Feed Consumption as a Parameter for Establishing Minimum Ventilation Rates

Abstract

ABSTRACT MINIMUM ventilation rates necessary to ensure acceptable air quality in an animal environment can be directly determined from daily feed consumption. Measured heat and carbon dioxide production from commercial-scale confinement units for housed pigs, dairy cows, broiler chickens and laying hens were used to relate feed consumption to carbon dioxide production. For every type of housed animal in a typical confinement system, a specified ambient carbon dioxide concentration will ensure that concentrations of aerial contaminants are within acceptable limits for a given age and level of production. From these concentration and measured production rates, minimum ventilation rates required to maintain an acceptable air quality were calculated. The ventilation rate ranged between 110 and 163 L/g of feed for growing pigs and sows-piglets, respectively. The rate of feed consumption can be used as an input to ventilation controllers in naturally and mechanically ventilated buildings.