Chicken Farm Environmental Control Equipment: Key Technology To Improve Breeding Benefits

In modern poultry farming, environmental control equipment has become an indispensable part of improving production efficiency and ensuring animal welfare. With the expansion of farming scale and the increase in intensiveness, the traditional farming method that relies on the natural environment can no longer meet the needs of modern chicken farms. Environmental control equipment creates the most suitable growth environment for chickens by accurately controlling key parameters such as temperature, humidity, ventilation and air quality in the chicken house, thereby significantly improving feed conversion rate, reducing mortality and improving overall production performance.

1. The core value of environmental control equipment in modern poultry farming

Environmental control equipment has a decisive influence on the successful operation of modern chicken farms. Scientific research shows that chickens can only fully develop their genetic potential under suitable environmental conditions, and any deviation from environmental parameters may lead to a significant decline in production performance. Temperature is one of the most critical factors. Chicks need a high temperature environment of 32-35℃ when they first enter the house, and the temperature drops by 2-3℃ per week as they age, and is maintained at 20-24℃ when they are released. The ideal range of humidity should be kept between 50-70%. Too high will increase the risk of respiratory diseases, and too low will lead to increased dust. In terms of air quality, ammonia concentration must be controlled below 25ppm, and carbon dioxide should not exceed 3000ppm. These standards can only be achieved through professional environmental control equipment.

From the perspective of economic benefits, good environmental control can bring many benefits. Practice has shown that broilers raised in an optimized environment can increase feed conversion rate by 5-8%, growth rate by 10-15%, and mortality rate by 3-5%. For laying hens, egg production rate can be increased by 5-10%, egg weight by 2-3%, and egg breakage rate by 2-3%. In addition, reasonable ventilation can also reduce litter humidity, reduce the occurrence of problems such as foot pad inflammation, and improve slaughter quality. In the long run, the return on investment of environmental control equipment is usually 2-3 years, and it will continue to create net income for the farm.

2. Key components of the chicken house environmental control system

A complete chicken house environmental control system consists of multiple functional modules working together, mainly including ventilation system, cooling system, heating system, humidification system, environmental controller and monitoring network. These subsystems can achieve precise control of the indoor environment through intelligent scheduling of the central controller.

As the core of environmental control, the ventilation system is usually composed of fans, air inlet windows, ventilation ducts, etc., responsible for maintaining air flow and gas exchange. Depending on the season and the needs of the chickens, the ventilation system can operate in minimum ventilation mode, transitional ventilation mode or longitudinal ventilation mode. The cooling system mainly includes wet curtains and spray devices, which absorb heat through water evaporation and can reduce the house temperature by 5-8℃ in hot seasons. Common heating systems include hot air furnaces, radiators or infrared heaters, which are particularly important for heat preservation in the chick stage. As the "brain", the environmental controller receives real-time data from various sensors and automatically adjusts the operating status of each device according to the preset program. Modern advanced controllers have learning functions and remote monitoring capabilities.

3. Fan: The power core of the environmental control system

The fan is one of the most critical equipment in the environmental control system, and its performance directly affects the ventilation effect and energy consumption level. The types of fans commonly used in modern chicken farms are mainly axial flow fans and centrifugal fans. Axial flow fans are the first choice for longitudinal ventilation due to their high air volume and low static pressure; while centrifugal fans are suitable for duct ventilation systems that need to overcome greater resistance.

The selection of fans needs to comprehensively consider the volume of the chicken house, breeding density and local climatic conditions. It is generally required that the fan can change air 4-6 times per hour at minimum ventilation, and more than 60 times at high temperatures in summer. Taking a standard chicken house of 12 meters by 120 meters as an example, it is usually necessary to install 8-12 axial flow fans with a diameter of 1.4 meters, and each fan can reach an air volume of more than 40,000 m³/h. It is worth noting that the actual performance of the fan will be affected by the installation method, shutter design and maintenance status. Unreasonable installation may cause efficiency to drop by more than 30%.

Energy saving is an important direction for the development of fan technology. Traditional single-speed fans are gradually being replaced by variable frequency fans and EC fans, which can adjust speed steplessly according to environmental requirements, and can save energy by more than 40%. In addition, a reasonably designed fan grouping control system can avoid all fans from starting and stopping at the same time, which can not only meet ventilation needs but also extend the life of the equipment.

4. Wet curtain cooling system: an effective weapon against heat stress

The wet curtain cooling system is a key technology to solve the problem of high temperature in summer, especially for closed chicken houses. When the ambient temperature exceeds 28℃, chickens begin to experience heat stress, feed intake decreases, and growth is hindered. The wet curtain system absorbs a lot of heat through water evaporation, which can reduce the air temperature entering the chicken house by 5-10℃, effectively alleviating heat stress.

High-quality wet curtains should have good water absorption, corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties. At present, the mainstream products on the market are paper wet curtains and plastic wet curtains. Paper wet curtains (usually honeycomb structures) have a larger evaporation area and higher cooling efficiency, but their service life is relatively short (generally 3-5 years); plastic wet curtains are more durable (up to 8-10 years), but the cooling effect is slightly worse. The thickness of the wet curtain is usually 15 cm or 20 cm, the latter is suitable for hotter areas.

The design points of the wet curtain system include: the installation area should reach 1/3-1/2 of the total air volume of the longitudinal fan; the water flow distribution must be uniform; the water quality needs to be regularly tested and treated to prevent mineral deposition and microbial growth; set up a proper drainage system to avoid water waste. It is worth noting that the effect of the wet curtain system will be significantly reduced in high humidity weather (relative humidity>80%). At this time, it is necessary to combine the spray system and increase the wind speed to cool down.

5. Ventilation window and airflow organization design

① The ventilation window is a key component for controlling the air entering the chicken house. Its design and adjustment directly affect the airflow distribution and uniformity in the house. According to the installation location, the ventilation window can be divided into two categories: side wall ventilation window and ridge ventilation window. Side wall ventilation windows can be divided into two types: continuous and small windows. The former is mainly used for minimum ventilation in winter, and the latter is suitable for transitional seasons.

② The design points of the small window ventilation system include: the windows should be evenly distributed along the two side walls, with a spacing of no more than 3 meters; the window size can be adjusted, and it should be opened 2-5 cm at minimum ventilation; the window should be designed with a guide plate so that the cold air is mixed with the hot air on the roof before it drops to the height of the chicken flock to avoid cold stress. Ridge ventilation is conducive to the discharge of hot air and harmful gases, and is particularly suitable for hot areas.

③ The automatic control system of the ventilation window should be linked with the fan to automatically adjust the opening according to parameters such as the temperature difference between the inside and outside and the wind speed. Advanced systems can also memorize the optimal ventilation parameters for chicken flocks of different ages and realize "one-click setting". It is worth noting that the sealing of the ventilation window is crucial in winter, and air leakage will lead to low local temperatures and energy waste.

6. Intelligent development of environmental controllers

① Modern environmental controllers have developed from simple thermostats to multi-functional intelligent systems that can integrate and control multiple subsystems such as ventilation, heating, cooling, lighting, and feeding. The latest generation of controllers has the following advanced features: precise control based on PLC or microprocessor; touch screen human-machine interface; multi-parameter integrated control algorithm; data recording and analysis function; remote monitoring and alarm (via mobile phone APP or webpage); and energy management module.

② The application of intelligent control algorithm enables the system to predict environmental changes and make adjustments in advance. For example, according to the weather forecast, the system can lower the house temperature in advance in the early morning, find the best combination of environmental parameters by analyzing historical data, and even indirectly evaluate the comfort level by monitoring the behavior of chickens (such as activity level and feeding sounds).

③ In terms of data integration, modern systems can record environmental parameters and equipment operating status for up to several years. These big data can be used to optimize breeding management, analyze equipment energy efficiency, and trace the cause of problems. Some advanced systems also support docking with farm management software to achieve comprehensive integration of production data.

Chicken farm environmental control equipment is the basic guarantee for efficient production of modern poultry farming, and its technical level directly affects breeding benefits and animal welfare. With the development of Internet of Things, big data and artificial intelligence technology, environmental control systems are evolving towards a more intelligent, precise and integrated direction. When selecting and configuring environmental control equipment, farms should comprehensively consider their own scale, climate characteristics and management level, and give priority to systems with high reliability, low energy consumption and good scalability. At the same time, a scientific operation and maintenance system should be established to give full play to the efficiency of equipment in order to achieve the best return on investment. In the future, with the deepening of the concept of sustainable development, the combination of energy-saving and environmentally friendly environmental control equipment and renewable energy will become an important direction for the development of the industry.