Evaluation of broiler house environmental management systems in East Tennessee : a case study

An air quality study was conducted for two different types of broiler house environmental management styles: naturally ventilated, and mechanically ventilated. A continuous sampling, stand alone, monitoring system was used to monitor four gases within the houses. These gases were Ammonia, Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Sulfide and Oxygen. Data points were logged every thirty minutes. Dust samples were also collected using universal flow sampling pumps and cartridge-type filters. Other data collected but not analyzed in this study were interior temperature and relative humidity and exterior temperature, relative humidity, and solar radiation. Statistical analyses were performed to test for differences in gas levels between environmental management styles. These tests revealed that a significant difference (p\u3c0.5) existed between management systems for maximum oxygen, maximum ammonia, and maximum hydrogen sulfide levels. Significant differences (p\u3c0.5) between farms with the same environmental management style were found for ammonia and carbon monoxide levels. These differences were attributed to the occurrence of an in house flood at Farm B2 (mechanically ventilated) and poor conditions observed at Farm D (naturally ventilated). A significant difference (p\u3c0.5) between weeks for maximum and average CO level was also found. This difference was attributed to the intense use of propane brooders during the early stages of production. Mean total dust concentrations ranged from 0.0010 to 0.0056 mg/L. Differences in dust concentration appeared to be a factor of exterior temperature and ventilation rate. Warmer exterior temperatures allowed for increased ventilation and dust concentrations were reduced. Conclusive results determining the overall effectiveness of either environmental management system (natural or mechanical) could not be formulated because of the significant differences (p\u3c0.5) that were found within farms with the same management system. This study concluded that the effectiveness of the management system was controlled by the producer and not the system itself