In order to achieve good flock performance, the ventilation system must provide optimal conditions in both cold and hot environments. During cold weather and chick rearing, the ventilation system must control humidity and air quality while ensuring uniform and stable temperature. In hot weather, the ventilation system must provide sufficient cooling capacity to keep the flock as comfortable as possible. However, the environment inside the building is a dynamic one, with temperature, air quality, and humidity levels fluctuating, which requires continuous monitoring and adjustment of the ventilation system.
Managing the humidity of chicken coops and bedding is one of the two major challenges that producers may face. In hot weather, high humidity conditions in chicken coops pose two challenges: reducing the birds' ability to regulate their body temperature through evaporative cooling, while also posing challenges to the management of bedding humidity.
The main function of the circulating fan system is to disrupt the natural thermal stratification of the air inside the building. A temperature difference of up to 5 ° C between the ceiling and floor is common. The design of these circulating fan systems is to generate an air flow of 0.25 to 0.76 meters per second on the floor, mixing the air on the floor with the ceiling to remove moisture from the padding. There are many different designs and uses of circulating fans.
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Capacity: Approximately 10% to 20% of the volume of the chicken coop. -
Typical size and capacity of a circulating fan: a 450mm fan with a capacity of 70 cubic meters per minute. -
In high ceilings and new tunnel ventilated chicken coops, more people are now using larger 600mm circulating fans with a capacity of 140 cubic meters per minute.
The high concentration of ammonia is always related to the humidity inside the greenhouse and the humidity of the padding. High concentrations of ammonia can increase the susceptibility of chicken flocks to diseases and may cause welfare issues. In addition, chickens raised under damp bedding conditions may experience a rapid decline in foot health and may lead to foot inflammation.
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Moisture and humidity control -
Provide oxygen to meet the metabolic needs of the chicken flock -
Maintain good cushioning conditions
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The timed fan should provide a ventilation capacity of approximately 12.5%, or a ventilation capacity of 0.3-0.61 cubic meters per minute per square meter of building area. -
Try to match the fan capacity with the demand as much as possible. -
When raising chicks, the fan should circulate for about 30-60 seconds to ensure sufficient mixing of cold air and internal warm air (see table below). -
In order to reduce the ventilation rate, a 5-minute (300 second) on/off cycle is adopted. The cycle shall not exceed 10 minutes. -
When the air quality begins to deteriorate, it is necessary to increase the fan operation time, but the total cycle time remains unchanged. -
The humidity should be kept below 60-65% as much as possible. -
Each time the fan is turned on, it should be gradually increased by 10 to 15 seconds, and then monitored for 24 hours. -
Proper operation of small windows/air intakes is crucial for achieving good air distribution and humidity control. -
The air intake should be matched with the fan capacity under the required working pressure according to the width of the chicken coop.
