Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 3/24/10

USDA's Agricultural Research Service announced the agency has developed a ventilation system that warms broilers by using ceiling inlets to redistribute solar-heated attic air and cuts production costs.

Joseph Purswell, an agricultural engineer at the ARS Research Unit at Mississippi State University (MSU), and Barry Lott, a retired professor at MSU, completed research commenced in 2006 that explored methods to cut energy costs of heating chicken houses.

The researchers discovered that air that gathers in broiler house attics can exceed outdoor air temperatures by as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and that attic air is at least 5 degrees F warmer nearly 70 percent of the time.

Purswell and Lott concluded that circulating the warmer attic air within chicken houses cut demand for heating fuel by about 20 to 25 percent, and by as much as 35 percent in mild weather conditions.

The system also reduced moisture and ammonia levels inside the chicken houses, improving air quality, ARS said in a news release.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.