David Kradel Herbert Jordan Milton Madison John Schwj Penn State Poultry Pointers Herbert Siegel POULTRY ENVIRONMENTAL HOUSING SYSTEMS Dennis E. Buffington Professor and Head Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, PSU The ever-increasing competi tiveness of the poultry business has increased the need for environ mental modification systems for poultry houses to produce meat and eggs more economically. The need for environmental modifications of structures has also increased as more poultry pro ducers are using high-density con finement houses. Today, environ mental modifications are a major factor in determining whether a poultry farmer realizes a profit or loss. The three influential factors in poultry production are nutrition, disease, and environment. These three factors are not isolated fac- TELESCOPE CASUAL FURNITURE t 4COAL STOVES LETS MAKE A CONNECTION... registered trademarks of Motorola Inc inald Singletary Andrew Yersin tors, but rather interacting factors. It is the combined effects of these three factors that influence how closely an animal produces to its genetic potential. The environmental factor is the combined effect of climatic envi ronment, structural environment, and social environment. The cli matic environment refers to the microenvironment surrounding the animal, which includes the temperature, humidity, pressure, gaseous environment, ventilation, light, and noise. The structural environment refers to the materials with which the birds have contact, including wall construction mater ials, floor, litter, feeding equip ment, watering equipment, and cage materials. Factors such as bird density, number of birds per cage, size var iation of birds in a given group, etc. all contribute to the social environ ment. Again, please note that the climatic, structural, and social fac tors all interact to create the envir onmental complex. For modem control technology to be applied to modifying the •PREPUCE ACCESSORES CTOVESHOP (717) 733-4973 906E.ManSt.,Ephrata Rt. 322 (% M. E. of Rt. 222) Opan Mm. thru Wad., 1M P.M. Th.AF. IMIatlW 111 T\ Need Your Farm Buildings Painted? Let us give you a price! Write: Daniel’s Painting 637-A Georgetown Rd. Ronks, PA 17572 (or leave message) (717) 687-8262 Spray on and Brush in Painting ANGLE MMUNICATIONS C. environment in any animal hous ing unit, the structure and its envir onmental control systems must be properly designed, constructed, operated, and maintained. I ■g> The engineering design consid erations that must be evaluated for a poultry structure include 1) type of structure (gable-roofed, flat roofed, high-rise, etc.); 2) length/ width/height relationships; 3) building orientation; 4) construc tion materials; 5) environmental control systems used within the structure; 6) materials handling systems; and 7) waste manage ment system. C w bO < All of the structural design con siderations will influence the effi ciency of an environmental hous ing system. In addition, after the structure itself has been designed, it is imperative to design the envir onmental system within the structure. The pertinent design considera tions for environmental systems include 1) bird density; 2) bird weight: 3) management style; 4) air distribution; 5) ventilation sys tem characteristics; and 6) heating and/or cooling system operating characteristics. Economic analysis will dictate what type of environmental hous ing systems are feasible. In making such economic analysis, it must be stressed that environmental hous ing systems as they exist today can and will be improved as more engi neering inputs are devoted to poul try housing. Motorola your needs anty. uy READING (215) 929-4211 100-828-2211 SINESS TALKING” Little Livestock UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) The 74th Little Interna tional Livestock Exposition will be held Saturday, April 20, beginning at 8 a.m. at Penn State’s Ag Arena, across from Beaver Stadium at University Park. The free event is sponsored by the Block and Bridle Club. The event, nicknamed the “Little I” by Penn Staters, gives students a chance to compete for awards and display their skills at grooming, preparing, and showing beef cattle, sheep, swine, and horses. All the animals in the show are from livestock herds main tained at Penn State. Little I competition emphasizes the quality of student showman ship rather than the animals them selves. Sue weeks before the show, students select their animals through a lottery. They spend evenings and weekends with uni versity herdsmen and species superintendents, preparing their animals and practicing for competition. “This friendly competition is the culmination of their efforts, and it’s a chance for students to get rec ognition for all their hard work,” said show manager Barry Sands, a senior majoring in dairy and ani mal science. A native of Montrose in Susquehanna Co., Barry has been active in the Little I since arriving at University Park in Simmental Bull Sets Record STATE COLLEGE (Center Co.) The C & B Incumbent son owned by Laural Valley Farms has set a new test station record for average daily gain through Pennsylvania’s official 112-day testing program, This moderately-framed bull that carries a great deal of thick- ness would be ideally suited for use by a wide variety of cattle pro ducers, according to Glenn Eber- Lancaster Farming Saturday, April 13,1991*05 Expo Set 1989. This year’s Little I is dedicated to Keith Bryan, instructor in dairy and animal science, in recognition of his outstanding service to the Block and Bridle Club and other student activities. All judges for this year’s com petition are Penn State alumni and former Block and Bridle Club members. Robert Livingston, manager of a purebred Angus herd in York County, will judge the beef category. He is a former Little I show manager and lived and worked in the university bams dur ing his studies at Penn State. Alan Wright, who works for Agway in Linwood, N.Y., will serve as swine judge. Wright also was a live-in bam worker and Little I show manager during his Penn State career. Theresa Musser, project assistant in the agronomy department at Penn State, will be the horse judge. Gerald McCam mon, associate extension agent with Penn State Cooperative Extension in Cambria Co., will be the sheep judge. An awards banquet for Little I participants will be held at 6 p.m. at the State College Knights of Columbus. Tickets for the banquet cost $l3 and are available from Lu Ann Weatherholtz, Department of Dairy and Animal Science, 318 Henning Building, University Park, PA 16802, (814) 863-3664. ly, director of the Meat Animal Evaluation Center. The Simmen tal bull set the record with a 5.51 pounds day gain and a ration of 134 pounds. “This eye-appealing, structurally-correct bull has high growth rate EPDs with low birth weight EPDs. This combination is relatively rare and in much demand,” said Eberly.
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