#Poultry ventilation
Welcome to the page about Poultry ventilation of Engormix; a source of knowledge on Poultry ventilation.
A fast-growing broiler produces a surprising amount of heat, roughly 10 - 15 Btu/hr per pound of body weight. To put this in perspective, a single match produces one Btu/hr of heat which means that a four-pound broiler has essentially 40 to 60 matches of heat being produced within it. An eight-pound broiler would have 80 to 120 matches of heat within it, heat it must continually rid itself of in order to maintain a normal body temperature. As a bird’s body temperature increases,...
Managing by the “average” of anything can be a potentially dangerous concept when it comes to growing birds. For instance, when tunnel ventilating market-age broilers the average house temperature could be 80°F, which isn’t necessarily a problem, but it hides the fact that it could be 70°F at the pad end and 90°F at the fan end of the house which definitely would be dangerous. During cold weather, an average daily relative humidity of 60% seems ideal, but in...
When it comes to predicting the likelihood that birds will experience heat stress conditions on a given day, knowing outside relative humidity first thing in the morning is not particularly useful. Though air moisture levels have significant impact on bird comfort, relative humidity is constantly changing over the course of a day. In the morning relative humidity will tend to be between 80 and 100%. In the afternoon, as temperatures rise and the moistureholding ability of air increases, the...
The air speed in a tunnel-ventilated house is determined simply by dividing a house’s tunnel fan capacity by the cross-sectional area of the house: Air speed = Tunnel fan capacity (cubic feet per min) Cross-sectional area (square feet) To increase air speed, either tunnel fan capacity needs to be increased or the house’s cross-sectional area decreased. Air speed is...
Unlike many aspects of operating a tunnel-ventilated house during hot weather, the performance of an evaporative cooling pad system is relatively predictable. This is because there are well defined relationships between the cooling produced by a pad system and water usage, pad area, outside temperature/humidity, and water temperature. Since most evaporative cooling pads are essentially identical and the summertime conditions are fairly similar across most poultry growing areas of the U.S.,...
There are essentially two types of poultry house circulation fan systems: vertical and horizontal. In a vertical circulation fan system, fans are located in the center of the house, typically near the ceiling, and are oriented to blow straight down towards the floor. The air then moves across the floor, up the side walls, and back...
Preventing injury to a chicken’s foot pads (paws) is very important for a number of reasons. First, chicken paws are a valuable product, a delicacy in some cultures, and often sell for as much as two to three times as breast meat on a per-pound basis. Secondly, foot pad lesions can become infected, resulting in leg problems and a decrease in overall bird performance. Last but not least, a chicken’s feet are a good indicator of litter quality. Numerous studies have documented the...
A properly designed circulation fan system can provide a grower with a variety of benefits. During cold weather, circulation fans can transfer hot air collecting near the ceiling to bird level, increasing floor temperatures and decreasing heating costs. Circulation fans can also help move warm air from the center of a house towards the cooler...
Negative pressure ventilation is the most popular method of ventilating poultry houses during cold weather due to it’s simplicity and relatively low initial and operating costs. Exhaust fans create a low-pressure zone within a house and give a producer precise control over the amount of fresh air brought into a house. Air inlets uniformly distribute fresh air drawn in by the exhaust fans throughout the house and direct it along the ceiling, where the hot air (produced by the...
Ventilation is one of the most important principles of raising broiler chickens in farms, which is the only key to reduce the respiratory problems of the bird and to reach the highest productivity and the highest conversion rate. Ventilation is an important factor that controls the productive performance of birds. Poor ventilation leads to low weight and food conversion rate, as well as respiratory diseases that increase the mortality rate, reduce the immunity of birds and make them...
USDA - United States Department of Agriculture
1. Introduction Air emissions from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), are reported to cause health impacts for both the animals and humans exposed [1–3]. The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and gases emitted from CAFOs can have regional impacts on people living in the area around them [3–7]. More recent studies show that emissions from agricultural facilities can cause the nitrogen enrichment of soils and waterways [8]. While...
by Sam Shafer
Particulate matter (PM) can damage bird lungs. Now poultry scientists gather data to give a fuller picture of the effects of PM in different housing systems
Poultry scientists are working to better understand the impacts of particulate matter (PM) on bird health and production. Particulate matter includes very small particles of feed, feathers, animal waste, and dander. Researchers have found that PM...
Connie Mou (University of Georgia) commented on humidity, air movement and dry litter in poultry houses, during IPPE 2020 in Atlanta, USA....
University of Arkansas (USA)
The incubation environment is important for embryonic development and programs chick welfare. The focus of this newsletter is on the effects of the incubator environment on chicken egg incubation, but the same principles can apply to other poultry species. For more information on hatchery topics, see our ...
Figure 1. FAPP Poultry house at UGA Poultry Research Center With growing concerns about avian influenza some poultry producers are wondering if there are ways to filter the air...
A guide to choosing the right ventilation concept for your farm In this guide, you’ll read about the different ventilation concepts used in poultry and pig housing around the world. A ventilation concept is how you...
Mike Czarick (University of Georgia) explains how this application can help you assess the tightness conditions of your poultry house, in this interview during IPPE 2023 in Atlanta, USA....
Brian Fairchild (University of Georgia) talks about common misconceptions regarding this system, possible overuse and its impact on litter conditions and poultry welfare, in this interview during IPPE 2023 in Atlanta, USA....
Interest in plastic evaporative cooling pads has been steadily increasing since their introduction approximately ten years ago, especially for producers with water quality issues. Though for the most part six-inch plastic pads are interchangeable with six-inch paper pads, and can produce similar cooling, this doesn’t mean there are not significant differences between plastic and paper pads. Not taking into account these potentially important differences can result in an increased...
University of Tennessee (USA)
Tom Tabler (The University of Tennessee) discusses how to manage poultry litter and effectively use ventilation to avoid health and welfare issues, in this interview during IPPE 2023 in Atlanta, USA....