Sept. 9, 1997
Researchers at North Carolina State University are investigating a system for raising broiler chickens that could increase the number of birds raised in a single house, reduce the work load for poultry farmers and improve the environment in broiler houses.
The Broiler-Matic Broiler Cage System allows farmers to "stack" broilers in decks of cages, increasing the number of birds that can be housed in one facility. Under each deck of cages is a conveyer belt where manure collects and dries. The belt can be automatically cleaned, and manure removed regularly from the house.
The Broiler-Matic System is being tested extensively in Europe and other international markets, and N.C. State's unit is the first of its kind in the United States. The equipment was donated to N.C. State by the Josef Kuhlman Co., Baer, Germany, through the distributer, Farmer Automatic of America, Register, Ga., and is part of the research effort by N.C. State's Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center.
In the U.S., broilers are usually raised in open houses with wood shavings on the floor. Litter from the broiler houses generally is removed once a year, but the presence of litter often leads to flies, litter beetles, rodents and ammonia, all of which can contribute to the spread of disease and reduced performance among the birds.
The automated conveyer belt system allows poultry farmers to remove manure as needed. At the N.C. State facility, one row of cages relies on an additional manure-drying belt to dry the manure to a low moisture content, and two other rows rely on air flow from upward-blowing ceiling fans to dry manure.
When cleaning time comes, the coated-surface plastic belt is moved forward, and manure is deposited into a cross-auger, which removes it from the broiler house into a spreader or storage bin. Drying the manure minimizes odors and ammonia, eliminates fly and beetle breeding and allows manure to be collected in a form that can easily be managed.
N.C. State poultry science researchers want to explore a number of issues surrounding this system to determine if the cost savings of this equipment could offset the expense of installing it. "We want to look at the economics to see if this is feasible," said Dr. Carmen Parkhurst, professor of poultry science. "We think it has possibilities."
Parkhurst estimates that an average broiler cage house will accommodate 2½ to 3 times the number of birds housed in a conventional house. A computerized feeding and watering system that adjusts to the birds' age should reduce labor costs. There will be less dust in the houses, and by eliminating the birds' contact with manure, Parkhurst predicts a higher growth rate among broilers raised in this system.
At the test facility at the N.C. State Poultry Education Unit, the air inside the broiler house is cooled in hot weather through the use of cooling pads. Water drips through a large mass of coated cardboard coils, and air blown into the house across the wet coils drops the temperature by 8 to 10 degrees, Parkhurst said. Although not used in commercial broiler houses, the cooling pads should allow even Southeastern farmers to keep broiler house temperatures an optimum 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the hottest summers.
The floor of the broiler cages is made of a plastic-coated nylon mesh that is comfortable to the birds' feet and separates them from the manure-collecting conveyer belt below. The floor also helps to eliminate the tedious task of chasing and catching the birds when it is time to ship them to market. The mesh floor can be pulled aside, allowing the birds to drop onto the belt below.
The motion of the conveyer belt causes the birds to sit, so they can be easily collected at the end of the ride and put into cages for transport. Labor associated with loading out such a facility will be greatly simplified and reduced.
-- Natalie Hampton 9-9-97 --