Evaluation of thermal energy consumption in broiler farms and saving strategies

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate thermal energy consumption in broiler farms and provide solutions to reduce it. This study was performed with a completely randomized design under 4 climatic conditions, including Ardabil (cold climate representative), Khuzestan (warm climate representative), Isfahan (dry climate representative) and Guilan (temperate climate representative) in 4 replicates (4 broiler farms in each climate) and with 5 repetitions (5 periods of breeding per unit) and a capacity of 492,700, Ross 308 broiler in each breeding period. According to the results, in all climates, the proposed solutions to save thermal energy were able to create a significant difference (P<0.05). The experimental results also showed that the difference in thermal energy consumption in cold and dry climates wasmuch higher than in temperate and warm climates (P<0.05). Overall, the results of the present study show that, by optimizing andmodernizing construction equipment in broiler farms, thermal energy losses can be reduced in all climatic conditions.