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Proper ventilation can save 50-70% on the heating cost of poultry farms
Installing a proper minimum ventilation system in chicken houses can improve FCR and uniformity and with the right system it is also possible to reduce heating costs by 50-70 percent, depending on the location and building quality, according to Niels Dybdahl from Danish company DACS.
The company provides climate solutions for livestock production and is represented in Israel by Agrotop. The company has already installed DACS advanced fanes, which work at changing speeds in the country’s largest aviary house built in Naveh-Bnei Netzarim in southern Israel.
The fans allow maximum control over ventilation, which translates into savings of tens of percent in electricity consumption.
In an interview, Dybdahl explained that many growers fail to understand the importance of ventilation and close the system completely for the first two-three days to cut heating costs. A house with no ventilation running for the first days of production will see a layer of CO2 build up at floor level – simply because CO2 is approximately 70% heavier than air. And because CO2 is known to be harmful to the birds then this approach should be avoided Dybdahl points out.
Proper minimum ventilation is all about ensuring air distribution at floor level from day one of production. This because oxygen rich air is the key to grow the lungs and thereby to optimize the bird’s metabolism. Plenty of oxygen from day one brings stronger birds that utilize feed much better and therefore it is important to have a minimum ventilation system that provide airflow from the very minute you bring the chicks to the house he stressed out.
Traditional ventilation systems include sidewall inlets and roof-mounted exhausts. These systems require a lot of management as they need to be adjusted all the time. The DACS system, in contrast, needs no further adjustments which allows the grower to focus on the daily work. But also, the mixing of warm room air with incoming colder air reduces the heat consumption by as much as 70% compared to traditional ventilation systems Dybdahl said.
“A well-insulated building is also critical to keeping the microclimate inside the house and is just as important in warm areas as in cold areas so consultation with experts and investing in a quality buildings and ventilation systems can pay off in the long run with stronger, healthier birds and reduced feed consumption,” Dybdahl concludes.
Here at Agrotop we update and improve all the time to insure our finial product. To lead the market through our uncompromising range of solutions on the one hand and best ROI on the other. The ventilation method indicated above has been implemented in many of our projects around the world and the results are excellent.