Hens Housed Research Articles

Design and Analysis of Ventilation System for Closed Poultry House in Tropical Climate Conditions

The climate significantly impacts the temperature in different parts of the world. A moderate environment makes it simple to construct a chicken farm. Nevertheless, raising the birds in tropical places where typical temperatures can exceed 40-45°C is difficult because they can only survive at temperatures between 30°C and 35°C. As a result, the current study aimed to design a chicken house with a ventilation and cooling system to prevent excessive heat. The effectiveness of ventilation systems in maintaining liveable and constant conditions at the chicken house was assessed using computational fluid dynamics modeling to mimic internal and external airflows. In this study, a water evaporator-based cooling system and an exhaust fan-based ventilation system were built within a poultry house. ANSYS CFD was utilized to create the design and examine the flow of the model. The findings of each model were generated individually, and these results were compared to those of the other models to determine which model could decrease the temperature within the chicken coop. The proposed model's maximum temperature was around 30-32°C. A poultry house can be constructed using this idea to maintain chickens at a suitable temperature range of 30-32°C.

ANALYSIS OF STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT OF LAYING CHICKEN LIVESTOCK BUSINESS IN NGAWI DISTRICT

This study aims to determine the development strategy that can be carried out by laying hens in Ngawi Regency. The data collection technique uses the purposive sampling method, the calculation method uses the SWOT analysis quadrant and the SWOT matrix analysis method. The data used is primary data. Based on the results of the SWOT matrix analysis for Ngawi Regency, a strategy can be obtained that farmers can implement, namely the SO strategy: a) Increase the amount of production by increasing the population of laying hens, b) optimize egg production. WO strategy: a) Promoting livestock business, b) Keeping books of livestock business in order to control income and expenses. ST strategy: a) Establish good relations with collectors and consumers, b) Maintain product quality to face competitors, c) Determine the right strategy for selling chicken eggs, so that eggs can be sold every day. WT Strategy: a) Establish relationships with raw material suppliers, b) Maintain the cleanliness of the chicken coop. Based on the Quadrant SWOT analysis, Ngawi Regency is in quadrant I. Development strategies that can be implemented are a) Maintaining egg quality, b) Maintaining the quality of laying hen seeds, c) Increasing the laying hen population, d) Expanding marketing further.

Variation of PM2.5 and PM10 in emissions and chemical compositions in different seasons from a manure-belt laying hen house

Particulate matter (PM) emissions from animal houses and the corresponding hazard have raised increasing attention during recent years. In this study, a large-scale manure-belt laying hen house located in Beijing, China was selected as the experimental site for the study of the emission rates (ER) and chemical compositions of PM2.5 and PM10 in 3 seasons, namely, summer, autumn, and winter, to investigate their possible influences on ambient air quality and human health. The results showed that the mean ER from the hen house in summer, autumn, and winter were 9.0 ± 1.7, 2.4 ± 0.7, and 1.9 ± 0.7 mg hen-1 d-1 for PM2.5 (P < 0.05), and 30.7 ± 1.1, 12.8 ± 1.5, and 10.9 ± 0.9 mg hen-1 d-1 for PM10 (P < 0.05), respectively. Moreover, large amounts of secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA) were observed inside the house in summer, accounting for 11.4 and 9.6% of indoor PM2.5 and PM10 mass, respectively, compared with the value of <1.4% in autumn and winter. Among the 31 detected elements in indoor PM, arsenic concentration exceeded the threshold set in legislation. Zn had a notably high concentration of 3,403 to 4,432 ng m-3 in indoor PM10, which was 28 to 71 times higher than that in ambient PM10. The findings suggest that the poultry-raising house emit PM2.5 and PM10 containing SIA and toxic heavy-metal elements such as As and Zn to the ambient with much more emissions in summer than in autumn and winter. Considering the increasing development of poultry-raising farming in China, the potential hazard derived from the exhaust of PM2.5 and PM10 should be focused on, especially during summer.

A comparative study on histopathological features of duodenum, jejunum, and ileum from broiler chicken with avian pathogenic Escherichia coli infection

Avian colibacillosis is a high-prevalence chicken farm disease caused by avian pathogen-ic Escherichia coli (APEC). It is necessary to identify and look up to the bacterial activity to stave off a decline in chicken performance. This study aimed to identify and determine the pathogenetic activity of APEC within broiler chickens on the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum histopathology comparison. The samples were collected from a total of 40 broilers, obtained from a highest-colibacillosis historical chicken house, identified with bacterial isolation swab-technique, and analyzed with nonparametric statistical lesions scoring. The identification result showed 82.5% E. coli with a 62.5% APEC con-firmed. The histopathological feature showed a significant difference (p&lt;0.05), where the jejunum ap-peared to encounter the most significant damage compared to the duodenum and ileum. Thus, it is con-cluded that APEC field infection varies in characteristics and pathogenicity, which affects intestinal organs based on the histology changes, mainly in the jejunum part of the intestine.

Successful long-term control of poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) infestations in floor-kept laying hens via integrated pest management—a case report

This case report describes the successful control of poultry red mite [PRM] (Dermanyssus gallinae) infestations in an experimental laying hen house via a combined use of cleaning and disinfection measure, the preventive application of a synthetic silica-based acaricide and frequent mite monitoring. The high number of PRM in the laying hen house was reduced by 99.8% by treatment with fluralaner (Exzolt®, MSD Animal Health Unterschleißheim, Germany; 0.5 mg/kg body weight via drinking water twice, 7 days apart). After the laying hens were removed, the hen house was dry-cleaned, wet-cleaned and disinfected. After drying, synthetic amorphous silica (Fossil Shield® instant white, Bein GmbH, Eiterfeld, Germany) was applied as a preventive measure before the hen house was restocked with pullets for two housing periods of 58 and 52 weeks. Over these periods (i.e. more than 2 years), no PRM was detected during mite monitoring at two-week intervals via tube traps and visual monitoring. This result therefore suggests that the combined use of appropriate chemical and physical prevention measures within an integrated pest management regime can be successfully used for the long-term control of PRM. This could reduce the use of acaricidal drugs, thereby helping maintain their efficacy.

Design of monitoring system for controlling the Temperature of chicken coops based on Internet of Things by utilizing Thingspeak

Broiler chickens are cattle whose growth is affected by ambient temperature. Inappropriate chicken cage temperatures can affect productivity and cause death in broiler chicken, so setting the cage temperature should be done. The design of this automatic temperature control system used the ESP32 microcontroller as the primary controller, the DHT22 as the enclosure temperature sensor and the ThingSpeak as remote monitoring. The microcontroller shall order if the measured temperature is above the set temperature limit and shall order the LED to light red, if the measured temperature is below the specified temperature limit to light blue, but due to the limitations of the author's LED material uses yellow. The results of the study showed that this automatic chicken coop temperature setting tool can work well to automatically regulate the chicken coop temperature and that the data on the results of this study would be entered into ThingSpeak and printed on the LCD.

Developing an automatic warning system for anomalous chicken dispersion and movement using deep learning and machine learning

Chicken is a major source of dietary protein worldwide. The dispersion and movement of chickens constitute vital indicators of their health and status. This is especially evident in Taiwanese native chickens (TNCs), a local variety which is high in physical activity when healthy. Conventionally, the dispersion and movement of chicken flocks are observed in patrols. However, manual patrolling is laborious and time-consuming. Moreover, frequent patrols increase the risk of carrying pathogens into chicken farms. To address these issues, this study proposes an approach to develop an automatic warning system for anomalous dispersion and movement of chicken flocks in commercial chicken farms. Embendded systems were developed to acquire videos of chickens from overhead view in a chicken house, in which approximately 20,000 TNCs were raised for a period of 10 wk. Each video was 5-min in length. The videos were transmitted to a remote cloud server and were converted into images. A You Only Look Once-version 7 tiny (YOLOv7-tiny) object detection model was trained to detect chickens in the images. The dispersion of the chicken flocks in a 5-min long video was calculated using nearest neighbor index (NNI). The movement of the chicken flocks in a 5-min long video was quantified using simple online and real-time tracking algorithm (SORT). The normal ranges (i.e., 95% confidence intervals) of chicken dispersion and movement were established using an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model and a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average with exogenous factors (SARIMAX) model, respectively. The system allows farmers to check up on the chicken farm only when the dispersion or movement values were not in the normal ranges. Thus, labor time can be saved and the risk of carrying pathogens into chicken farms can be reduced. The trained YOLOv7-tiny model achieved an average precision of 98.2% in chicken detection. SORT achieved a multiple object tracking accuracy of 95.3%. The ARIMA and SARIMAX achieved a mean absolute percentage error 3.71% and 13.39%, respectively, in forecasting dispersion and movement. The proposed approach can serve as a solution for automatic monitoring of anomalous chicken dispersion and movement in chicken farming, alerting farmers of potential health risks and environmental hazards in chicken farms.

Combined 16S and Internal Transcribed Spacer analysis revealed the effect of time on microbial community in animal house

The outbreak of COVID-19 reminds people that aerosols have an important impact on health. The concentration and composition of microbial aerosol in livestock and poultry houses are closely related to the environmental conditions of livestock and poultry houses, and also related to the healthy growth of livestock and poultry. In our study, 16S and ITS sequencing techniques were used to analyze the relation and difference of bacteria and fungi in the air samples of a chicken house. At the age of 7 to 42 d, the operation classification unit (OTU) numbers of bacteria and fungi identified in our results were 2,398 and 986, respectively, of which the shared OTU numbers were 410 and 141, respectively. At the phylum level, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinomycetes were the 3 most abundant bacterial phyla, and Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes were the top 2 phyla in fungi. At the genus level, 7 differential fungal genera were identified, including Debaryomyces, Trichosporon, Wallemia, Aspergillus, Nigrospora, Fusarium, and Vishniacozyma. Compared with other bacterial genera, Lactobacillus, Cetobacterium, and Romboutsia had the highest abundance (more than 5%). The result showed that the Alpha diversity and Beta diversity of fungi were significantly different in different growing periods. However, only Beta diversity showed significant differences among bacteria. In general, the bacterial and fungal diversity of microbial aerosols in the chicken house increased significantly at the age of 7 to 42 d. And the evenness and richness of airborne fungal communities also increased obviously. In a word, we must pay attention to the complex community composition in the chicken house, this is closely related to animal health and the health of surrounding residents. The cooperation and communication between bacteria and fungi in PM2.5 samples provides a new reference to analyze the influence of microbial aerosol.

REALIZATION OF THE TECHNOLOGY OF DUAL USE OF OUTER SPACE CONTROL MEANS

Context. The radar means of outer space control are monofunctional systems, despite their potential multifunctionality. To ensure the effective implementation of target functions, only some of the total number of potential functions are used, other existing functions are not studied and as a result, don’t used. The target functions of most existing domestic and foreign radiolocation stations on space control RLS SC are practically reduced only to the control of space objects in different orbits. The obtained information is not fully used, so the new target doesn’t form. As the history of the development of defense complexes shows, in most industrialized countries there are examples of the use of military developments for civilian purposes (spin-off) and civilian developments for military purposes (spin-on). As a result of these synergy processes emphasis on the strategy of double technologies and double innovation increased. Objective. The aim of the work is to study the possibility of introducing an ionospheric channel into the domestic radar station 5N86 Dnipro (Hen House) and expanding its intended use by using most of its functional systems to implement the ionosphere control function. Method. The paper uses a comparative analysis of the main functional systems and technical characteristics of the 5N86 Dnipro radar and non-coherent scatter radars (PHR) of the global ionosphere control network. Results. The main characteristic features of the RLS 5N86 are analyzed and, taking into account the characteristics of the signals, the possibility of using the multifunctionality of the radar to form a new target function for monitoring outer space is substantiated. From an applied point of view, a number of specific scientific and practical solutions are given, aimed at the realization of dual-purpose technology in the implementation of the ionosphere control function by a radar station - both for solving the problems of increasing the own efficiency and for the interests of fundamental science. It is shown that the creation of new target RLS is based on both the use of already existing systems and the introduction of new ones. The importance of the scientific task on the implementation of the ionosphere control function and the possibility of integrating into the global ionosphere control network is substantiated. Conclusions. The presence of scientific and technical developments and the practical experience of the domestic RLS SC developer makes the new target function realization absolutely realistic. The implementation of the double-purpose technology will ensure an effective solution for both applied and fundamental scientific tasks.

Antimicrobial Effects of Aqueous Extract of Garcinia Kola Nuts on Salmonella Isolates from Chicken Dropping in Southern Taraba, North East, Nigeria

Aim: The onerous threat of antimicrobial resistance to public health highlights the need for continuous research that will discover more potential medicinal plants that possess inhibitory potentials on bacteria especially those with multidrug-resistant qualities. Hence, this study investigated the antibacterial effect of hot and cold aqueous extracts of Garcinia Kola on Salmonella isolates.&#x0D; Study Design: This is experimental research involving fecal sample of chicken.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: This research was carried out in Wukari metropolis.&#x0D; Study Design: Sterile universal containers were used to collect one gram each of chicken fecal samples from domestic chicken coops and dissolved in Buffered Peptone Water to recover injured cell. A loop-full of the sample was streaked on prepared Salmonella-Shigella Agar plates. Suspected isolates were confirmed molecularly using PCR to identify the invA virulent gene from the isolate. Hot and cold water served as a menstruum for extracting bioactive contents from Garcinia Kola. Following evaporation of the crude hot and cold-water extracts, 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, and 2.0 mg of the extract were respectively dissolved into 10 ml of distilled water. The Agar-well diffusion method was used in conducting the antimicrobial susceptibility tests.&#x0D; Results: Significant zone of inhibition (ZIB) of 9 mm, 12 mm and 17 mm was observed for isolates subjected to 0.50 mg-10 ml, 1.00mg-10 ml, and 2.00 mg-10 ml concentrations of cold-water extracts respectively while No zone of Inhibition (NZI) was observed at 0.25 g-10 ml concentrations. For hot water extracts, growth inhibition ranging from 9 mm, 11 mm, 15 mm, and 23 mm was respectively noticed for concentrates of 0.25 mg-10 ml, 0.50 mg-10, 1.00 mg-10 ml, and 2.00 mg-10 ml. Heavy growth persisted for the negative control plate which contained distilled water without extracts. Augmentin 30 µg was used as a positive control (≥31 mm).&#x0D; Conclusion: This research simply has amplified the medicinal importance of the consumption of Garcinia Kola particularly as it relates to the management of gastroenteritis caused by Zoonotic Non-enteric Salmonella. However, the clinical toxicity and safety of the plant need more understanding.

The Hen House Effect: The Negative Repercussions of Working in Women-Only Teams

The Hen House Effect: The Negative Repercussions of Working in Women-Only Teams

First Measurement of Ambient Air Quality on the Rural Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland

Concerns about atmospheric ammonia have been expressed recently by some on the Lower Eastern Shore (LES) of Maryland, which lies between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on the Delmarva peninsula. Agriculture, seafood and tourism are responsible for a significant fraction of the economic activity on the LES. The USDA 2017 census reported there were ~100 Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) raising nearly 63 M chickens per year across Somerset and Worcester Counties. We report air quality data collected from sites near Princess Anne, Somerset County, and near Pocomoke City, Worcester County, to address air quality concerns by examining the influence of chicken farms on ammonia in ambient air on the LES. Within a two-mile radius of the Worcester County site, CAFO operations house ~1.6 million birds. The Princess Anne site is comparable to the Pocomoke City site in agricultural use and population demographics but has only a few chicken houses within two miles. The first 33 months of LES ammonia data are presented, and their significance is discussed relative to other ammonia studies. The 33-month average concentration of ammonia in Pocomoke was 10.3 ± 0.08 ppb, more than double that in Princess Anne, which was 4.7 ± 0.04 ppb.

Strategy to Improve Communication Between Farmers and Companies in The Boiler Chicken Supply Chain

Communication problems are still the main thing in carrying out the company's strategy. This is a challenge for farmers to build good relationships and relationships with partners who are partners in cooperation in the livestock sector. There is no research related to the relationship between companies and companies in Central Java and qualitative research, so it is necessary to conduct this research So this study also analyzes what is carried out where companies must have character, trust (with mutual trust), open communication, be fair and dare to take risks. Therefore, this study aims to fill the gap / gap of previous research related to the topics previously described. The research method used is qualitative research method. This research approach uses phenomenological methods. The study was conducted in the close farm area of broiler chickens spread across Central Java and samples of 7 chicken coops to represent the Central Java area. Based on the experience of 7 Saorce Person, the majority of decisions to cooperate with companies are due to direct interaction communication from the company (Interactive Communication). Communication is carried out formally at the cooperation agreement stage at the beginning before joining the partnership. When there is a problem during the cooperation period, the majority of farmers understand and seek solutions together with the company. The beliefs of each resource person vary based on each individual's experience. There are resource persons who believe in the company because of the company's image, trust the company because of closeness or Personal Bound with Area managers / Supervisors / Staff.

Effects and control mechanisms of ammonia, particulate matters and aerosol bacterial compositions in poultry houses by spray technology

Spray technology is an efficacious method to improve the indoor environments of poultry houses. In this study, two kind intensive enclosed poultry houses are sprayed with different spray additives in order to explore the effects and control mechanisms of spray processes on ammonia, particulate matters and aerosol bacterial compositions and investigate the fecal contributions to aerosol bacteria. The results show that the ammonia elimination rates through spray treatment by tap water (TP treatment), by EM microbial agent (EM treatment) or by glutaraldehyde-decamethonium bromide solution (HX treatment) are 67.0%, 85.4% and 96.9% in brood hen house and 60.7%, 76.0% and 94.8% in laying houses. The reductions of ammonia are mainly due to the decreased pH values caused by the increased Lactobacillus in chicken manure rather than the effects of aerosols after spraying. Spray processes reduce the contents of particulate matters while increase the proportions of PM10 and PM2.5 in TSP. The aerosol bacterial compositions after spraying alter mildly. Humidity is the main physicochemical factor leading to the variations of core bacteria in aerosols. The fecal transmission is the major source of aerosol bacteria in poultry houses and the spray processes merely present a relatively small impact on the fecal contribution to aerosol bacteria. The findings are conductive to optimize the breeding environment, enhance the ability of disease prevention and finally achieve the green and efficient cultivation.

Implementation of PLC Outseal as a Controller of Ammonia Gas Circulation in Chicken Coops with HMI Modbus Monitoring

Indonesia's population in 2022 is recorded at 275,361,267 people, significantly increasing per year which has resulted in an increase in food needs in the chicken meat sector, the high interest in chicken meat has not been accompanied by appropriate technology, this has made the quantity and quality of chicken breeders often experience crop failures the application of system technology for controlling and monitoring air quality in chicken coops based on PLC Outseal for ammonia gas is a technology used to reduce the death rate of chickens due to poisoning by ammonia gas produced from the chicken manure itself. The technology applied to chicken farms uses the Outseal PLC microcontroller as the design brain, Arduino nano as a sensor data storage communication, the MQ135 air quality detector by checking ammonia gas levels, monitoring through the HMI Modbus software on a bluetooth connection with control on a smartphone and removing dirty air by blowers. The parameter limit for the value of ammonia gas in the chicken coop is 20 – 40 ppm. The test result that the value of the ammonia gas content in the farm is above the specified value, the condition of the cage is excess ammonia gas and the automatic actuator functions to remove ammonia gas until the ammonia gas level value returns to normal.

We’re in the middle of it: Consultants' role in risk management in the Norwegian petroleum sector

Most risk management research focuses on owner/operators and regulators, and ignores other actors. Preventing major accidents in the offshore oil and gas sector is a key responsibility of the companies that own and operate the infrastructure. Regulatory oversight of their activities comes in the form of industry-specific goal-based regulation administered by a specialist regulatory agency. In this paper we focus on a third actor in the system – the consultants who provide specialist services regarding safety and risk.Our study draws on interviews with experienced consultants in the Norwegian oil and gas sector (n = 11, average experience 20+ years). Power’s concept of riskwork is used to examine how consultants interact with their clients and how they see their role in relation to risk management. The analysis shows that the role of experienced consultants goes well beyond metaphor of the fox guarding the hen house. Rather, consultants contribute to regulatory compliance on the part of their clients but, further, they try to positively influence decision makers beyond simple compliance in order to promote what they believe to be the best safety decision making.The paper argues that consultants’ role in the system is under examined and under theorized. Alongside earlier research, our study indicates that consultants play a big role in risk management, which should be both recognized and scrutinized.

Molecular Characterization of Salmonella Species Isolated from Animal Sources in Southern-Taraba State, North-East Nigeria

Aims: The purpose of this research was to detect the Salmonella invA gene from chicken’s droppings in Southern Taraba, North East Nigeria. The invasive “invA” gene facilitates the invasion of epithelial cells by Salmonella isolates.&#x0D; Study Design: This study is experimental research involving ninety-eight (98) Salmonella isolates from chicken droppings in poultry farms and domestic chicken coops.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: This research was carried out in Wukari, Donga, Ibi and Takum towns in Southern Taraba, North East Nigeria between November 2021 and May 2023. A total of 400 (Donga,100; Wukari, 100; Ibi, 100 and Takum, 100) Chicken droppings were collected from 40&#x0D; (Donga, 10; Wukari, 10; Ibi, 10 and Takum, 10) small-scale poultry farms, and 100 (Donga, 25; Wukari, 25; Ibi, 25 and Takum, 25) Chicken droppings were sampled from 20 (Donga, 5; Wukari, 5; Ibi, 5 and Takum 5) domestic chicken coops and analyzed.&#x0D; Methodology: Using standard microbiological techniques, Salmonella Shigella Agar (SSA) was used to confirm and validate 98 (Wukari; 36, Donga; 19, Ibi; 27, and Takum; 16) Salmonella isolates from stock culture. Isolates were further subjected to biochemical analysis. Boiling technique was used to extract the DNA of the 98 isolates. Salmonella invA gene amplification process was done using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Electrophoresis was done using agarose gel, and DNA band patterns were visualized with the aid of ultraviolent light (UV) showing different patterns and interpreted with the 100 bp DNA ladder.&#x0D; Results: The results of this study indicate that the invA gene was detected in 80.6% (Wukari; 86.1%, Donga; 68.5%, Ibi;85.2%, and Takum; 75%) of the 98 Salmonella isolates with an amplicon size of 284bp. This finding implies that 19 isolates which did not show the targeted band are not invasive, and even if they are, other invasive genes may be liable.&#x0D; Conclusion: The detection of the invasive invA invasive gene from Salmonella isolates from the fecal droppings of apparently healthy chickens from poultry farms and domestic chicken coops is really of great concern to public health. Unless a proper hygienic protocol and biosecurity measures are strictly adhered to where applicable in food processing chain, Salmonella isolates harboring the invA traits could be opportunistically invasive among immunocompromised individuals and children.

VARIABILITAS KANDUNGAN C-ORGANIK PADA TANAH ULTISOL YANG DIBERI BERBAGAI JENIS BAHAN ORGANIK UNTUK PERTUMBUHAN TANAMAN SAWI

Ultisol is a potential acid mineral soil for the development of agricultural crops with an area of 45.8 million hectares, but has problems of soil acidity, low content of C-Organic, nitrogen, phosphate and potassium, but this can be overcome by applying fertilizers. This study aims to determine the effect of various types of organic matter on C-Organic and the growth of mustard greens. This research was conducted on Field II of the Faculty of Agriculture, and sample analysis was carried out at UPT. Halu Oleo University Integrated Laboratory.The study used a randomized block design (RBD) consisting of 9 treatments, namely TB = without organic matter, SI = cow manure 75 g polybag-1, SII = cow manure 150 g polybag-1, AI = chicken manure 75 g polybag -1, AII = chicken manure 150 g polybag-1 , KI = goat manure 75 g polybag-1 , KII = goat manure 150 g polybag-1 , HI = compost vegetation komba-komba 75 g polybag-1 , HII = komba-komba vegetation compost 150 g polybag-1.The results showed that the provision of various types of organic matter was 0.62%. As for the results after administration of various types of organic matter with various concentrations continued to decrease successively in the treatment TB, SI, SII, AI, AII, KI, KII, HI, namely 0.26%, 0.28%, 0, 32%, 0.34%, 0.40%, 0.52%, 0.54%, 0.60%, and after that there was an increase in the HII treatment, 0.78%, with a dose of 150 grams. Application of cow manure, chicken coop, goat coop, and komba-komba vegetation compost had an effect on the height of the mustard plants. Keywords : C-Organic, Mustard Plant, Ultisol.

Study on Low Temperature Drying Characteristics of Chicken Manure in a Humid Environment

Drying chicken manure with exhaust air from a chicken house is a new manure management method developed in recent years. The majority of the heat for this drying method comes from the waste heat of ventilation in a poultry house or ambient air, so the drying process is carried out at a low temperature. When met with continuous rain or when the wet curtain in the chicken house is turned on, the relative humidity of the exhaust air from the chicken house will rise to high levels, and the drying process will be under the condition of high relative humidity. In order to explore the low-temperature drying characteristics of chicken manure in a humid environment, drying experiments were carried out in an experimental cross-flow drying system. The experiment mainly studied the effect of process parameters such as drying temperature, air velocity, and manure layer thickness on the low-temperature drying characteristics of chicken manure in a humid environment. The results showed that the low-temperature drying process of chicken manure in a humid environment only had a falling rate period, with no accelerated or constant rate period. Additionally, five common thin-layer drying models (Lewis model, Page model, Henderson and Pabis model, Wang and Singh model, and Exponential model) were applied to simulate the performance of the manure drying process. The exponential model was considered to be more suitable for describing the low temperature drying process in a humid environment, and the effective diffusivity changed between 6.37 × 10−7 and 2.17 × 10−6 m2/h.

Economic and environmental assessment of U.S. broiler production: opportunities to improve sustainability

The United States is the largest broiler producer in the world, and Americans consume about 45 kg of chicken per capita per year, which generates substantial economic and environmental footprints. We conduct techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment (TEA/LCA) to evaluate the sustainability performance of the U.S. broiler industry and quantify the cost, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy, water, land, fertilizer, and respiratory impacts of 7 broiler production scenarios for a contract Grower, Integrator, and Combined control volume. The assessment is a farm-gate to farm-gate analysis that includes capital cost of chicken houses, labor, chicks brought into the farm, feeds, on-site fuels, and on-site emissions. We found that economics for the Integrator are profitable and dominated by the cost of corn and soybean meal feeds, payments to the Grower, and revenue from live broilers. Additionally, we found that economics for the Grower generate modest return on investment (ROI) largely based on the cost of houses and labor when compared to contract revenue from the Integrator. Environmental impacts for GHG, energy, and respiratory effects are primarily associated with upstream feed production (roughly 65%-80% of total impacts) and on-site fuel consumption (∼20%-35% of total impacts), while those for water, land, and eutrophication are almost entirely attributable to upstream feed production (litter spreading has a low economic allocation factor). Tradeoffs among sustainability metrics are further explored with a sensitivity analysis and by evaluating cost/environmental benefit scenarios.