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Some like it hot: Poultry growers fire up chicken house heating, ventilation in cold weather
Arkansas Arkansas poultry growers will be running the heaters and ventilators in their chicken houses as temperatures fall into the single digits, a University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture poultry expert said Jan. 6. With temperatures forecast to stay at or below freezing at least through Jan. 10, "Many growers probably won't get any sleep at all," said Dustan Clark, extension poultry health veterinarian for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. "I talked to one grower today and he said he got up 5 a.m. Sunday morning and got to bed early Monday morning. He's been almost 48 hours without sleep." "Growers will be working hard the next 96 or so hours to get things ready for the cold and monitor the birds, checking everything they can," he said. "Many will probably be working all night in the chicken houses." Effects of the cold on poultry depend on the age of the bird. "In the commercial poultry houses, the day-old chicks are kept somewhere in the temperature range of 90 to 94 degrees Fahrenheit," he said. "The cold weather will mean that the growers will be running more heat to keep the birds comfortable." As the birds age, they are more able to produce their own heat. "Older birds generate about 5 BTUs per pound of body weight, so a six-pound bird would be generating about 30 BTUs of heat," Clark said. As the birds produce heat, they also produce a lot of moisture from respiration and excretion. "The grower has to ventilate the house, as usual, to reduce humidity and keep the birds from getting too hot," he said. "The house temperature is about 60 in those older, heavier birds." As these older birds produce heat, they require more calories. "The older the bird, the more ventilating will be done to keep the birds at the correct temperature so they birds will eat more to compensate for energy loss," Clark said. Growers with backyard hobby flocks may have to use some type of supplemental heat in their houses or have a windbreak for the birds to get behind. "Usually, if they can get out of a draft, the birds will be OK," he said. "Birds that are in a draft could get some frostbite on their combs. "Those backyard birds that are free-ranging will probably hunt down a cedar tree to get in," he said. Since backyard flocks tend to lay eggs in the spring, hobby growers most likely won't have to worry about keeping chicks warm. The National Weather Service kept winter weather and wind chill advisories in effect Jan. 7. A combination of stiff winds and cold air was expected to send wind chills below zero. For more information about managing poultry, visit www.uaex.edu or contact your county extension office.
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