Evaluation of airflow movement within a broiler shed with roof ventilation system during summer

Abstract

Abstract Indoor conditions of broiler sheds are influenced by environmental parameters such as temperature, relative humidity and air movement. Air temperature and relative humidity contribute mainly to the heat stress in broilers and are controlled by air velocity. Roof ventilated broiler sheds are designed to mechanically force air into a confined space through a negative pressure. They have bottom-hinged inlets and roof fans. In summer, the air inlets of the broiler sheds are usually opened fully, in addition to the mechanical fans in 100% operation to ensure broiler chickens are properly ventilated to prevent heat stress. Surprisingly, no information on the practice of farmers during summer in roof ventilated broiler shed is available. Hence, this work was carried out to assess air movement within a roof ventilated broiler shed during summer. The results of this work indicated that opening the inlets fully during summer may not improve the air movement at the animal microclimate. The average air velocities at the animal microclimate were found to be between 0.30 and 0.40 m s−1 in an empty broiler shed compared to the occupied broiler shed which varied from 0.10 and 0.20 m s−1. Therefore, this work has shown that airflow at the birds’ microclimate inside the broiler shed are mainly influenced by the birds themselves, inlet opening technique and distance from the sidewall.