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Consider neighbors when planning
GEORGETOWN, Del. -
Thinking of expanding your broiler
operation or going into poultry
production’
Before you put up any buildings,
consider the impact you’re likely
to have on the neighbors.
Careful advance planning can
save you money and avoid
headaches later on, say University
of Delaware energy management
specialist Norman Collins and
extension agricultural engineer
Ernest Walpole. Collins is a
researcher at the University’s
Delaware Agricultural Ex
periment Station.
Besides all the traditional fac
tors that need to be considered
when you’re raising chickens,
there are some new considerations
in the area of environmental
control and community impact
that you need to be aware of
It’s best to take this into account
early in the planning process -
before you do any site develop
ment.
Today’s fanner can no longer
ignore the constraints imposed on
production by such social and
political concerns as zoning laws,
pollution control and animal
welfare, they say.
“As long as the trend continues
for urban populations to move
back to rural areas, you’ve got to
be prepared for certain ad
justment problems,” says Collins
“Just as people in the suburbs
have to learn how to get along with
the neighbor’s dog, so folks who
move to the country are going to
have to feel comfortable in the
presence of a livestock operation
or there could be friction. You need
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to develop a management system
that minimizes the infringement of
your poultry operation on other
people m terms of odors, runoff,
thes, dust, and other nuisances,”
he says
Time was when you didn’t have
to think about such matters, but
with rural strip development,
many farms are no longer as
isolated as they once were.
You can help avoid some
problems by careful tuning For
instance, on a combination poultry
and gram farm, you might plan not
to dry gram straight through the
night if you’re within hearing
distance of area residents, since
this is a rather noisy operation
Wind can carry dust and odors
quite a distance So take the
prevailing wind into consideration
when locating your poultry farm
stead Avoid placmg buildings
where there are close neighbors
downwind from prevailing sum
mer winds
Building codes are becoming
more and more important from the
standpoint of interest costs, energy
use and safety, adds Collins
There’s a lot of available in
formation on these subjects.
Again, it will pay you to become
well-informed on these matters
before you do any construction or
spend money on site development.
Another factor which can’t be
overlooked is animal welfare. This
issue is becoming increasingly
important As you develop your
management system you need to
be aware of what animal welfare
proponents are advocating on
issues that affect production.
It would be wise to choose a
PO Box 7
Newville, PA 17241
Phone- 717-776-3129
Fickes Silos
STATE
Plan new facilities so that you
avoid overcrowding, too. For both
basic animal health and maximum
performance it’s important not to
confine stock beyond what’s ab
solutely necessary, they say.
The problem with designing a
new poultry facility for animal
welfare is the lack of guidelines.
No one has really looked into the
question of farm animal ‘ rights”
in terms of what they actually
need. There are some cases where
a move to confmment may ac
tually prove beneficial.
In turkey production, for in
stance, this has reduced mortality
rates and losses to predators, so
the practice in this case could be
interpreted as humane
“For today,” says Walpole, ‘we
should concentrate on
management practices that im
prove bird health and provide an
ideal environment for them. And
we should avoid those practices
that may be criticized in the
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system that avoids potential
problems in these areas.
For instance, there’s con
siderable concern over high am
monia levels and wet litter - two
problems which can affect animal
health Both can be solved by good
management
The kind of ventilation system
you install and how you operate it
are very unportant in this respect
The engineers also recommend
you adopt a management plan
which avoids caging birds, as this
practice is coming more and more
under fire
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poultry operations
future. There will be a continuing
need to justify by documentation
the management practices we
use.”
The environmental impact of
your poultry operation needs to be
considered, too, whether you’re
starting from scratch or ex
panding Today, compliance with
pollution controls is just as im
portant as compliance with zoning
laws.
Find out what the regulations
are and how you can meet them -
especially when it comes to your
manure-handling system.
This will be particularly im
portant if you intend to use a liquid
system. Most broiler manure is
handled in a diy form and won’t
cause pollution unless it’s piled
where there’s potential for runoff.
If you do expect to store it, take
care to minimize this possibility.
The size of your farmstead
compared to the overall farm is
related to potential manure
problems. A farmer with con
siderable gram acreage can use
the manure as fertilizer. But if a
farmer has only four or five acres
devoted exclusively to poultry
production, you won’t have enough
land to use upall that’s produced
Most clean their houses
once a year. When you do this will
have a lot to do with how easy it is
to get rid of the manure once it’s
been removed.
In May, there's likely to be little
demand for it - at least on
cropland This means you could
have a problem storing it unless
you’ve thought this problem
Call 717-768-3832 between 7 a.m. & 9 a.m.
or call 717-354-0723 after 6 p.m. East of New Holland, Pa,
through ahead of tune. You may
need some type of water diversion
or fly control program for tem
porary storage.
The Soil Conservation Service is
one agency you should consult for
help in planning a manure
management program that meets
current pollution control laws.
These are all important matters
to consider early in the planning
stage of a poultry operation, say
Collins and Walpole. Once con
struction starts, it’s a lot harder tc
make changes It’s also likely tc
cost you more.
Walpole and Collins recently
collaborated with University of
Maryland extension agricultural
engineer L.E Carr in a study of all
the factors involved in designing a
farmstead for poultry production
The above considerations deal with
just one aspect of the overall
planning process.
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