Monitoring environmental parameters in poultry production facilities

Increases in fuel and feed prices are placing a significant
burden on the poultry industry in Ireland and worldwide. For producers to meet
their financial targets, increased performance and output is a key issue, now
more than ever. To optimise performance in broiler production houses, the
effect of environmental and air quality parameters on bird performance and
energy consumption must be known to allow farmers make informed management
decisions. This paper concentrates on the application precision livestock
farming sensors to develop recommendations for improved bird performance and
energy consumption in broiler production farms in Ireland.

 

Air temperature, relative humidity, light, air speed
and air quality (in particular CO2 and NH3
concentrations) are identified as important parameters for improving bird
performance and energy consumption in broiler production houses. Several of
these parameters (temperature, relative humidity, CO2 and NH3)
were monitored on two farms during the study over the initial 2 weeks of the
production cycle. Air quality was often overlooked during the production
process, as farmers struggled to limit high heating and feed costs. However,
elevated levels of CO2 (>3000 ppm) did not appear to affect
broiler growth rates. Additionally, a strong correlation was observed between
relative humidity and NH3 (R2 = 0.86 - 0.92). Producers
tend to use relative humidity as an indication for NH3 levels and
the research shown in this study confirms the close relationship between the
two parameters. It is recommended that further data should be gathered from producing
units and novel performance technologies should also be investigated.