This document discusses environmentally controlled houses (ECH) for poultry production. ECH allows precise control over factors like temperature, humidity, ventilation and lighting. This improves flock performance and productivity compared to conventional housing. Key features of ECH include mechanical ventilation systems, supplemental heating and cooling, automated feeding and watering, and lighting programs to control the indoor environment. ECH enables year-round production with seven flocks per year, faster growth, better feed efficiency and lower disease incidence compared to conventional housing.

1. Environmentally Controlled House
(ECH)
in Poultry Production
Presented By-
Dr. Rajesh K. Yadav
MVSc. Scholar
( DEPARTMENT OF LPM )

2. FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PRODUCTION
Poultry
production
Genetic
Nutrition
Environment

3. ENVIRONMENT
Environment
Internal
environment
External
environmen
t
 The environment has a great bearing on flock
performance and profitability.
• The basic environment consists of feed, lighting, air,
temperature, humidity, pathogen concentration
, ammonia, water, and litter quality.

4. BIRDS ARE HOMEOTHERMIC
 Birds regulate body temperature by-
Feathers
Air sacs
Panting

5. • Thermoneutral zone is a range of temperatures at which an
animal does not have to actively regulate body temperature.
• The poultry thermal comfort zone, or thermoneutrality,
depends on species and age, with younger birds responding
better to warmer temperatures.
• Poultry feed conversion deteriorates when temperature outside
the recommended comfort zone.
• Bird produce heat that must be lost to the environment to
maintain constant body temperatures.

7. Effectively
managing
environment

8. ENVIRONMENT- CONTROLLED HOUSE
Environment controlled house is
closed house in which ventilation,
temperature, humidity and light are
controlled for the optimum
requirement of birds.
Automatic feeding and drinking
system.
Longitudinal axis: East to West
Width of house: 40-50 feet

9. STANDARD TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE
HUMIDITY IN ECH
First Day 1st week 2nd week 3rd week 4th week
32-34°C 30°C 26°C 22°C 20°C
The ideal relative humidity for poultry is 60-80%.
The recommended temperatures are:
The ideal air Composition are:
CO CO2 NH3 H2S SO2
0
<2500 ppm = 0.25
VOL%
<25 ppm = 0.0025
VOL%
0 0

10. CONTROL OVER MICRO-
ENVIRONMENT
Control over micro environment can be
achieved by
By completely
eliminating
macro
environment
contact with the
house.
This can be
achieved only by
completely
enclosed from
outside
inclimental
weather
conditions.
Hence
environment
inside house is in
our control,
hence this is
when the
concept has
arisen.

11. VENTILATION
Moving FRESH AIR INTO a house and
moving STALE AIR OUT of the house
Sending UNWANTED heat, EXCESS
moisture & Ammonia OUT of the house
Limiting the buildup of HARMFUL
GASES
Providing OXYGEN for respiration

12. TYPES OF VENTILATION
Ventilation
Exhaust/negative
pressure ventilation
Pressurised/positive
pressure ventilation

13. NEGATIVE-PRESSURE
VENTILATION
 Negative-pressure ventilation creates a partial vacuum
that pulls air into the house evenly through all inlets,
creating more uniform conditions in the house.
Dhia Ahmed. (2015)

14. TYPES OF NEGATIVE-PRESSURE
VENTILATION

15. MINIMUM /CROSS VENTILATION
 The goal of minimum ventilation is to bring air in evenly and
at high velocity through inlets spaced around the house above
bird level, so that cold outside air mixes with in-house air.
 This airflow pattern prevents cold outside air from dropping
onto the birds.

16. TRANSITIONAL VENTILATION
 The transitional ventilation mode begins whenever
temperature sensors override the minimum ventilation
timer.
 Operate when heat removal requires a higher air exchange
rate than the minimum ventilation
 Some of the tunnel fans can be used to bring large
amounts of air in through perimeter inlets, as in “hybrid”
transitional mode, without putting air directly on the
birds.
Donald, Jim. "Managing transitional ventilation." Poultry Ventilation Pointers factsheet series, Auburn University, Auburn AL

17. TUNNEL VENTILATION
 The fresh air is »pulled« through the house in
longitudinal direction by means of high-performance
fans. This is a so-called displacement ventilation at
minimum energy consumption.
Bucklin et.al. (2009)

18. MECHANICAL VENTILATION
SYSTEM IN ECH
• Control the amount of air exchange
• Have an impact on the air distribution and
mixing
Fans and
openings
• Provide supplemental heat to maintain desired
indoor temperatures during cold weather and
when chickens are too small or young
Heaters
• Needed to adjust ventilating rates,
supplemental heating rates, and the air
velocity rates
Controls

19. FANS
 Fans are used in mechanical ventilating systems to supply the
energy needed to exchange the desired amount of air in a poultry
house each minute

20. OPENINGS/ AIR INLETS
 The functions of air inlets are to provide fresh air
throughout the building, control direction of airflow,
and maintain sufficient inlet air velocity

21. COOLING THE HOUSE

22. COOLING OF THE HOUSE
.Pad –and- fan system: Exhaust fans in the house draw
incoming air through a wet pad where the evaporation of
moisture from the pad reduces the temp. of incoming air.
•Low pressure fogging system: Fogging nozzle that
operate at regular water pressure are installed
throughout the house or over the birds in the cages.

23. CONT….
. Fog and fan system: Here coming air is drawn through a
hood in which high pressure foggers have been installed. As
the air drawn through the fog, its temp. reduced.
. High pressure nozzel system: Fogging works best in
dry climates, and usually involves several rows of high-
pressure nozzles that release a fine mist throughout the
house. This converts the liquid phase to vapour phase..

24. Heaters
• Supplemental heat is usually needed in naturally ventilated
grower houses to maintain desired indoor temperatures during
cold weather.
• Different types of heaters are used for supplemental heating in
poultry houses including radiant, space, and make-up air
heaters.
HEATING SYSTEM OF ECH
• Supplemental heat is usually needed in naturally ventilated
grower houses to maintain desired indoor temperatures during
cold weather.
• Different types of heaters are used for supplemental heating in
poultry houses including radiant, space, and make-up air
heaters.

25. FEEDING SYSTEM IN ECH
 A feeding control system requires to know
when to turn the feeders on and off.
 Same amount of feed to be available at all
locations along the feeder.
 Feed monitoring systems are available to
measure the amount of feed consumed by bird.

26. DRINKING SYSTEM IN ECH
 There are 2400 nipples for 30,000 broilers which
means as there are 12.5 birds/nipple.
Carpenter et.al.1992

27. LIGHTING MANAGEMENT IN ECH
 A monitoring and control system
should provide scheduling of lights
 Lightning layers:
 Intensity – 0.5-1 fc
 Duration – 21-23 h (1&2 days)
-15-16 h (during laying period)
 Lightening the broilers:
 Intensity- 1-2 fc (1-3 days)
-0.5-1 fc (until processed)
 Duration – 20-23 h (1-2 days)
-18-20 h(until processed)
(Olanrewaju, H. A., et.al.
2006)

28. FARM EQUIPMENTS IN ECH
 Pan Feeding System
 Spark Nipple Drinking System
 Evaporative Cooling Pads
 Exhaust Fans (Box / Cone)
 Variable speed fans (or Small Exhaust Fans)
 Air Inlets (Vents)
 Controller
 Diesel/Gas heater
 Generator

29. COMPARATIVE EFFICIENCY OF
ECH OVER COH
 ECH maintains the uniform temperature round the clock
 In ECH per year more no. of flocks (7) are marketed as
compared to COH (4-5)
 Fast and uniform growth rate in ECH
 Better FCR in ECH
 Efficient utilization of manpower poultry farming
 Incidence of disease and mortality lower in ECH

30. CONCLUSIONS
 The modern trend of environmentally control houses
(ECH) in poultry production has brought a great
revolution in poultry industry in the recent years.
 ECH has solved the biggest problem for poultry
production in extreme climatic conditions around the
globe
 ECH is beneficial for commercial large poultry farms

31.  .
REFERENCES
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 Carpenter, G. H., et al. "Effects of two nipple drinker types with different flow
rates on the productive performance of broiler chickens during summerlike
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 Rodriguez, Rafael M. Experimental Evaluation of Cooling Effectiveness and
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University of South Florida, 2017.
 Xin, Hongwei, et al. "Temperature and humidity profiles of broiler houses with
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in Agriculture 10.4 (1994): 535-542

32. CONT…
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