Blog

By Austin Baker
Ventilation Director, Hog Slat Inc.

WindStorm 54" fans

As the industry continues to increase wind speeds in broiler houses, we need to be mindful of maintaining a balance in a tunnel ventilation system.   A ventilation system operating at a high static pressure does not necessarily mean it is optimized for wind speed.

I was recently called on to troubleshoot the ventilation system on a new broiler farm. The owner was concerned because the static pressure in the new buildings was running between .10" and .14" while the static pressure in several older buildings of similar size was closer .20" - .22”. He suspected the fans in the newer buildings might not be operating correctly and not delivering their maximum ventilation rates.

Inexpensive WeatherFlow wind meter for smartphones

We selected a spot 50' in front of first tunnel fan and recorded a reading of 715 fpm with a static pressure of .22" in the older facility. In the new building recordings from a similar location registered 805 fpm with a static pressure of only .14”. In other words, the new house was operating with a lower static pressure but still delivering almost 100 fpm higher wind speed.

In fact, we were able to increase wind speed and reduce the static pressure in the older house by shutting off two fans. The static pressure went down to .12", and the wind speed accelerated to 770 fpm.

Tego Tunnel Doors

Here's a simple test to perform in any house to find the balance point. Put the house in full tunnel mode and pick a spot 50’ in front of your fans to measure wind speed. Take a measurement with all fans running and then turn off a fan. Go back to the original measuring point and take another reading. If the wind speed went down then, the system is operating correctly. If it stayed the same or went up, then continue the process until you see a drop in airspeed. This exercise will tell you if you need to take action to correct the restrictions on the system. For example, cool cell pads may be clogged or not sized correctly, or the tunnel doors are restricting the airflow.

By Paul Horne
Gas-Fired Products Inc.

Radiant heat has gained wide acceptance across the industry for heating the brooder area of poultry houses.   Because radiant heat delivers heating energy directly to the birds and floor, radiant offers significant advantages compared to forced air heat including; 15-25% more efficiency, drier litter, and creating a heat-storing thermal reservoir for the birds at floor level.

An additional benefit is the varying temperature gradients allowing the birds to seek their particular comfort zone. Temperature distribution graphs represent the heat profiles for each radiant heating product. Knowing the expected heating pattern for each style of radiant heater helps producers choose the best product for their particular application.

In the following diagrams, we show typical layouts for a 66' x 300' center brooder area for each type of radiant heaters. These are general layouts and not unique to a particular building design or geographical area. Each facility requires a heat loss calculation to determine the actual Btu/hr. needed.

Heating pattern for GRO40 brooder

40,000 BTU brooders with a round canopy project an even, circular heat pattern on the surface below. The emitter extending below the canopy reduces center hot spots and increases the overall diameter of the heat pattern.

Brooders normally have the lowest initial cost and offer a broad range of equipment options, including direct spark or pilot ignition systems which can be controlled individually or in zones. Installation is straightforward and flexible, allowing for multiple floor layouts. Brooders can be winched to different heights during the flock to change the heat pattern. Stainless brooders offer added corrosion protection for houses using litter treatments. It is important to thoroughly clean brooders after each flock to maintain optimal efficiency.

Heating pattern for GROTube

Straight radiant tube brooding systems deliver a large pear-shaped heat profile with the highest floor temperatures located directly under the first tube and with lower temperatures at the far end. Typical tube lengths range between 30 ft.-60 ft. long with heating capacities ranging between 100,000 to 150,000 Btu/hr.

Straight tube heaters are mounted near the ceiling and are not raised and lowered like radiant brooders. Each model has a recommend mounting distance from the ceiling based on clearance to combustibles. Because straight tube heaters draw fresh air from outside the brood chamber, there is less maintenance than systems that bring their combustion air from inside the house.

Tube heaters have the advantage that they can be either a single stage or a two-stage unit, where the low fire will result in a different and smaller heat pattern.

Heating profile of Big Foot heaters

Another radiant product type is the U-Tube heater, which offers an improved rectangular heat pattern when compared with the straight tube heaters. Because the heat inputs are lower, the hot spot under the burner is less intense than with the larger heat input straight tube heaters. Angling the reflectors towards the building sidewalls results in extended heating footprint. Sizes range from 12 ft. to 15 ft.long rated at 60,000 – 90,000 Btu/hr.

U-Tube heaters share the same advantages and disadvantages common to all tube heaters; higher installation costs along with the convenience of being mounted up out of the way and reduced maintenance.

Their biggest advantage lies in the improved heat patterns. The heat patterns are larger with a more rectangular shape than brooders and more even temperature distribution than straight tube heaters. The rectangular heating profile of U-Tube heaters provides uniform heat distribution throughout the brood area. Chicks can easily move in and out of the temperature gradations seeking their individual comfort zones.

When a local FFA chapter asked for industry support, Georgia Poultry's Heath Whiddon jumped at the chance. Heath explained, " My involvement in FFA throughout my middle school and high school year shaped my career path in animal agricultural. After graduating from UGA, I worked for Perdue Farms before joining Georgia Poultry as outside sales rep."

Heath and kids examine 4-hole nest used in chapter project

Clifton Ridge Middle School in Macon, GA recently started an FFA chapter and chose as their SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) a project involving laying hens. Local Perdue Farms Director of Operations, Wally Hunter and live production manager, Tim Little alerted Heath about the project and joined with Georgia Poultry in supplying the school with a 4-hole and 10-hole nest.

FFA advisor, Rick Burrell looks on as Heath highlights nest features.  

Heath bought the nests to Clifton Ridge and met with the students and FFA advisor, Rick Burrell. " I assembled the 4-hole to show the kids so they could build the 10-hole unit on their own, "said Heath. " I took a few minutes and explained how vertical integration worked and answered the questions from the kids. They were especially interested in how my FFA involvement helped my career in the poultry industry.... and they also wanted to know what farmers did with the chicken litter." Heath continued, "Getting kids involved is critical to the future of our industry. I was glad for the opportunity to help out, and hopefully, we see some of the kids enter the poultry business down the road."

Clifton Ridge hens adapt to new nests  

The project currently involves 12 laying hens of different breeds with the students offering eggs for sale to the school faculty and district personnel.

When Larry Nightingale constructed a 50' x 500' building to produce cage-free eggs on his 700-acre farm in Pulaski, IA, utilizing the manure from the 20,000 laying hens was an important consideration. "A deep pit has less moving parts than a scraper system and having 12 months of storage allows us to apply all the manure in the fall after the crops are out," explained Larry.

Access door to manure pit

  The eight-foot-deep pit under the building consists of a steel reinforced concrete floor with eight-inch formed perimeter walls. Two openings, with slider doors, permit access on each side to remove the litter from the pit with a skid loader. Cross section with plastic flooring and nests suspended above pit

The nests and flooring are suspended above the pit with a support system constructed from 8-inch "I" beams spaced on ten-foot centers. The "I" beam framework sets in pockets in the pit walls and is supported in the center by steel posts.

Potter's colony nests

 A double row of single-tier Potter's colony nests runs down the middle of the building. Curtain fronts on the nest provide the hens with a secure, dark laying area with AstroTurf® covered floors sloping to the center collection belt.   The nest floors rise to exclude the birds from the nest during the night.

GrowerSELECT chain feeder with additional roost bars located on plastic flooring.

18’ of raised plastic slatted flooring extends on each side of the nest boxes with the chain feeding and water lines located there.

  Unique triangle supports used on the GrowerSELECT chain feeding trough provide additional roosts for the hens.

Precast concrete scratch area  

One noteworthy design feature is the pre-cast concrete used for the scratch areas located along the outside walls. 4' x 10' solid concrete slabs were placed on the support beams roughly four inches lower than the plastic slats. Manually operated access doors located above the scratch area permit the birds to access outside pasture runs.

Windstorm galvanized fans with sidewall curtains used in the natural/ power ventilation system

The natural/ power assist ventilation system provides the birds with a comfortable year-round environment.   Three 52" Windstorm pit fans cycle on timers during the winter drawing air through ceiling inlets. As the temperature increases, the sidewall curtains start to drop to allow natural airflow to cool the interior. At approximately 80 degrees the system switches to tunnel ventilation with the sidewall curtains closing and end tunnel curtains opening as the ten Windstorm 54" end wall fans stage on.   Although deep pit structure may have a higher initial cost, there are several advantages for integrated farming operations. 12 months of storage allows fall application for maximum crop utilization. As Larry pointed out, a deep pit is virtually maintenance free with no moving parts compared to using a scraper or belt system to remove the manure from under the slatted area to a separate storage pit.

The pen gestation continues to evolve as producers gain "real world" experience managing production systems.

In 2012 Prestage Farms remodeled an existing finishing complex into breeding and farrowing units and installed stanchions in the pen gestation. You can read more about the remodel project here.   Production Manager, Russ Goss, explained some of the changes made in new sow units built this year,   "In the new facilities, we increased the square footage from 19.5 to 23 per sow, and the stanchion width changed from 19" to 24" on center. In addition, the rodded stanchion dividers were increased from 18” to 48”.

"Extending the dividers changed the behavior of the dominant sows in a pen. Shorter dividers enabled the boss sow to disturb the other animals, and you would see some of them repositioning during the feeding period. The 48" divider prevents the aggressive animals from reaching the shoulders of their pen mates. Instead of going down the line and disrupting other animals, they quickly figure out they can't move anybody and just return to their spot."

"The other thing we see is at any one time 50% of the animals in a pen will be lying in the stanchions.   They never laid in the shorter stanchions, but would always be lying around the "donut" in the middle with their backs against the pen perimeter gating.   A sow always wants to lay with her back against something. She feels secure in the longer stanchions and she appears comfortable staying there, but is also free to leave and move around the pen."   Russ continued, “We have noticed that after the initial fighting to establish the pecking order in the pen, the sows are noticeably calmer and quieter compared to our stall barns.”

"Using pen gestation with stanchions fits our system and personnel. The ESF systems are really an intriguing concept... being able to feed and track sows individually in loose housing. Maybe it's our genetics, but I don't think it's that important for us to feed a sow individually all the way through gestation. From our experience, we can effectively condition the sow the first 6 weeks in gestation. However, if we do not have all sows in the ideal condition, we will group them together and set all feeders in the pen accordingly.

A move to 21-day weaning along with an increasing born live, sent Great Lake Pork, headquartered in Allendale, Michigan in search of the best method for ad-lib feeding in farrowing. 

"Improved sow genetics resulted in more pigs farrowed plus we wanted to boost pig weights by weaning later. We needed to push more feed to the sows and increase consumption," commented Great Lakes Pork, partner Joel Phelps.  

After trialing several different feeder and water combinations, Great Lake Pork settled on a Hog Slat's SowMAX with a floor mounted cup waterer.   "We feel the stainless steel SowMAX dispensers are more durable and easier to install on the different feed bowls in our system. The sow activated trigger mechanism is more reliable than models incorporating plastic balls or electronic timers, " said Joel.  

"We have barns where the ad-lib hoppers are hand-filled and those with automated delivery systems; the results are the same, one just requires a little more labor. We fill the feeder starting on day one and let the sow have all the feed she wants.   That's the beauty of ad-lib, there's no guessing like with hand-feeding, sows eat as individuals when they are ready."  

"Although we don't weigh individual litters, we know the sows are milking well, and they are doing it without losing body weight. They are coming out of the farrowing houses in very good condition which helps in the breeding barn."  

Joel finished by saying; “ As soon as we finished the trial and decided on the equipment we made the switch across the entire system, 18 sow farms in all. That was over three years ago and we’ve never regretted it. It has been a good decision for us.”

Potter's colony nests

A group of Missouri farmers is developing production systems needed to meet the growing demand for cage-free eggs. The producers contract with local egg companies to provide facilities that meet established humane standards for egg production. Unlike typical industry contracts, the farmers are also responsible for purchasing the birds and feed along with supplying labor.

Side doors allow chicken access to outdoor pasture

Farms produce either free-range or pastured eggs. Free-range hens have access to exterior areas equal to 2 sq. ft. per bird, while the pastured designation requires 108.9 sq. ft. per hen.   The farms receive 17-week old pullets that begin laying at 19 weeks with full production reached at around 24 weeks.

Center egg gathering belt with AstroTurf pad

The 50’ wide buildings feature a double row of colony nests down the center of the room, allowing nine sq. ft. of nest area per 100 hens.   Curtain fronts on the nest provide the hens with a secure, dark laying area with AstroTurf® covered floors sloping to the center collection belt.

Raised flooring with either pan feeders or chain feeding

12’ of raised plastic slatted flooring extends on each side of the nest boxes with the feed and water lines located there. A 9-1/2' lowered scratch area runs along each sidewall.

Windstorm 36" panel  fans and 54" exhaust  fans

The ventilation system is a combination power/ natural design with a 36” fan and ceiling inlets providing minimum air requirements. Two 52” fans stage on as the weather warms with the sidewall curtains dropping to supply the increased airflow. Hot weather triggers high-pressure misters on with 36” box fans increasing air circulation. Some of the larger facilities also add evaporative cooling systems with tunnel ventilation fans for extremely hot weather and eliminate the sidewall curtains, misters, and 36" stir fans.

Automated access doors to outside runs with portable shades outside.

Hens are locked out of the nests overnight until 5:30 am. Egg collect begins at 9 am with the sliding side doors opened at 10 am to allow the hens access to the outside runs. Chickens can move freely in and out of the buildings during the day choosing their environment. In the outside lots, the hens have access to portable shades along with supplemental feed and water.

Manual egg packer and automatic version

A second egg collection occurs mid-afternoon. Smaller facilities hand pack the eggs from the center collection belt while larger operations utilize an automated packing machine. Walk-in egg coolers capable of maintaining 45-degree temperatures hold the eggs until the farm’s weekly pickup. The building’s side doors remain open until after dark with the interior lights left on to draw the hens in before closing up for the night. Approximately ½ hour before shutting down the building lights, the nest floors lift up gently pushing the hens out of the colony nest and blocking access until the next morning.

Andy Altenburg is an expert when it comes to bad slats.  Sitting at a massive, 1200-pound conference table made with a full-size concrete slat, the owner of Altenburg Construction in Lewisville, MN explained how he got started in the business.

Altenburg Construction Conference Table

“I was working for a local producer at a nursery site. We were building new buildings like crazy during that time and got behind grouting slats. Grandpa had an old portable mixer out back, and I figured I could mix cement and sand together, and I needed the money. Later I started repairing slats, and when some of the slats were too bad to fix I figured out a way get the old ones out and new ones in.”

“Our goal from the very beginning was to develop tools to make slat replacement faster with less labor. We developed and manufactured the machines we needed learning as we went. Our volume continues to grow each year because we are getting more efficient. We are on track to replace 20,000 slats by the end of 2016.”

Project Manager, Tyler Sauck explained some guidelines to use when examining the condition of slats in a facility.

Look for damage on the side when cracks are visible on top

“The first thing to judge when you see a crack in slat is how deep it is. Surface cracks aren’t a big deal, but if that crack is deep or starting to separate, it becomes a concern. We look for damage on the sides. One of biggest problems comes from improper rebar placement. If the manufacturer placed the rebar too close to the sides or bottom, you’ll see it swell and pop out the concrete.”

Support beams are the cause of many slats failures.

“Really the support beams are a bigger problem than the slats. Everyone can easily see if slats are bad, but checking the beams takes more work. We shine a flashlight down through the slat openings and look closely at the beams. Many times slats on top appear to be fine, but the beams will be shot. You also have to look at both sides of the beam; one side can look perfect and the other side will have rebar hanging out of it.”

Crumbling slat pocket caused this beam to fall

“Another overlooked area is the amount of bearing surface the beam has on a column or end wall pocket. We like to see at least 3” of bearing surface. Over time a building can shift, especially on the end walls. We recommend producers add a pre-cast column at the end wall when building new barns.”

Dry cast slats, machined finished slats in the yard.

Andy joined in, “This year we set slats produced by 13 different manufacturers. The building owner buys the slats; we only set them. Let me tell you, every company can build good slats some of the time, but only a few can build good slats consistently.   The key is quality control. The best manufacturers use machine finished, dry cast concrete and steam cure the slats.”

Setting top quality slats on new construction project.

“Biggest mistake I see in new construction is trying to save money on slats. A guy builds his first barn and thinks all slats are the same. Well, they aren’t, concrete slats are not a commodity product, and there is a difference. Spend the money up front, and you won’t be calling us to replace them near as soon.

Not everything at Altenburg Construction is work. Andy likes to build and race stock cars. We found this in the back shop.

Stan Shrock fills a unique niche in the poultry industry as an independent pullet producer supplying independent layer customers.

Stan explained, “I have an arrangement to raise pullets for two local independent producers. I bring them in as one-day-old chicks and raise them until 16 weeks of age. I own the chickens and supply the feed with this arrangement. I also raise one flock a year for a producer from outside the state where he supplies the chicks and feed under contract.”

Stan’s construction background enabled him to act as his general contractor and build the 50’ x 320’ structure with local labor. The house will hold up to 25,000 pullets.

Stan Shrock with Rotem house controller

The Rotem house controller acts to integrate all of the building systems into a central station to monitor daily production inputs. Along with controlling and tracking the ventilation, heating, and water data the controller also automatically records bird weights and daily feed consumption.

BinTrac Load Cell Bracket feeds information to record and monitor feed levels.

Each bin leg has a load cell bracket attached and relays information to the digital summing box which feeds a display unit mounted inside the office. This display unit, in turn, is linked to the house controller which records and stores feed intake. Stan can easily monitor the flock’s daily feed consumption and note any problems that can affect production.

Rotem hanging scale records chick weight in only 3 seconds.

A hanging scale automatically weighs the birds as they mount the platform. Only 2 to 3 seconds are required for an accurate weight to register to the controller. Stan’s contract includes a bonus on weight uniformity based on the average recorded from the scale system.

Plastic flooring and water line are raised to 24″ to train pullets

The building contains an innovative approach to training pullets for their transition to the layer house. A section of slatted flooring is positioned under each water line. Gradually the water lines and flooring are raised to a height of 24” before the pullets go out. Stan’s layer customers report fewer floor eggs from pullets conditioned with this technique.

Anti-roosting fixtures above pan feeders

Unique anti-roost fixtures above the feeders prevent chicks from soiling the pan feeders but still allow the feed line to be used as a roost.

Wall inlets with light trap hoods outside.

The building features a cross ventilation system with automatically adjusted wall inlets along one wall with light traps on the outside. The fan banks are located on the opposite wall. Stan explained the system; “We felt cross ventilation fit our production model better than tunnel ventilation. We saw excellent circulation patterns when we smoked the building. When the outside temperatures were 95° we stayed at 90° inside.”

Cross ventilation fans with light trap hoods

The building is set up for half-house brooding with five 80,000 BTU, U-tube heaters supplying 400,000 BTU of heating capacity. Stan commented, “ The brooders do a great job of throwing heat to the outside walls, and we get even temperature across the brood area. Additional heat is supplied on the far end with three 40’ long, 100,000 tube heaters.”

Big Foot U-Tube in brooder area with GroTube Infrared heaters in the remainder of the house.

Stan finished up by saying, “ The chicken business has been a nice addition to our farming operation. It fits in with our purebred cattle as we utilize the litter to fertilize the pastures. I am pleased with how the building performs. As a matter of fact, the only thing I would change is the office…I didn’t build it big enough!”

Your reaction on seeing the PRICE of Hog Slat’s Vent Actuator will probably be to dismiss it as a low quality item.  You get what you pay for.

Don’t let the price fool you.

The Vent Actuator is a great example of Hog Slat’s engineering expertise, combined with global sourcing and lean distribution chain.  

Engineering added features to increase the useful life of the unit.

24″ stroke length with a maximum speed of 1/4″ per second and adjustable limit switches.

Built-in potentiometer sends feedback to room controller to position air inlets.

800 lb. payload

Increased protection of interior electrical components with clamped extension boots and motor seals.  Overall, the Actuator’s Internal Protection Rating is 65 vs. competitive brands with ratings of only 53.  (See What is an IP rating?)

Hog Slat’s lean distribution chain model direct sources products and delivers them to the farm without an expensive and outdated dealer network.   (See eliminating margin stack)

All in all, a great product at a great price.

The Right Kind of Sticker Shock.  For ordering information go to HS667-24.