Broiler House Ventilation During Cold Weather
The cold weather ventilation program in a broiler house is designed primarily for moisture removal. With the arrival of cooler weather, growers and integrators must once again address wintertime ventilation management.
Ventilation during cold weather is always challenging because growers do not want to burn any more fuel than necessary, but they do want to maintain a high level of flock performance. For most growers, fuel is their greatest single expense during the year. Therefore, growers tend to reduce ventilation rates during the winter in order to conserve fuel and lower production costs.
However, failure to maintain an adequate house environment can lead to poor air and litter quality. This can result in reduced flock performance that is detrimental to net returns. The goal is to have the lowest possible fuel cost that will still allow you to provide an environment that is best for the birds. This is accomplished by using a minimum ventilation rate: the quantity of fresh, outside air that must be moved through the broiler house to absorb and remove moisture.