Ventilation of chicken coops in cold winter

Seal all house leaks: A poorly sealed house cannot be ventilated effectively!

Insulation should be done before ventilating. If we can't keep the heat in the chicken coop, we won't be able to maintain a suitable growth environment for broilers in the cold winter.

According to the age of the flock, set the appropriate fan running time to ensure the appropriate minimum ventilation rate.

Increase the minimum ventilation run time every week from the first week to market.

Regardless of conditions inside and outside the house, a minimum ventilation rate is guaranteed, and proper ventilation must be maintained if the temperature drops below the target temperature set point.

The cold air from the outside is higher than the height of the chickens after entering the chicken house, and it needs to have sufficient wind speed to mix with the warm air in the house before touching the chickens.

If litter moisture and/or ammonia are an issue, we need to increase the minimum ventilation rate.

If increasing the ventilation rate does not solve the litter moisture problem, the house temperature can be increased slightly.

If the house is very dusty and the litter is too dry, we need to reduce the minimum ventilation rate.

If the house becomes too hot, check the heater settings, not the fan timer settings.

From 1 day of age to market, adjust backup thermostat settings, drapes and alarm systems.

Seal all air leaks in the house.

A poorly sealed house can make it difficult for us to ventilate properly. We want all the air to enter the house through the intakes and not through cracks and holes. Cold air will sink, and outside cold air entering the house through cracks, curtains, holes and other openings will fall to the floor causing condensation, wet litter and poor performance. We can test the airtightness of the house by static pressure: close all doors, windows and air intakes, turn on a 48-foot, 20,000 cfm fan, and we can achieve a static negative pressure of 0.15 inches of water column. If it is less than 0.15, it means that too much air is entering the house through cracks and holes. The larger the value, the better the airtightness of the house.

Insulation measures should be taken before ventilating.

If we can't keep the heat in the house, we can't maintain a good house environment in cold weather. The insulation factor R of the roof should be about 19. Check the house for holes and changes in insulation and for areas that are not insulated at all. Insulate the rear end of the house, rear doors and areas that are not currently insulated.

Set fan timers according to bird age to ensure the correct minimum ventilation rate is achieved.

Make sure all fans are controlled by 1 timer. Ventilation rates are typically 0.10 cfm/bird during the first week and reach about 0.90 cfm/bird by the eighth week.

During the whole feeding process from the age of 1 day to slaughter, the setting of the fan timer (ventilation rate) needs to be increased every week.

Increase the fan operation time each week to account for the increased water discharge into the house as the birds grow. It should be pointed out that the setting of the ventilation time at the end of feeding is as important as the setting at the beginning of feeding. Thermostat settings are usually more important than timer settings for most of the rearing period. However, if the high temperature does not activate the thermostat, the minimum ventilation timer must still be properly set to maintain air quality.

Keep ventilation to a minimum regardless of conditions inside or outside the house.

Failure to maintain minimum ventilation rates can result in poor air quality, damp litter and elevated ammonia levels. The loss of room temperature due to minimal ventilation is relatively small and worth the problems caused by increased humidity. We also need to remember that we can and must ventilate even when it is raining cooler outside. After the cold air is heated, its water holding capacity will increase. When the air is warmed by 20°F, its relative humidity drops by about half, so its capacity to absorb water doubles. In winter, cold air entering the coop warms and dries out, so the air is able to carry more moisture through the fans. Ventilation is the only way to remove moisture from the litter in the house

The cold air from the outside is higher than the height of the chickens after entering the chicken house, and it needs to have sufficient wind speed to mix with the warm air in the house before touching the chickens.

To meet this requirement, the airtightness of the chicken house is good, and the static pressure is about 0.10, which requires the design of the chicken house to be correct and the air inlet can be adjusted. We need about 0.10 inches of static pressure to project the air entering the house a distance of 20 feet so that it reaches the center of the house. An inlet window controlled by static pressure can fulfill this requirement well. Allowing incoming air to be projected along the ceiling as a draft avoids cold stress to the flock, and the mixing effect of the air prevents the heat generated by the birds, heaters and brooders from rising to the ceiling and becoming trapped there. The efficiency of heating fuel usage can be improved. Mixing fans in the house also help to promote temperature uniformity and reduce fuel use.

If litter moisture and/or ammonia are an issue, we need to increase the minimum ventilation rate.

This means we need to increase the amount of time the fans are running. For every pound of feed a bird takes in, 2 pounds of water will be released into the house. Therefore, there will be a lot of moisture in the chicken house during the feeding process. Manure and excess moisture can produce ammonia gas, which is exacerbated when the moisture content of the litter is high. Proper ventilation is the only way to remove moisture from the litter from the house. A good rule of thumb for judging the moisture content of litter is to grab a handful of litter and squeeze hard. If the litter sticks tightly together and forms a ball, it is too wet; if it sticks loosely , it means that the litter moisture is suitable. If it doesn't stick together, it's too dry.

If increasing the ventilation rate does not solve the litter moisture problem, the house temperature can be increased slightly.

Sometimes when the litter becomes very hard and slippery, running the fan for longer does not solve the problem. Usually this means that the house needs some added heat (stove or brooder) to help reduce humidity so that moisture can be removed. During the warmest part of the day when the humidity is low, it may be possible to dry out the coop by slightly increasing the fan run time. If the above approach does not work, it is necessary to increase the temperature of the chicken house.

If the house is very dusty and the litter is too dry, we need to reduce the minimum ventilation rate. This condition usually means we are over ventilated and need to reduce the amount of time the fans are running.

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