Posted by Jennifer Hojnacki, Fri, Apr 27, 2012
There are numerous reasons why a dry barn is best for your animals:
- Keeps flies and other pests to a minimum
- Lower moisture levels reduce the chance of hay, feed or supplements molding, which can be hazardous to your animals’ health
- Too much moisture can have an adverse impact on your leather saddles and tack
- Odor is minimized when bedding is kept nice and dry
Here are a few tips for keeping your barn dry and fresh this summer as temperatures and humidity levels rise:
- Roofing. Be sure to patch up any holes or gaps in your roof to keep water from dripping into your stalls, feed, or tack rooms, or other areas of the barn in which it might collect and go unnoticed.
- Gutters and landscaping. Make sure to keep your gutters clean, and check to see that your barn’s gutters and exterior landscaping are designed to move water away from the barn so that it doesn’t collect on the inside of your stalls, where it can combine with bedding and manure to create odor and health problems.
- Fans. If you live in a hot and (especially) humid climate, consider running large fans to keep the air circulating and the moisture levels under control. Ceiling fans are great if your barn can accommodate them and make for an affordable option, but any large fan you can bring into the barn will help.
- Air it out! Whenever feasible, clear everyone out of the barn, give it a complete mucking and leave everyone outside for as long as is practical to give your barn a chance to air out.
- Use an odor control product such as Sweet PDZ® (available wherever Manna Pro® products are sold) in conjunction with your bedding. Not only does Sweet PDZ absorb moisture—it captures, neutralizes, and eliminates harmful levels of ammonia and odors. The accumulation of ammonia in horse stalls and barns can stress a horse’s upper respiratory system, placing them at risk of pneumonia, heaves, and other serious illnesses. Keeping your stalls and barn dry and free from ammonia fumes is critical. Other solutions, including lime, don’t offer the all-natural, nontoxic, nonhazardous solution to odor and ammonia that Sweet PDZ does.
- It’s going to be a great warm-weather riding season with your horse! Make sure you’ve created the ideal conditions for them to stay dry and healthy with our tips.
- Do you have your own tips for keeping your barn nice and dry? Share them by posting them here on our blog...we’d love to hear from you!
