removal is dependent on the production cycle. As a result, broiler chicken barns generally produce less odour than turkey barns. However, as long as the manure is dry, there is little difference between the two.
Wet manure is a different story.
If left for long periods in the barn, it produces considerable odour which is expelled by the ventilation system into the environment. As well, the gases produced such as ammonia may be harmful to the birds. Wet manure in cage and wire floor barns should be removed every few days to a suitable storage where odour production is limited. The day to day odour level from a manure storage depends upon the moisture content of the manure and the open surface area. A covered storage has no open surface area.