Ambience, ventilation and temperature strategies contribute to improving farm performance

Temperature, ventilation and ambience are key requirements for improving poultry efficiency. Veterinarians Cassius Alexandre Ramos and Gabriela Pereira spoke about these topics in the management panel last Thursday (9), during the 25th Brazil South Poultry Symposium (SBSA), held at the Events Center in Chapecó (SC).

The production chain is increasingly focused on performance and efficiency, in this sense the use of strategies to control the temperature of facilities is essential to obtain good performance on farms.

According to Cassius, insulation is now more crucial than ever when designing a poultry house’s air conditioning system. He mentioned circulators as an important solution, which are already widely used in the United States and have also gained ground in Brazil in recent years.

The use of thermal insulation contributes to a more stable and controlled environment for birds, helps to reduce heat transfer between environments and reduce the impact of external factors that can affect environmental control.

In terms of circulators, the main advantages are making the environment more uniform and comfortable, reducing energy consumption in heating, increasing batch performance gains, reducing the carbon footprint and also combining sustainability with efficiency.

“I hope our sector takes the issue of ambience into strong consideration, so that it is truly recognized as a strong pillar within the production chain. It is worth investing in these solutions. By respecting the tripod of correct sizing, installation and operation, performance soars,” he concluded.

Ventilation and ambience

Gabriela discussed the impacts of ventilation and ambiance on broiler production. In the expert’s opinion, when talking about ambiance, it is also necessary to discuss the effects of rising global temperatures. “We cannot continue to manage poultry farms in the same way; we have to consider all the changes that are happening in the climate to make decisions about air conditioning and ambiance,” she warned.

When providing guidance on a technical path to follow to achieve good results in the poultry farm, she mentioned topics that directly impact productivity. The most important are bed heating, minimum ventilation and final phase management.

The temperature of the litter directly influences the zootechnical performance. The ideal is to always preheat the litter for 24 to 48 hours. Remember that for young birds, the temperature of the litter is more important than the air temperature.

Minimum ventilation will also affect the thermal comfort of the birds. To control the temperature, there must be a minimum exchange of air volume. Timed exhaust fans and inlets will be important tools in this process, to ensure air quality, eliminate excess humidity, and regulate the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.

The final phase requires attention to nighttime management. “Here we have two issues: ventilation and hours of darkness. If we have low ventilation at night, the birds will have problems with heat loss. Birds sitting for long periods in the final phase increase their body temperature and the chance of heat stress, even if the temperature in the shed is lower. Sometimes we lose efficiency of an entire batch there, so this stage requires a lot of care.”

The veterinarian states that it is necessary to consider the specificities of each region and each poultry farm in order to make assertive decisions regarding the environment. “We must measure and analyze to prove what is really happening inside the poultry farm. The main objective is to achieve zootechnical efficiency, but of course we also have a macro vision, thinking about the entire environmental impact that these measures will cause in reducing the carbon footprint and in the search for more sustainable practices,” she emphasized.