Introduction to Modern Broiler Production (all subjects combined)

Summary

The video script delves into the intricacies of modern poultry housing, emphasizing the importance of providing optimal conditions for various types of poultry. It highlights the necessity for temperature control, air quality through proper ventilation, feed and water access, lighting, and disease protection to ensure bird performance, health, and welfare. The script underscores the significance of biosecurity measures, such as minimizing visitor traffic and using personal protective equipment, to prevent the introduction of pathogens. It also discusses the role of feed and water systems in the birds' growth and the importance of bedding material in maintaining a healthy environment. The video further explains the management of air quality parameters like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and relative humidity. It concludes with insights into the environmental control systems used in poultry houses, including heating, ventilation, and the use of evaporative cooling pads, to create a comfortable and efficient living space for the birds.

Takeaways

• 🌡️ **Temperature Control**: Maintaining an optimal temperature is crucial for bird performance, health, and welfare.
• 🌬️ **Ventilation**: Proper ventilation ensures good air quality, which is vital for the birds' health and to control ammonia levels.
• 🍚 **Feed and Water Access**: Providing easy access to feed and water is essential for the birds' growth and well-being.
• 💡 **Lighting**: Adequate lighting is important for bird performance and should be managed according to the birds' needs.
• 🏥 **Disease Protection**: Implementing biosecurity measures helps protect birds from disease and ensures optimal health.
• 🚫 **Biosecurity**: Controlling traffic on and off farms is a key aspect of biosecurity, which aids in tracking and preventing disease spread.
• 👕 **Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)**: Wearing PPE when entering the poultry house protects the birds from potential biological vectors.
• 🔄 **House Management Order**: Visiting houses in a specific order based on biosecurity principles helps isolate potential health issues.
• 🌿 **Bedding Material**: The quality of bedding material affects the birds' comfort and is crucial for managing moisture and ammonia levels.
• 📊 **Air Quality Parameters**: Monitoring CO2, CO, ammonia, and relative humidity levels is essential for maintaining a healthy environment for the birds.
• 👀 **Bird Behavior**: Observing bird behavior can provide insights into the quality of the environment and the birds' health status.

Q & A

What are the common needs for different types of poultry such as turkeys, quails, and chickens?

The common needs for different types of poultry include temperature control, proper ventilation for air quality, access to feed and water, lighting, and protection from disease to ensure optimal bird performance, health, and welfare.

Why is managing the poultry house correctly important?

Managing the poultry house correctly is important to provide an optimal environment that meets the birds' needs, which directly impacts their performance, health, and welfare.

What is the role of biosecurity in poultry management?

Biosecurity is crucial in controlling the traffic coming on and off farms to prevent the introduction of diseases. It involves minimizing visitor numbers, using designated areas for vehicles, and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) to avoid becoming a biological vector for viruses or bacteria.

How should one move around different houses on a farm from a biosecurity standpoint?

When moving around different houses on a farm, one should visit the healthiest houses first and the potentially sick ones last to isolate any health issues as much as possible. If visiting multiple farms, the movement should be from younger to older birds to prevent transferring diseases to those that may not have developed immunity yet.

What is the significance of providing feed to birds in their first few hours of placement into the house?

Ensuring that birds find food in the first few hours of placement is key to getting poultry off to a good start. It helps them acclimate and start their growth cycle on a positive note.

How does the type of feeder system used affect bird feeding?

Different types of feeder systems can affect feed wastage and the ease with which birds can access food. Traditional square tray feeders, raised feeders, and manual feeders during brooding all serve to minimize wastage and ensure that birds can find and consume feed efficiently.

Why is providing water to birds considered as important, if not more, than providing feed?

Birds can survive longer without feed than without water. Water is essential for their survival and health, and providing unlimited access to fresh, clean water is crucial for their well-being.

What are the functions of bedding material in a poultry house?

Bedding material serves to absorb moisture, dilute manure, provide insulation from the pack dirt floor, and cushion the birds' feet by preventing them from stepping on a hard surface continuously.

What are the key factors to consider when managing litter quality in a poultry house?

Key factors include litter depth, moisture control, and maintaining a dry and friable state to prevent caked litter. This helps to minimize ammonia levels, reduce foot pad dermatitis, and ensure good air quality and bird welfare.

What are the ideal levels for carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and relative humidity in a poultry house?

The ideal levels are 5000 ppm or less for carbon dioxide, 50 ppm or less for carbon monoxide, 25 ppm or less for ammonia, and a relative humidity range of 40 to 60 percent.

How does observing bird behavior help in evaluating the poultry house environment?

Observing bird behavior, such as their distribution, drinking and eating habits, vocalizations, and activity levels, can provide insights into the quality of the environment and the birds' health and comfort.

What are the advantages of modern poultry houses in terms of environmental control and energy efficiency?

Modern poultry houses are fully enclosed, providing better control over temperature, air quality, air movement, and light. They use less heat or energy by 30 to 50 percent compared to older designs and require 10 to 20 percent less electricity for cooling, making them more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

Outlines

00:00

🌡️ Poultry Housing Fundamentals

The first paragraph discusses the essential needs for all types of poultry, including temperature control, air quality through proper ventilation, access to feed and water, lighting, and protection from disease. It emphasizes the interrelation between bird performance, health, and welfare, and the importance of correct housing management. Additionally, it highlights biosecurity measures, such as controlling traffic on and off farms and using personal protective equipment to prevent the introduction of diseases.

05:02

🚫 Biosecurity and Visitor Management

This section focuses on biosecurity practices on poultry farms, including minimizing visitor numbers, designating specific areas for vehicles, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to safeguard the birds from potential diseases. It also covers the order in which to visit different houses on a farm from a biosecurity perspective, advising to visit healthier houses before those with potential health issues and to move from younger to older birds to prevent the spread of diseases.

10:10

🍚 Feeding Poultry for Optimal Growth

The third paragraph details the importance of providing feed to birds, explaining the process of moving feed from storage bins to the hoppers and then to the feed lines. It discusses the use of automatic feed systems and manual feeding during brooding to ensure that birds find food quickly, which is crucial for a good start. The paragraph also touches on different types of feeders and the practice of raising feeders as birds grow to minimize feed wastage.

15:10

💧 Water Provision and Its Importance

Water provision is highlighted as equally, if not more, important than feed for the birds' survival. The paragraph explains the process of bringing water into the house, regulating pressure, and adding vitamins or sanitizers through a medicator system. It also discusses the design of the drinking system, which allows birds constant access to water by triggering pins, and the adjustments made as birds grow to ensure they can reach water easily and that water pressure increases with their age.

20:11

🛏️ Bedding Material and Its Role in Poultry Health

Bedding material is discussed as a crucial component in a poultry house, serving to absorb moisture, dilute manure, provide insulation, and cushion the birds' feet. The paragraph outlines various materials used for bedding and the importance of maintaining litter quality to prevent issues such as caked litter, which can indicate poor house management and lead to health problems like foot pad dermatitis. The focus is on keeping the litter dry and friable to minimize ammonia production and maintain air quality.

25:12

🌬️ Air Quality Management for Poultry Welfare

Air quality is identified as a basic need for poultry, with parameters such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and relative humidity needing to be managed. The paragraph explains the ideal levels for these parameters and how controlling relative humidity can help manage the other air quality factors. It also mentions that carbon monoxide is a result of heater maintenance issues rather than ventilation, and the importance of controlling ammonia levels for the birds' health and welfare.

👀 Observing Bird Behavior for Environmental Clues

This section advises on evaluating the poultry house environment and the birds themselves to assess their well-being. It suggests looking at how birds are spread out, their drinking and eating habits, vocalizations, and activity levels to gain insight into the effectiveness of the environmental management. The paragraph also notes that changes in bird behavior can indicate alterations in management or potential health issues.

🏡 Modern Poultry House Design for Comfort and Efficiency

The sixth paragraph describes the design and environmental control systems of modern poultry houses, emphasizing their sophistication and the high costs associated with ensuring bird comfort. It outlines how these houses maintain temperature and control factors like humidity, ammonia, dust, and carbon dioxide levels regardless of outside weather. The benefits of fully enclosed houses, including energy efficiency and environmental control, are highlighted, as well as the advantages of larger house size in terms of stability, energy cost, and initial construction costs.

🌡️ Cold Weather Environmental Control Systems

This section delves into the components and functioning of cold weather environmental control systems in poultry houses. It explains the use of heaters, exhaust fans, sidewall inlets, and circulation fans to maintain a comfortable environment for the birds. The importance of having a heating system that can create the desired floor conditions is emphasized, as is the need for fresh air to control air quality and house temperature. The paragraph also discusses how negative pressure systems work and the role of sidewall inlets in air quality and temperature control.

🔄 Mixing Air for Consistent Environmental Conditions

The importance of circulation fans in an environmental control system is discussed, noting their role in mixing air to provide uniform conditions throughout the poultry house. The paragraph explains how these fans move hot air from the ceiling to the floor level, reducing the need for additional heating, drying the litter, and creating a more uniform environment for the birds. Circulation fans are portrayed as a means to improve efficiency, reduce fuel usage, and maintain bird health and performance.

🌞 Managing Hot Weather Conditions with Tunnel Ventilation

The paragraph describes how tunnel ventilation and evaporative cooling pads are used to keep birds comfortable during hot weather. It explains the process of rapidly exchanging air in the house and maintaining a uniform air speed to create a wind chill effect. Additionally, the use of evaporative cooling pads to cool the air before it enters the house is discussed, ensuring that birds experience a cool breeze even when outside temperatures are extremely high.

🛠️ Ensuring a Tight House for Optimal Environmental Control

The importance of a tight house for effective environmental control is emphasized, explaining that air should only enter through designated inlets to maintain temperature and air quality. The paragraph discusses the need for sealing cracks and ensuring all unused fans or openings are covered to prevent cold air from entering and disrupting the birds' environment. The benefits of house tightness in both cold and hot weather are highlighted, stressing the role it plays in maximizing the birds' comfort and health.

🎛️ The Role of the Environmental Controller in Poultry Houses

The final paragraph focuses on the environmental controller, which is likened to a thermostat but with more complex functions. It controls and coordinates all the equipment in the house based on set temperatures and humidity levels, collects data on the house's conditions, and provides alarms for any issues. The controller's role in maintaining optimal conditions for bird growth, health, and welfare is underscored, along with its importance in operating all the equipment and ensuring the house runs efficiently.

Keywords

💡Poultry Housing

Poultry housing refers to the structures and conditions in which poultry, such as turkeys, quail, broiler chickens, and layers, are raised. It is crucial for providing an optimal environment that includes temperature control, air quality, feed and water access, lighting, and disease protection. The script emphasizes that proper housing is vital for bird performance, health, and welfare.

💡Biosecurity

Biosecurity in the context of poultry farming involves measures to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious diseases. The script discusses controlling traffic on and off farms, minimizing visitor numbers, and using personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent the introduction of viruses or bacteria. It is highlighted as a critical part of good farm management.

💡Feeding Systems

Feeding systems are the mechanisms used to provide poultry with their feed. The script describes various types of feeders, such as traditional square trays, and the importance of having adequate feeder space, especially during brooding. The systems may be automated or manually operated and are designed to minimize feed wastage and ensure birds have easy access to food.

💡Watering Systems

Watering systems are essential for providing poultry with a constant supply of fresh, clean water. The script explains that water is as important, if not more so, than feed. The systems include water panels, regulators, and medicator systems to ensure birds have unlimited access to water and can maintain proper hydration levels.

💡Bedding Material

Bedding material serves multiple functions in a poultry house, such as absorbing moisture, diluting manure, providing insulation, and cushioning the floor. The script mentions different types of materials like pine shavings, sawdust, and rice hulls. The quality of bedding is important for maintaining a healthy environment and preventing issues like foot pad dermatitis.

💡Air Quality

Air quality is a basic need for poultry and is managed by controlling parameters like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and relative humidity. The script outlines the ideal levels for these parameters and how managing them is essential for bird welfare, performance, and health. Good air quality also helps in minimizing ammonia levels, which can affect both bird health and air quality.

💡Environmental Control System

An environmental control system is a sophisticated setup used in modern poultry houses to maintain optimal conditions for bird comfort, health, and performance. The script details how these systems regulate temperature, air quality, air movement, and light, ensuring that regardless of external weather conditions, the birds are kept in a comfortable environment.

💡Heating Systems

Heating systems are a critical component of cold weather environmental control in poultry housing. The script discusses different types of heating systems, such as forced air furnaces and radiant heaters, which are used to maintain the desired temperature, especially for young birds. Radiant heat systems provide a floor temperature gradient for birds to self-regulate their comfort level.

💡Ventilation

Ventilation is the process of providing fresh air to the poultry house, which is essential for maintaining air quality and temperature. The script explains negative pressure systems, sidewall inlets, and tunnel fans, which work together to bring in fresh air and control the internal environment of the poultry house.

💡Circulation Fans

Circulation fans are used to mix the air within the poultry house, ensuring a uniform environment. The script mentions that these fans help in moving hot air from the ceiling to the floor level, which not only provides warmth to the birds but also aids in litter drying and maintaining a consistent temperature throughout the house.

💡Tunnel Ventilation

Tunnel ventilation is a method used during hot weather to cool the poultry house. The script describes it as a system where large exhaust fans and inlets are used to rapidly exchange the air in the house, creating a high and uniform air speed that provides a wind chill effect, making the birds feel cooler.

💡Evaporative Cooling

Evaporative cooling is a technique used to supplement tunnel ventilation and provide cool air to the birds during extremely hot weather. The script explains that it involves water running over filter paper, which cools the air as it passes through, thus reducing the temperature and providing a cooling effect for the birds.

💡Environmental Controller

The environmental controller is likened to the brain of the poultry house, as it controls and coordinates all the environmental control system equipment. The script details how it senses temperature, controls fans, inlets, cooling pads, and even feeders, while collecting data and providing alarms to ensure optimal conditions are maintained.

Highlights

Poultry housing requires temperature control, proper ventilation, feed and water access, lighting, and disease protection for optimal bird performance.

Managing the poultry house correctly is crucial for providing an optimal environment that meets the birds' needs.

Biosecurity involves controlling traffic on and off farms to prevent disease transmission and track any incidents.

Minimizing visitor numbers and using designated areas for vehicles are part of standard biosecurity measures on poultry farms.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used not to protect humans but to safeguard the birds from potential disease vectors.

When working on farms, a specific order should be followed for biosecurity, visiting healthier houses before potentially compromised ones.

Feeding birds is critical for achieving market age and weight; automatic feed systems with control pans are used for efficient feeding.

During brooding, extra feeders are placed to increase feeder space, helping birds find food quickly which is essential for a good start.

Different types of feeders exist, such as traditional square trays, and feeders are often raised as birds age to minimize feed wastage.

Providing water is as important as, or more important than, feeding; birds need unlimited access to fresh, clean water.

Water pressure and drinker system design must be adjusted as birds grow to ensure they can easily access water.

Bedding material serves multiple functions, including absorbing moisture, insulating, and cushioning the floor for bird comfort.

Maintaining litter quality is essential for minimizing foot pad dermatitis and ammonia levels, which impact air quality and bird welfare.

Air quality management involves controlling parameters like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and relative humidity for bird health.

Evaluating bird behavior, such as their distribution and vocalizations, provides insight into the quality of the poultry house environment.

Modern poultry houses are equipped with sophisticated environmental control systems to maintain a stable and comfortable environment for the birds.

Environmental control systems include components like heaters, exhaust fans, sidewall inlets, and circulation fans for both cold and hot weather conditions.

Tunnel ventilation and evaporative cooling are used in hot weather to provide a cool breeze and maintain a comfortable temperature for the birds.

A tight house is crucial for effective environmental control, ensuring air enters only through designated inlets or evaporative cooling pads.

The environmental controller is the central unit coordinating all aspects of the environmental control system and providing valuable data and alarms for optimal bird welfare.

Transcripts

[Music]

when we talk about poultry housing for

raising all poultry whether it's turkey

quail broiler chickens breeders layers

there are similar needs that have to be

provided for these birds and it's going

to be things like temperature control

air quality through proper ventilation

feed water access

lighting and protection from disease and

these things are going to be common to

get that optimal bird performance so

there's an inner relationship between

bird performance

bird health and bird welfare one of the

important points to this is going to be

managing the house correctly to give you

that optimal environment to meet those

needs

[Music]

another important aspect of poultry

management is good biosecurity and what

we want to do is control traffic that's

coming on and off farms so that in case

anything does happen we can track that

back one of the things that poultry

farms typically tend to do is they

minimize the number of visitors only

people that need to be there are going

to visit that farm they're going to have

specific areas for the cars and trucks

to travel down there's going to be

specific areas for you to park whenever

we come up to the farm we're going to go

ahead and don our ppe this is our

personal protective equipment and this

is all being done not to protect you

we're doing this to protect the birds

we're trying to make sure that we don't

become a biological vector that's

bringing some virus or bacteria into

this house and exposing those birds when

it comes to management and we're moving

around and having to work these

different houses on a farm there's a

certain order from a biosecurity

standpoint that you want to go if you've

got a house that might be questionable

on health then that house would be one

that you want to visit last and move

from the houses where you don't think

there's any problems to those so that

way that you try to isolate that as best

as you can and not transferring it

between all the houses if we end up

having to visit multiple farms during

the day then we're typically going to

move from younger to older not the other

way we don't want to bring something

back to a younger bird that they may not

have developed immunity for yet whenever

we've got good biosecurity i mean it

can't be replaced biosecurity is an

important part of a good management

program for a farm and is critical to

making sure that we get optimal

performance and welfare and health for

these birds

[Music]

providing feed to birds is one of the

most important things that we do when

raising poultry to market age and market

weight we're going to bring this feed in

from the storage bins that you see

outside to the hoppers that are located

in the center of the house and then it's

moved down to the feed line at the end

of each feed line is a control pan as

the birds empty that pan it will turn on

and automatically feed these birds and

fill these lines up the other thing that

we can do is turn the feeders on

manually and times that we do that is

during brooding during brooding we're

going to put out extra feeders in

between the automatic feeders increasing

that feeder space making it easier for

them to find food and get started on

feed as quickly as possible and that is

one of the key things to getting poultry

off to a good start is making sure they

find that food in that first few hours

of placement into the house there's a

lot of different types of feeders out

there there's a traditional square tray

some people will put paper down under

the feeders and put feed on that a lot

of times we raise the feeders as the

birds get older to minimize feed wastage

and to keep them from kicking too much

of the bedding material into the feeders

so as you visit poultry farms and get

into these poultry houses you're going

to see a variety of different types of

feeder systems different brands but

they're going to have very similar

attributes as we've discussed in this

video

[Music]

providing water to birds is just as

important to feed if not more important

they can actually go longer without feed

than they can without water when we

bring the water into the house we need

to make sure that the birds have got an

ample volume of that just like we do

with feed we're going to provide

unlimited access to that so we start off

by bringing the water into the house and

there's a water panel in the control

room that regulates the pressure if we

need to add some kind of vitamin or

mineral to the water or even a sanitizer

we can do that through the medicator

system and we bring that into the house

these birds can access that by

triggering these pins as the drinkers

this system is controlled by a regulator

at the beginning so they have constant

water in this line the birds just keep

triggering that pen and they can drink

until they're satisfied so as we raise

these birds there's some key things that

we have to do from a management

perspective these systems have to be

raised as the birds grow we got to make

sure that these birds are slightly

reaching up to get the water because if

you watch birds drink even when they're

drinking in the wild they're going to go

down they get the water and they're

going to tilt their heads back and so

what we do is we just want them to reach

up and trigger that pin and have the

water consumed the other thing that has

to be adjusted as

we raise these birds is water pressure

as the birds get older we're going to

increase the water pressure which allows

them to get more water whenever they

trigger that pin so these drinker

systems are designed to provide

unlimited access to fresh clean water

[Music]

bedding material is one of those things

that most people don't give a lot of

thought to bedding material serves a lot

of functions in a poultry house it helps

absorb moisture it helps to dilute

manure as the birds scratch it around it

actually provides some insulation from

the pack dirt floor it actually will

also cushion they're not stepping down

on a hard surface all the time so

there's several types of materials that

are used they're common pine shavings

sawdust straw peanut hulls rice hulls

are all very popular materials that are

used throughout the us and north america

and what we want to do is we're taking a

look at glitter quality number one's

litter depth minimal depth is gonna be

around three to four inches of litter

we're trying to control the moisture in

that litter and this is a good example

of some dry friable that are friable is

a litter that's dry it's not clumped

together and it just kind of falls

through your fingers and it's in good

quality what we want to avoid is cake

glitter this is getting hard compacted

there's a lot of moisture here there's a

lot of nitrogen here and this is going

to be an indication that we haven't done

a proper job of managing the house it

could be a number of items such as

drinkers management it could be bird

density how well you did keeping the

birds spread out it could be poor

ventilation as well so all of those

attributes minimize this caked up litter

and promotes that more friable litter

and why do we care about litter quality

so much

it's because of the environment this is

a source of ammonia for most operations

we want to try to minimize that from an

air quality standpoint poultry companies

have to undergo third-party animal

welfare audits one of those aspects in

those audits is not only how does the

floor look when they come in here

they're looking to see how much cake

litter they have but they're also

looking at lesions foot pad dermatitis

on the bird's feet that typically tends

to be associated with higher moisture

and more caped litter in the house a lot

of the times they're not going to assess

those that foot fat dermatitis in the

house but they will look at it a

processing plant and if they see a lot

of foot pad lesions they're going to

assume that this was managed poorly in

the end what we want to do is make sure

that we keep a good control over our

bedding material that's a lot of focus

when it comes to just environmental

control is trying to make sure

that we do a good job of maintaining

this litter quality so that we minimize

that foot pad dermatitis and hopefully

minimize the impact it has on air

quality

[Music]

air quality is another basic need of

poultry that we need to do a good job of

managing air quality is going to consist

of parameters such as carbon dioxide

carbon monoxide ammonia and relative

humidity for carbon dioxide we want to

maintain that at 5000 ppm or less for

carbon monoxide we want 50 ppm or less

for ammonia 25 ppm or less and then

relative humidity we want to shoot for a

range of between 40 and 60

if we do a good job of controlling that

relative humidity the other air quality

parameters are usually pretty good

because they ton of track with relative

humidity carbon monoxide i'll just point

out is not really a ventilation issue

because it's more of a heater

maintenance issue carbon monoxide is

produced from the improper combustion of

propane or natural gas which is our

major fuel source for heating systems

ammonia is one of the other most

important air quality parameters that

most poultry facilities are going to

monitor and the reason that is because

it's being produced from the floor and

we know if we're not doing a good job of

controlling the litter quality we're

going to have high ammonia levels in

order to control all of that we're going

to control relative humidity and try to

maintain that between 40 and 60 so if we

do a good job of controlling relative

humidity the other air quality

attributes will follow that relative

humidity and provide that optimal

environment for good bird welfare

performance and health

[Music]

so when you're going into a poultry

house and evaluating not only the

poultry house environment but you're

also going to be looking at the birds

they're going to tell you a lot about

the environment and one of the things

you want to do when you walk into the

house is watch to see how the birds are

spread out hopefully you're seeing them

spread out evenly

you don't see a bunch of birds clumped

together and huddling like it's too cold

and hopefully you won't see a bunch of

birds sitting in there panting either so

what we want to do is watch those birds

watching them drink watching them eat

watching the way they distribute other

things besides activity can also be

vocalizations when you walk into a house

you can actually hear situations where

you might have a little bit of a

respiratory issue or they may be

indicating a health issue just because

of the volume or the type of

vocalization you hear when you walk into

the house a lot of times when you walk

in there too and it gets really quiet or

something it might also indicate that

something's changed you will also see

that with bird activity certain changes

in management such as changing the

ventilation rate or doing something a

little different than what the birds

have been seeing the last few days will

cause them to change their activity just

briefly as they get used to it and as

they move around that bird activity can

give you a lot of insight into how well

you're doing and managing that house and

be providing those basic needs of those

birds

[Music]

modern poultry houses are built with a

fairly sophisticated environmental

control system which in many ways is not

that different from the typical house or

apartment the fact is well over half of

the cost of building a new poultry house

is associated with making sure we can

keep our birds as comfortable as

possible regardless of what is happening

outside during cold weather with baby

chicks our house is designed to maintain

a house temperature of 90 to 95 degrees

while at the same time making sure that

humidity ammonia dust and carbon dioxide

levels are kept to minimum whether it's

70 degrees outside or whether it's zero

degrees outside now with older birds

during hot weather our house is designed

demand a temperature of between 75 and

85 degrees on the hottest summer day

even if it's 105 degrees outside our

house will be between 75 and 85 degrees

and we're gonna have a nice breeze of

about eight miles an hour blowing over

these birds continuously keeping them as

comfortable as possible now one very

important aspect of our environmental

control system is the fact that our

houses are totally enclosed this

provides the grower with increased level

of control over air temperature air

quality air movement light and as well

as keeping energy usage to a minimum

because our houses are totally enclosed

one of the big advantages they're going

to use 30 to 50 percent less heat or

energy compared to our curtain sided

houses of 10 or 20 years ago furthermore

during hot weather they will require 10

to 20 percent less electricity to cool

the birds over traditional curtain-sided

houses basically making them a very

green way of growing birds another

important aspect of a modern broiler

house is they tend to be large larger

houses tend to have a more stable more

consistent environment than the smaller

houses built in the past larger houses

tend to have a lower energy cost per

square foot per bird place so we're

going to have lower electricity bills

and lower heating bills last but not

least larger houses tend to have a lower

initial cost both to build and to equip

than the smaller houses built in the

past we're building these houses to gain

control over the environment because if

we have control over the environment

we'll have control over the bird comfort

bird welfare energy cost and production

of that bird so it's all about keeping

conditions right for the bird

an environmental control system consists

of many parts and one of the most

important aspects of environmental

control system is our cold weather

system something we can use during cold

weather with small birds or large birds

where our outside temperatures are much

lower than we want it to be inside we

need to have a system that will be able

to heat and bring in fresh air to keep

our birds comfortable now our cold

weather environmental control system

basically consists of heaters exhaust

fans sidewall inlets and circulation

fans the heating system there's a couple

different types the air in the poultry

house needs to be worn by either using

forced air furnaces or some type of

radiant heater now forced air furnaces

are pretty straightforward it's not that

different from what you would have in

your residential house or apartment

basically it's a system that just heats

the air in the house up to the

temperature where we want it with baby

chicks again that could be 90 or 95

degrees now radiant heat systems are a

little bit different it's sort of like

sunshine on a sunny day it's cold

outside the sun comes out you can feel

that heat which heats both the floor and

the birds directly because we're heating

the floor we're going to get some drying

of that litter so we minimize the

production of ammonia and we have nice

dry litter for those birds to walk on we

also want to create a floor temperature

gradient because we want the birds to

choose what temperature they're sitting

in so if they get close to the brooder

the floor temperatures are hotter they

move further away the floor temperatures

are lower so the bird can self-regulate

we don't have to tell the bird what it

wants the bird can select what it wants

now today the most common form of

gradient heater is the tube heater

they're long tubes anywhere between 10

and 30 feet long they tend to be towards

the middle of the house they can heat

that floor and a little bit less radiant

heat on the outside when it comes to the

cold weather environmental control

system one of the most important

components of course is the heating

system because with that heating system

we're able to make the conditions at the

floor what the birds want regardless of

what's happening outside so again it's

about bird comfort welfare health and

all we can do during cold weather to

make sure the bird is as comfortable as

possible

one of the most important aspects of an

environmental control system is we need

some way to bring in some fresh air we

need to bring in fresh air not just to

control air quality to keep our birds

healthy but we also need to be able to

bring in fresh air to control the house

temperature because the hotter it gets

the more heat the birds produce the more

fresh air we have to bring in to

maintain a consistent temperature when

it comes to a negative pressure system

one of the most important aspects are

our exhaust fans we generally have two

different types of exhaust fins we have

our sidewall fans which tend to be

something like a 36 inch fan that are

primarily used during cooler weather or

with younger birds to control air

quality now most modern houses have

tunnel fans they're called tunnel fans

but they're actually used just not for

tunnel ventilation or hot weather

ventilation they're also used during

more moderate weather to bring in air to

control our house temperature we have

our exhaust fans what do they do we turn

them on and they create a low pressure

zone within the house or a partial

vacuum we also have air inlets so the

fans create a low pressure zone and we

have air inlets scattered down the house

now what happens with that low pressure

zone is air will enter through all the

endless in the house to fill up that

partial vacuum so again negative

pressure air comes in through our air

inlets to offset that negative pressure

how fast the air comes in through those

openings controlled by the amount of

pressure if we have a low pressure the

air will come in slowly if we have a

high pressure the air will come in

quickly what we want during cold weather

is for the air to come in quickly

because when it comes in it's heavy

relative to the air inside the house hot

air is light cold air is heavy so the

air comes in we want to make sure we

shoot it along the ceiling so that it

heats up before the birds ever see it

the amount of pressure is controlled by

a machine we set a certain static

pressure range usually between something

like a 0.07 to maybe a 0.12 and within

that range we'll have the air come in

with sufficient speed to make it all the

way out to the middle of the house

before dropping to the floor as more

fans come on and more pressure is

created the inlets will open up more one

of the most important components of our

negative pressure system are the

sidewall inlets the sidewall inlets are

typically located evenly down both sides

of the house positioned right next to

the ceiling and they're used during cold

and mild weather for air quality control

and temperature control what we want to

be able to do is use an exhaust fan

wherever it's located and bring in fresh

air uniformly throughout the house so

all the birds receive

an equal chance of getting a nice clean

environment now one of the important

aspects of bringing the air in through

our inlets is as the air goes along the

ceiling it mixes with the warm air

produced by the birds and our heating

system so it might start off outside at

30 degrees if we can get it all the way

out to the middle of the house generally

it's going to be very close

to room temperature so when that air

moves down to the floor

the birds don't realize it's cold

outside all they're feeling is a nice

fresh

breeze coming down now how do we know

how much fresh air to bring in again we

have to control air quality and

temperature now when it comes to

controlling air quality the primary

thing we're trying to control is

humidity we want to keep the humidity

generally between 40 and 60 percent so

what we try to do is run those fans

enough to control that humidity so we're

not going to have a lot of ammonia and

wet litter and bird health issues but

not so much just to use an excessive

amount of fuel the other aspect of

course when it comes to those exhaust

fans and our air inlets is temperature

control as the house temperature starts

to warm we start turning on more fans

and since our sidewall inlets are

controlled by negative pressure as more

fans come on it creates more of a

negative pressure the machine responds

and opens up the inlets accordingly so

exhaust fan operation

is controlled by both air quality and

air temperature what we're trying to do

we start off with our fans on a timer

bringing in fresh air just to maintain

humidity as you get warmer and warmer we

turn on more and more fans

and our inlets in this process are

responding to the pressure created by

the fans to bring in just the right

amount of air to meet the needs of those

fans so it's all about control the

negative pressure system gives us

control over air quality

gives us control over air temperature

which gives us control over bird

performance health and welfare

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another important component of our cold

weather environmental control system are

circulation fans circulation vans

provide supplemental mixing of the air

in the house why do we need mixing well

first during brooding especially during

cold weather the hot air produced by our

heaters a lot of it ends up next to the

ceiling the circulation fans help to

move that hot air off to the ceiling

where we don't need it down to the birds

where we do need it secondly by moving

that hot air off the ceiling down to the

floor we need less heat to keep our

birds comfortable we're just utilizing

what we put in the house better we also

get litter drying because not only is

the air nice and hot next to the ceiling

it tends to be nice hot and dry what is

it going to do next to the ceiling it's

hot dryer next to the ceiling no we want

our hot dry air next to the floor so by

taking that hot air off the ceiling

moving it down the floor level we're not

only warming the litter and warming our

birds we're drying the litter last but

not least what circulation fans will do

is help us to create a more uniform

environment within the house we want all

the birds to have the same air

temperature and air quality and we want

them all to have dry litter so

circulation fans are another component

of an environmental control system that

allows us to minimize fuel usage make

our floor temperatures nice and warm

keep the litter dry keeps our birds

healthy and our performance to a maximum

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to ensure our birds are comfortable

during really hot weather we utilize

tunnel ventilation tunnel ventilation

quite simply is having large exhaust

fans on one end of the house and a large

inlet at the other we pull the air from

one end of the house to the other in

less than 60 seconds totally exchanging

the air in the house which means

there'll be less than a four degree

temperature difference between where the

air comes in and when the air goes out

secondly not only do we exchange the air

rapidly we get a high air speed and it's

a uniform air speed in the house no

matter where we are in the house the

birds are going to receive an air speed

of between six and 800 feet per minute

which provides a wind chill effect of

roughly 10 degrees or more so even

though the thermometer may indicate that

it's 85 degrees that air moving over the

birds makes those birds feel as if it's

75 or even 70 degrees now to supplement

tunnel ventilation we use evaporative

cooling because when it gets really hot

outside it's 100 degrees yes we can move

air over the birds at a high speed but

it'd be a hot breeze blowing over we

want a cool breeze blowing over and to

do that we utilize evaporative cooling

pads evaporative cooling pads are quite

simply some filter paper that water runs

over as the air goes through this filter

the temperature is dropped to usually

between 75 and 85 degrees depending upon

outside conditions so even if it's 105

degrees outside 110 degrees the air

coming in that house will be between

again 75 and 85 depending upon humidity

we have this air exchange we have this

cool air so no matter what is happening

outside the birds will always feel it's

like springtime in here it's 75 maybe 80

there's a nice breeze blowing over them

keeping the air fresh

keeping the birds comfortable maximizing

the bird performance and of course

keeping it happy and healthy

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one of the most important aspects of

poultry house environmental control is

having a tight house in order to

maximize the control in the environment

both cold weather and hot weather we

need to have a system where all the air

comes in either through the sidewall

inlets during cold weather or the tunnel

inlet during hot weather those are the

only two places we want air to enter

because during cold weather if we have a

lot of air coming in through cracks by

the tunnel fans or up by the tunnel

opening or through the sidewall that

cold air isn't moving along the ceiling

it comes into the cracks falls to the

floor and forms a blanket of cold air

across the floor we're not utilizing the

hot air next to the ceiling because the

air is not coming in through the inlets

so the tighter we make the house the

more air that enters through the inlets

the more air that we're bringing in

that's going to be warm and dry before

it moves down to bird level so for

during cold weather we want to make sure

that our curtains if we have them sealed

tightly our side wall doors our end wall

doors seal tightly those fans that we're

not using maybe we have plastic over

them to seal them up so that we ensure

that all the fresh air enters through

inlets and in many ways it's not the

amount of air we bring in it's the

quality of the air so we can bring in

ten thousand cubic feet of air through

the cracks and we'll hurt our birds but

if we bring in ten thousand cubic feet

of air through our inlets then we're

gonna help our birds because again we're

going to lower the humidity keep the air

fresh and keep the temperature at bird

level just right now during hot weather

it's also important

for the house to be tight because we

want all the air to enter in through our

evaporative cooling pads on our tunnel

inlet that's only the air that comes

through our evaporative cooling pads

that's going to be chilled to maybe 75

to maybe 80 maybe 82 degrees during

really hot weather all the air coming

through the cracks could be 100 degrees

if it's a crack next to the ceiling it

could be 130 degrees so again house

tightness is what it's all about during

cold weather we want all of air come

through our inlets so we have to make

sure that everything is sealed up during

hot weather we want all of our air to

come in through our evaporative cooling

pads so we can maximize the cooling and

comfort our birds no matter how hot it

is outside

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the last and most important component of

an environmental control system is the

environmental controller the

environmental controller controls and

coordinates all the environmental

control system equipment within the

poultry house in a way it's like a

thermostat you set the thermostat and

then the thermostat controls the

equipment but in the control there's a

lot more involved we set the temperature

we want and then the environmental

controller will sense the temperature

throughout the house turning on the

right number of fans opening up the

inlets transitioning the tunnel to be

able to maintain those conditions it

also helps us control air quality we can

have it set to run a fan a certain

amount to control that humidity as the

humidity goes up we can manually

increase the time the fans run or we can

let the controller bump up the amount of

ventilation based on humidity levels so

it's controlling the fans it's

controlling the inlets it's controlling

the evaporative cooling pads it's

controlling the lights

it's also controlling the feeder so

really that environmental controller is

the piece of equipment that ties

everything together that coordinates the

operation of all the equipment in the

house now also what it does is it

collects data it lets us know what the

temperature was in the house last night

was it too hot wasn't too cold it will

give us alarms if the temperature's too

high or too low it'll give us alarms if

we run out of water pressure if the

feeders run too much so it gives us the

data of what's happening in the house

and it also gives us the data to

activate alarms so that controllers like

the brains of the house basically

controlling and coordinating all the

equipment collecting data and giving us

alarms in case something is not right

when it comes to the environment within

the poultry house

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the topics that we have covered are just

scratching the surface of modern poultry

production the goals are to find these

optimal conditions to get that ideal

bird growth fee conversion bird health

welfare and we want to do this in an

efficient manner we have plenty of

resources available from poultry

newsletters spreadsheets and even our

app poultry 4-1-1 for more information

and further education on these topics

feel free to visit our website

poultryventilation.com

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