Terrible Smell Plaguing Florida City for Days Traced to Chicken Poop

A terrible smell that had been plaguing a Florida city for days has been traced by local officials back to chicken poop, according to a report.

Locals in Gainesville, Florida had been wondering where the horrific smell had been coming from for days, comparing the scent to vomit or garbage, until environmental director Stephen Hofstetter shared in an email to county commissioners that the smell was coming from a farmer using chicken manure, as reported by WCJB.

"The fertilizer was originally applied on Thursday and Friday and is expected to be tilled into the soil probably beginning [Tuesday], which should largely reduce the odor. However, we may have some additional odor days with cold morning temperatures and wind out of the North and have started to receive additional calls," Hofstetter wrote in the email, according to the station.

The farmer was reportedly using the manure as fertilizer in Alachua County, but meteorologists told WCJB that the smell likely spread due to north winds.

Complaints had been arising from around Gainesville since last week when the foul odor began permeating. As requests for investigations into the smell increased, Gainesville Regional Utilities confirmed in a post to social media Jan. 2 that the smell was not coming from their facilities, as reported by Mainstreet Daily News.

One user described the smell in a comment on the utility's Facebook page, "Archer Road/Butler Plaza area smells like barf and the inside of a garbage truck mixed together." Another user commented, "Yep, smells like pooh when I [open] our front door..."

Officials said that the smell should start to dissipate in the coming days as the fertilizer is tilled into the soil.