ARS | Publication request: AIR VELOCITY AND HEAT DISSIPATION FROM BROILERS

Submitted to: World Poultry Congress Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: August 20, 2000
Publication Date: October 1, 2000
Citation: May, J.D., Lott, B.D., Simmons, J.D., Miles, D.M. 2000. Air velocity and heat dissipation from broilers. Proceedings XXI World Poultry Congress Conference. p. 15-17.

Interpretive Summary: Environmental temperature is an important factor in the efficient production of broilers. Most of the US broiler industry is located in areas that have high environmental temperatures during part of the year. The industry has rapidly adopted tunnel ventilation which provides high air velocity around the birds. The high air velocity reduces the stress of high temperatures. This research describes a procedure that expresses the value of increased air velocity in its equivalence to a reduction in environmental temperature. This enables growers, extension personnel, and scientists to more accurately predict the value of increasing the air velocity during rearing.

Technical Abstract: Air velocities of 120 m per min (mpm) improve conditions for poultry reared under high temperatures. However, the value of increased air velocity for the improvement of broiler production is difficult to determine. An experiment was conducted using ten environmental chambers set at temperatures of 12 to 30 C and a wind tunnel set at 30 C and 120 mpm. For a rearing period of from six to seven wk of age, the weight gain of male broilers in the wind tunnel was equivalent to that of broilers in an environmental chamber set at 24 C. The term equivalent temperature (ET) is suggested for the effect of the 120 mpm at 30 C; in this case ET is 24 C. The term ET differential (ETD) is suggested for the impact of air velocity under these conditions. ETD in this case is -6 C which is the ET minus the actual temperature.