Maintaining proper ventilation in poultry houses is among the most important management practices to promote bird health and performance. Mark Cook, national sales manager for Cumberland, a provider of poultry production equipment, discusses key fundamentals to help achieve an optimal poultry house environment.
Why small environmental swings have big impacts on flock uniformity
Cook says a small change in temperature, wind speed or humidity can have drastic effects on the performance of the flock. “Under-ventilating by just a few thousand cubic feet per five-minute cycle can negatively affect birds by causing increased ammonia, damp floors and high humidity,” he says. “All of those are very detrimental to the performance of the birds.”
He cites the importance of maintaining fans to run at maximum performance, as well as minimizing air leaks through vent and tunnel doors. “Maintaining a tight building and adequate static pressure will help achieve an optimal barn environment,” he says.
Temperature, humidity and airflow basics across bird ages
Cook says for young birds, providing an adequate seal around vent and tunnel doors and fan louvers helps to force air to the center of the poultry house, which is a fundamental principle of ventilation. “It’s critical to get them off to a good start and maintain house conditions that encourage optimal performance for the life of the flock.”
When transitioning from younger to older birds, he notes it becomes more important to increase wind speed in the building as a cooling mechanism with tight belts, clean shutters and efficient fans.
Common causes of cold/hot spots in poultry houses
Air leaks are the most common cause of cold spots in the house. “Temperature probe placement for the environmental controller can give false readings if your probe is too close to a heater,” Cook says. “The controller is going to think the house is warmer than it really is. “If one or two of the probes are too close to the heater, it is not going to run the heat very often, and part of the house will be too cool. It’s essential to know where to place temperature probes and also conduct periodic maintenance to confirm that the probes are accurate.”
Cook notes that during summer, air typically enters the poultry house through the evaporative cooling system and is then removed by fans at the opposite end. “Typically, you don’t really have hot spots, but you can have temperature gain due to the lack of enough wind speed to pull the air fast enough, and the house has time to heat up.”
One solution is to improve the performance of existing fans by installing new belts, cleaning fan shutters and checking whether evaporative cooling pads need replacing. “If the pads have a lot of dust and/or mineral buildup, they can clog up and slow down the wind speed. The fans have to work harder to pull the air through.”
For cold weather issues, he says, include recalibrating or replacing temp probes; cleaning dust off of heat reflectors on the heater, which direct radiant heat into the desired areas of the house; and checking gas pressure to determine if an older heater should be replaced.
How to spot environmental issues before performance drops
“Always read the birds,” Cook advises. “If they are huddled in the middle of the house, it’s probably too cool. If they are all pushed to the walls, it’s probably too hot.” He says producers can also monitor the previous day’s water consumption, as a reduction may indicate sickness or a sign that something else is wrong.
“Look for caked or wet litter,” he adds. “If the floor is damp, that’s usually a sign of underventilation and the need to run fans to bring more air into the house. The second thing is to remove carbon monoxide, humidity and ammonia, and start moving large amounts of air over the birds for cooling.”
Cook says proper ventilation is probably the biggest factor in maximizing bird performance. “Producers understand that, but every day is different. You are always trying to do the same thing, but you always do it a little bit differently.”
For more information about poultry house ventilation, visit CumberlandPoultry.com.
