Optimising the design of confined laying hen house insulation requirements in cold climates without using supplementary heat

Abstract

Supplementary heat is required when birds do not produce enough heat to maintain adequate air temperature in confined poultry houses in cold climates, and this consists of the largest proportion of building energy consumption. Thus, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the poultry houses need more insulation to retain heat in cold climates. With a well-insulated structure, the thermoneutral temperature can generally be maintained using sensible heat from the birds. Here, the effects of stocking density, indoor temperature setpoint, and ceiling insulation level on ventilation rate, balance temperature, and thermal resistance were described, based on the fundamental heat balance equations for livestock buildings using models. Results illustrated that ventilation rate was influenced by stocking density, and it reduced less than 7.1% when increasing stocking density from 133% to 166% at the outdoor temperature of