VENTILATION SYSTEM (OPEN SIDED HOUSING) POULTRY BREEDERS

OPEN SIDED/NATURAL VENTILATION

Open sided (naturally ventilated)houses rely on the free flow of air through the house for ventilation(fig1)..achieving adequate control of the in-house environment can be difficult in open houses and as a result consistency and level of performance tends to be lower than in controlled environment houses.

Air flow in open houses is controlled by varying curtain height.curtains should be fastened to the side wall at the bottom, and be opened from the top down. this will minimize wind or draft blowing directly on the birds...

curtain should be opened from both sides of the building to provide cross ventilation if there is light wind or the wind is changing direction.curtain on both sides of the building should be opened the same amount. if the wind is coming from one side of the building then the curtain on that side should be opened less then the downwind side to minimize draft on the birds. re circulation fans can be used to supplement natural ventilation and enhance temperature control within the house. translucent curtain material allow the use of natural light during daylight hours. black curtain are used in the situation where it is necessary to exclude daylight(e.g to provide black out during rearing).hot weather....very hard for open houses. achieving adequate ventilation is very difficult.however different steps can be taken to minimize the impact of hard weather

1. reducing the flock density
2. insulating the roof of the shed to prevent radiant heat from the sun reaching the bird.in some areas water is used to cool the roof of the house.strategy should be taken as run off from the roof can lead to increase in the relative humidity level.
3. using circular fans to create uniform air movement over the birds
4. using tunnel ventilation system with the evaporative cooling

natural ventilated houses should be constructed to the specific width i-e.9-12 m(30-40 ft) and height to the eaves of 2.5 m(8 ft) to ensure adequate air flow.