Floor temperature as a risk factor for the quality of the environment in the chickens
Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Building Equipment and Technology Safety, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, SK949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
*Correspondence: jlendelovauniag@gmail.com
Abstract:
The aim of the work is to analyze the environmental risk factors in chicken breeding in relation to the heat load of animals in summer. The research was carried out at a breeding hall with a capacity of 20,000 ROSS 308 broiler chickens for two summer period, with a breeding time of 39 days each. The indoor air temperature and relative humidity were continuously measured at two locations at a height of 0.8 m above the floor, using PT 100 temperature sensors and RS 800 humidity sensors. Data were recorded via a PLC unit at 10-minute intervals. The surface temperatures of the floors were measured by DS 80 sensors connected to dataloggers in two locations. It was observed that the floor temperature had an increasing tendency – due to heating, heat produced by animals and anaerobic biological processes – even during the second half of the breeding period. During the period from day 26 to day 39, the surface temperature of the concrete floor, as well as the temperature of the straw bedding rise to above 30 °C. The indoor air temperature in the hall was predominantly decreasing from the 26th day with rising floor temperature tendency. Between the day 26 and day 39 of the breeding period, the average litter temperature elevation over the air temperature exceeded 7 °C. Regression analysis showed negative dependence of floor temperatures on air temperature; for a 1 K unit air temperature reduction, an average floor temperature increase of 0.75 and 1.16 K was found, respectively.
Key words:
floor construction, microclimatic parameters, summer period