lull Poi 15y Penn State Poultry T Pointers ; WINTER VENTILATION: WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE? Dr. William D. Weaver, Jr. Professor and Head Department of Poultry Science Maintaining desirable air qual ity in the poultry house during the winter months can challenge the most experienced producers. On the one hand, they are Epri sin briWws can fee very Iffarai... Mb lAnatue if ftMWMBkfiMI Nmnber 30,19531 IW\ MORTON W BUILDINGS Baric MkMm Stem* wninur-Trunrii—mm iM’iirrMbMiw IqfeIMMMM MtlNMvhfelßtfe mmwetmfm H T«P Hi I «M UM RM) (■ MW M) IMrHU Ml («in M) i• iffn*r iMnmirnanmi» cm>—rtywimni ExcMitw4■■ fmmmmfyitMimim i-ar »ir m—unCNMUMumr r itamh—i imwmorwmiwiaiw—i 1-rxrrHkWtlMr rv«ME>nlnr*Mp H TMf M Nnt/Mi Wamaty QRMki adi pm 1-4'mmmiiiw/acraai (MMrPNMIHUNr 80 Ymt Mbs ft Imw LmB Wamaty (m mmn mu 4 - Myllaa m< Mma Naatkamai BmmrnmwMtM “ rT Ttirrnmy in imuOTur 8m t- ——> Mapaftßaaaapaaia Ihwy Baan r—wiM may mu BYaarlWaaWaFraatyaaßHlfa»>mlara(aiWliaMi) Sp*c^pncranciudisma*arMls > Customer IlflUflll J§iWi\. IVIVnI VII slap paymanl plan. Pnoa* may vary dut to loci buiktng codas. Tha Oder good unH Novembar 30,1993 M BUILDINGS required to tighten up their houses to eliminate drafts and reduce heat lost. However, on the other, they are asked to run their ventilation fans, which brings in cold outside air, in order 10 reduce moisture and control ammonia. This almost seems paradoxical —a producer is expected to seal up his house but then run his fans to bring in cold outside air. Is the objective to minimize fuel usage, or is it to completely rid the house of ammonia? Most growers would agree that it is neither of MORTON W BUILDINGS Dotaxe MacMw Stopaoe W x Iff x 78’ - T V Mr a einn Spicks , , ’ '\" I * V these, but rather it is to create an environment that will allow for the efficient and economical produc tion of meat and eggs. In order to accomplish this, growers must bring in adequate quantities of outside air, which in the case of growing birds will increase fuel consumption, in order to remove moisture and con trol ammonia. The keys to creating the proper environmental condi tions are to: • Provide adequate insujation (at least Rl9 in ceiling and if 12 in sidewalls). • Eliminate all locations where outside air can infiltrate. • Allow outside air to enter only through properly designed air inlets located at the eaves on both sides of the house. • Direct the incoming air across the ceiling, allowing it to mix with the warmer inside air before it reaches the birds and the litter. • Ensure that outside air is brought in at the proper velocity (minimum of 600 feet per minute Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 6, 1993-C3 or from .08 inch to .10 inch static pressure), allowing it to move across the ceiling. Even though the outside air maybe cold and possibly high in relative humidity, it can be used to ventilate the poultry house during the winter months. The goal is to control ammonia by removing moisture. This is accomplished by bringing in cold outside air, increasing its temperature by mix ing it with warmer inside air, allowing it to pick up moisture from the litter, and then exhausting the moisture laden air from the house. A rule to remember is that the moisture-holding capacity of air approximately doubles for each 20 degree Fahrenheit (F) increase in temperature. For example: otuside air at 32 F and 100 percent RH (raining) can be brought into the house and warmed to 72 F, repre senting a 40 F increase in tempera ture. During the warming process, the relative humidity of the air is '*• reduced from 100 to 25 percent, which, when moved across the lit ter, has tremendous ability to take up and remove large quantities of moisture. Blindness among birds, ascites (excess fluid in the body cavity), skin irritations (ammonia bums), breast blisters, leg abnormalities, and severe respiratory infections are all directly attributed to increases in ammonia and litter moisture during the colder months. Properly designed and operated ventilation systems that bring in and exhaust the correct amount of air will minimize both ammonia and moisture, creating desirable environmental conditions. Ammo nia should not be allowed to increase above 25 ppm (about the level most people start smelling the gas) and litter moisture above 30 percent (slightly moist with no caking). Therefore, the objective is to maintain desirable air quality in the poultry house by controlling ammonia and moisture through bringing in small quantities of out side air. This can be done most efficiently in adequately insulated houses with properly designed and operated negative pressure ventila tion systems. STANLEY M. WENSEL Box 24 Barra* A Alexandria, PA 16611 VV 814-669-4558 • Fax 814-060-0416