Balancing Air Quality in Poultry Houses: Tackling Ammonia and Humidity for Health and Productivity

Dr. Pawar Rutik Namdev1 (MVSc Scholar), Dr. Shipra Tiwari1 (MVSc Scholar),
Dr. Mahendra Kumar Patel1 (Ph.D Scholar)
1College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, DUVASU Mathura (281001), India

Abstract
The environment within poultry houses plays a decisive role in the overall health, performance, and welfare of birds. Among various factors, the concentration of ammonia (NH₃) and the level of relative humidity (RH) are the most critical. Ammonia, released from the microbial breakdown of waste, and excessive humidity, which influences litter moisture, often work together to create poor air quality. This review highlights how these two factors are produced, their combined impact on broilers and layers, and outlines practical approaches for monitoring and management to maintain profitability and bird well-being.

1. Introduction
For poultry farmers, achieving optimal productivity requires not just good feed and genetics, but also maintaining a favorable environment inside the house. Air quality, ventilation, and litter condition all directly affect flock health. Ammonia gas and humidity levels are particularly important, as they can significantly influence bird growth, egg production, immune strength, and overall welfare. Excessive ammonia harms the respiratory tract, reduces feed intake, and lowers growth efficiency, while uncontrolled humidity leads to wet litter, higher ammonia emissions, and disease outbreaks. To ensure healthy flocks, ammonia should ideally be kept below 20–25 ppm and RH within 50–70%.

2. How Ammonia and Humidity Build Up
2.1 Generation of Ammonia
Ammonia is created naturally when uric acid in droppings is decomposed by bacteria. The process is intensified under warm, moist, and alkaline conditions. The type of litter material, stocking density, feed composition (especially protein levels), and frequency of manure removal all influence ammonia levels. Houses with poor cleaning routines or high moisture accumulation often experience higher NH₃ concentrations.

2.2 Role of Humidity
Humidity directly controls litter moisture content. High RH slows the evaporation of water from bedding, resulting in wet litter that promotes microbial activity and ammonia release. Conversely, very low RH increases dust particles in the air, which irritates the birds’ airways. Thus, moisture management is closely tied to controlling ammonia levels.

3. Impacts on Bird Health and Physiology
3.1 Respiratory Effects
Ammonia acts as a strong irritant to the respiratory tract. Continuous exposure damages the trachea and air sacs, reducing the ability of cilia to filter pathogens. Birds exposed to more than 20–25 ppm are more prone to respiratory diseases such as Newcastle, bronchitis, and Mycoplasma infections. Vaccination responses also tend to decline.

3.2 Eye and Skin Irritation
Chronic exposure to ammonia causes conjunctivitis, watery eyes, and corneal damage. High RH contributes to wet litter that leads to footpad dermatitis, hock burns, and breast blisters—all of which compromise welfare and reduce carcass quality at processing.

3.3 Growth and Feed Efficiency
High levels of ammonia reduce appetite, slow weight gain, and impair feed conversion. Even a small increase in feed conversion ratio (FCR) significantly raises production costs, especially in large flocks. Performance losses become severe when ammonia concentrations exceed 50 ppm for prolonged periods.

3.4 Immunity
Birds raised in poor air quality often show weaker immune responses. Prolonged exposure to ammonia not only stresses birds but also reduces antibody production after vaccination, leaving them vulnerable to disease outbreaks.

3.5 Egg Production
In layer flocks, poor litter conditions and elevated ammonia cause stress, leading to reduced laying rates, smaller egg size, and poor shell quality. Mortality may also rise due to an increased risk of secondary infections.

4. The Combined Impact of Ammonia and Humidity
Although ammonia and humidity can each harm poultry, their combination is especially damaging. High RH makes litter wetter, which in turn boosts ammonia emissions. Humid air also traps ammonia at bird level, ensuring birds inhale more of it. Together, these conditions encourage respiratory infections, coccidiosis outbreaks, poor weight gain, higher mortality, and overall production losses.

5. Monitoring Levels
5.1 Threshold Values
Ammonia: Should remain below 20–25 ppm (ideally closer to 10 ppm). Birds show signs of irritation even at levels humans may not detect by smell.

Relative Humidity: Best maintained between 50–70%. RH above 75% promotes wet litter, while RH below 40% leads to dust and dehydration.

5.2 Measurement Tools
Ammonia: Can be monitored using portable gas detectors, color tubes, or continuous electronic sensors.
Humidity: Inexpensive hygrometers placed at bird height provide reliable readings and are often integrated into automatic ventilation systems.

6. Strategies for Control
6.1 Ventilation
Proper ventilation ensures air exchange, dilutes gases, and removes excess moisture.

In cold weather: minimum ventilation prevents humidity build-up without chilling the birds. fans and circulation systems increase air movement and reduce heat stress.

6.2 Litter Management
Maintaining dry litter is essential. Turning litter, replacing wet spots, using absorbent bedding materials, and preventing drinker leaks are key practices. Chemical litter amendments such as alum or sodium bisulfate can reduce pH, minimizing ammonia release.

6.3 Nutrition
Adjusting feed formulations to match amino acid requirements reduces nitrogen excretion. Enzyme supplements and probiotics may also improve digestion and reduce ammonia in manure.

6.4 Housing Design
Well-insulated poultry houses with good drainage and properly installed nipple drinkers minimize litter moisture. Preventing condensation on walls and ceilings also helps keep humidity under control.

6.5 Advanced Methods
Technologies like air scrubbers, biofilters, or controlled ozone applications are being tested for large commercial units. Automated environmental control systems that integrate NH₃ and RH sensors with fans and heaters are becoming increasingly popular.

7. Economic Importance
Poor air quality silently eats into farm profits. Lower feed efficiency, reduced weight gain, carcass downgrades, increased mortality, and higher veterinary costs all add up to significant economic losses. Studies show that ammonia-related performance drops can cost large poultry complexes thousands of dollars weekly. Investing in better litter management, ventilation, and nutritional adjustments often proves cost-effective in the long run.

8. Evidence and Case Studies
Field surveys often reveal ammonia exceeding safe levels during winter when ventilation is minimized, leading to higher respiratory issues and welfare concerns. Controlled trials consistently show that birds exposed to even moderate ammonia (20–30 ppm) suffer from lower growth rates, poorer immune response, and more lesions compared to those raised under optimal conditions. Interventions such as litter acidifiers, improved diet formulations, and enhanced ventilation schedules have been shown to significantly reduce ammonia emissions and improve performance.

9. Recommendations for Farmers
– Check RH daily: maintain between 50–70%.
– Monitor ammonia regularly: aim for <20 ppm.
– Fix water leaks immediately to avoid wet litter.
– Adjust ventilation by season to balance temperature, RH, and air quality.
– Work with a nutritionist to optimize protein levels in diets.
– Use litter amendments wisely to reduce ammonia emissions.

10. Future Outlook
The integration of smart sensors and artificial intelligence into poultry housing systems may soon allow farmers to predict ammonia build-up and adjust ventilation automatically. Further research is needed to quantify the long-term welfare and production benefits of advanced technologies and to make them affordable for small- and medium-scale farmers.

11. Conclusion
Ammonia and humidity are closely linked environmental challenges in poultry houses. Both negatively affect bird health, welfare, and productivity when not controlled. Together, they magnify each other’s harmful effects, resulting in economic losses and compromised flock performance. Regular monitoring, proactive litter and ventilation management, balanced nutrition, and modern environmental control tools are essential for maintaining a healthy environment. Addressing these issues not only supports profitability but also improves animal welfare, ensuring sustainable poultry production.

In today’s poultry industry, two factors play a decisive role in ensuring profitable, sustainable, and disease-free production:

Water Treatment and Biosecurity.
Together, they safeguard flock health, enhance performance, and reduce dependence on antibiotics.

1. Water Treatment in Poultry
Water is often called the “forgotten nutrient,” yet it is the most critical element in poultry production. Birds consume twice as much water as feed, and any compromise in water quality directly impacts growth, egg production, and immunity.

Key Challenges in Water Quality
– Microbial contamination: Bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella spread through untreated water.
– Biofilm formation: Organic residues in pipelines harbor pathogens.
– Chemical impurities: High TDS, hardness, iron, or nitrates affect digestion and performance.
– pH imbalance: Acidic or alkaline water reduces feed intake. Water Treatment Practices
– Filtration to remove physical impurities.
– Acidification to maintain pH (5.5–6.5) and inhibit bacterial growth.
– Chlorination / Hydrogen Peroxide / Ozone for disinfection.
– Regular waterline flushing to prevent biofilm buildup.
– Monitoring TDS, hardness, and microbial load routinely.

2. Biosecurity in Poultry
Biosecurity means preventing disease entry and spread on the farm. With rising concerns about Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and the push toward antibiotic-free production, biosecurity has become more important than ever.

Three Levels of Biosecurity
1. Conceptual Biosecurity – Farm location, distance from other poultry units, controlled entry points.
2. Structural Biosecurity – Physical barriers, fencing, bird-proof sheds, water sanitation system.
3. Operational Biosecurity – Day-to-day practices like disinfection, vaccination, and visitor control.

Practical Biosecurity Measures
– Restrict farm access (only authorized persons allowed).
– Provide footbaths, hand sanitizers, and farm clothing.
– Disinfect vehicles, crates, and equipment before entry.
– Implement rodent and wild bird control programs.
– Maintain strict mortality disposal methods (incineration/composting).
– Regular vaccination and health monitoring.
– Keep detailed farm records for traceability.

3. Water Treatment + Biosecurity = Sustainable Poultry
While water treatment ensures internal health and performance, biosecurity provides external protection from infections. Both are complementary and essential.
– Clean water reduces gut-related diseases like colibacillosis and diarrhoea.
– Biosecurity reduces the risk of respiratory and viral infections.
– Together, they help in antibiotic-free poultry production, improve FCR (Feed Conversion Ratio), enhance bird welfare, and boost farmer profitability.

Water Quality Monitoring & Water-Borne Diseases in Poultry

Diagram shows that, the source of water we need to check, Ph, TDS, COLOUR, BACTERIA & VIRAL LOAD. This water will go to overhead tank & from there it will distribute to different Poultry shed tanks & through pipe & nipple it will available for birds, here we need to monitor the quality of water.

Importance of Water Sanitation in Poultry Production
In modern poultry production, the use of feed additives such as water and feed acidifiers, toxin binders, probiotics, and antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) is a common recommendation by poultry nutritionists. Farmers are also increasingly incorporating low-cost protein sources like Rice DDGS, Maize DDGS, and Meat Meal (sometimes adulterated with leather powder) to reduce feed costs.

However, ignoring water sanitation remains one of the most critical mistakes in poultry farming. Even with balanced feed formulation and additives, if the water provided to the birds is contaminated, it results in:
• Loose droppings due to microbial contamination.
• Poor nutrient absorption – birds fail to utilize protein, energy, minerals, and vitamins in the diet.
• Increased incidence of diseases such as E. coli infections and Salpingitis.
• Weakened immunity and consequently poor production performance.

In contrast, a farm with proper water sanitation shows remarkable differences. For example, in one of my ideally managed farms, the birds consistently showed dry droppings (“DRY BEAT”), a clear indicator of good gut health and proper nutrient absorption. This success was achieved through:
• Regular water sanitation practices (disinfection, acidification, and monitoring).
• Ensuring feed hygiene along with the use of safe, food-grade raw materials.
• Strict biosecurity and management protocols.

Safe Water Treatment – A Farmer’s Responsibility

Many farmers currently use different chemicals such as chlorine gas, bleaching powder, and sodium hypochlorite for water treatment. They are not safe for poultry or humans. These compounds often leave harmful residues, alter water taste, reduce consumption, and may even add toxic by-products into the water. According to WHO guidelines, only food and pharmaceutical grade salt should be used for drinking water treatment — both for humans and poultry. The safest and globally recommended option is NaDCC (Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate), which ensures:
• Broad spectrum disinfection with very effective bacterial control
• Safe for poultry & human consumption
• No significant change in taste or odour
• Eco-friendly & easy handling
• Stable and longer shelf life compared to other chlorine sources

Using sub-standard chemicals not only compromises poultry performance (loose droppings, poor nutrient absorption, higher
disease load, chlorine toxicity) but also risks human food safety through residues in meat and eggs.
Key Impact: Farmers must understand that safe water treatment is not about the cheapest chemical, but about using WHO- recommended, food & pharma grade NaDCC for long-term health, productivity, and profitability.

Note: Why NaDCC (Food & Pharma Grade) is Always Better.

Among all the available chlorine-base compounds for water sanitation, Food & Pharma grade Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) is the safest and most effective choice.

• WHO Recommended – Approved for safe drinking water treatment globally.
• Broad Spectrum Effectiveness – Provides strong and stable disinfection (48 hours’ stability).
• Safe for Birds & Humans – No harmful residues, no significant change in taste or odor.
• Eco-Friendly – No toxic by-products or sludge formation.
• Long Shelf Life – Up to 3 years, with easy effervescent tablet formulation.
• Ease of Use – Simple handling, no heavy cylinders or high manpower required.
• Therefore, NaDCC (Food & Pharma Grade) is always better than chlorine gas, bleaching powder, sodium hypochlorite, or halozone for ensuring Zero-Bacteria Water in poultry Farms.

Conclusion
In poultry management, prevention is always better than cure. Poultry farming success is not just about what we feed the birds, but also about the quality of water they drink every single day. Feed can be fortified, sheds can be modernized, but without clean water and strict sanitation, the full genetic potential of the flock can never be realized. Water is the simplest yet most powerful tool to secure healthy birds, higher productivity, and long-term profitability. Water treatment and biosecurity are not costs but investments that return multiple benefits in productivity, profitability, and sustainability.

What is Stress?
• Stress is a state of worry caused by a difficult situation, a natural response to address challenges & threats in life. Stress is a situation just opposite to Comfort
• Chicken has a limited amount of stored up resources to help adapt to unstable conditions, a challenge or a threat. As long as the challenges are within tolerable limits, chicken manages through its reserves, adjust to the situation & come out with little/no damage
• Stress is the situation when these challenges are more intense or greater numbers, resulting a serious chemical, physical & psychological changes in chicken with harmful consequence

Picture 1
Development stages of Stress in Chicken
– The 3 stages of Stress are ALARM, ADAPTATION & EXHAUSTION
– The first stage is Alarm, a short neurological stage. It is the ‘fright or flight’ reaction based on adrenalin release which triggers the release of glucose into the blood & helps the bird prepare to power to escape
– Adaption is next, where hormones are released to control the long-term effects of stress as they adjust to the new changes in their environment. There may be elevated cortisone levels in the blood, which arrange release of glucose from the body’s reserves of carbohydrates, proteins & fats to help the bird to adjust to the stressor. Diseases associated with long term stress, like diseases of heart, digestive system, metabolic imbalances and susceptibility to disease, are all attributed to high corticosteroid production in managing long term stress.
– The third stage, Exhaustion occurs when chicken does not recover from the stressor, its body reserves depleted, and the normal metabolic function fails with death of the bird.

Once chicken is exposed to stress, it results in immunological or metabolic consequences as below:
– Regression of immune organs/systems leads to Suppressed immune function & increased disease susceptibility
– Reduction of the oxidative metabolic capacity of mitochondria
– Deficit of antioxidant reserves
– Changes in the activity of antioxidant enzymes

Types of Stress in Chicken
– Noticeable Stress
– Disease
– Environment; Heat Stress, Winter Chilling, High Speed Wind (Cyclone), Poor Ventilation
– Starvation or Drinking Water shortage
– Debeaking

– Non-Noticeable Stress
• High performance; rapid growth and peak egg production
• Overcrowding
• Mycotoxin
• Endotoxin
• Wet Litter
• Litter Ammonia
• Poor Quality Feed
• Change of Feed
• Handling
• Transportation
• Vaccination
• Transfer/Mixing/Isolation

Factors responsible for Stress in Chicken:
A. Physiological
1. High Body Weight Gain in Broiler
2. Egg Laying, especially Peak period in Layer & Breeder

B. Nutritional
1. Feed Starvation due to poor supply or inefficient feeding system
2. Drinking Water scarcity
3. Deficiency of Protein, Carbohydrate, fats, Minerals, & Vitamins.
4. Poor quality like Dusty, too Hard or too Big Particle size or old damage feed

C. Environmental
1. Heat Stress
2. Winter Chilling
3. High Humidity
4. Cyclonic Wind
5. Lightening
6. Splash of Rain water
7. Earthquake

D. Operational
1. Debeaking or Beak Trimming
2. House/Cage Transfer, Mixing & Isolation
3. Transportation from one farm to another (Chick to Grower and to Laying farm)
4. Vaccination
5. Handling for Insemination, medication & vaccination
6. Management issues like poor Space (overcrowding), Ventilation, Wet litter, Litter Ammonia
7. Change in Feed
8. Change of attendant

E. Pathological
1. Infections; bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoan, etc
2. Metabolic Disorder like gout, ascites, etc.
3. Endotoxins
4. Mycotoxins
Out of all above, the important & dreaded stresses are all Pathological stress like Infections, Mycotoxins, Endotoxins, Metabolic disorders and 2 environmental stresss, viz. Heat Stress & Cold Stress or Chilling. Please remember when one stress comes after another, then 1 + 1 is not 2 but become 11, means combined stresses are dreaded to chicken.

Heat Stress:
– Heat Stress is a situation when chicken faces difficulty in achieving balance between body heat production & body heat loss
– Chickens lack sweat glands to facilitate latent heat loss by evaporation (perspiration), and have limited un-feathered body surface areas for loss of sensible heat through conduction, radiation, & convection
– Genetics, Feather cover, Age, Body Weight, Egg Production stage & flock maintenance all affect a chicken’s heat tolerance
– Chickens are homeotherms & regulate their body Temperature across a wide range of external Temperature.
– But continuous high climate Temp overwhelm the thermoregulatory mechanisms, resulting imbalance between the amount of metabolic heat produced & their capacity to dissipate body heat in the environment

Picture 2

Picture 3

Physiological response of Chicken to elevated temperature and the Loss in Poultry?
– With Increase in Climate Temp, the Thermal gradient between the Body surface & the surrounding environment lessens with Dissipation of Heat decreasing, resulting Chicken suffering from environment-induced Hyperthermia.
– This increases Respiratory rate (Thermal Polypnea or Panting) to increase Latent Heat Loss via Evaporation of water from the Respiratory tract
– Dehydration is the most harmful effect of panting, which causes Respiratory Alkalosis, acid base imbalance leading to permanent physiological damages
– Alkalosis reduces blood ionized Calcium and ultimately Eggshell mineralization resulting Reduced Egg production, Pale Egg, Soft Shell Eggs, Thin Shell Egg, Increased Broken egg % in Layer & Breeder
– Panting causes Oxidative Stress leading to Immunosuppression, damage of Gut mucosa leading to poor digestion, Dysbacteriosis, Enteritis and increase incidence of secondary infections (Viral like LPAI & ND, Mycoplasma & Bacterial) because of immunosuppression & leaky gut situation.
– Heat Stress reduces feed consumption resulting Poor Body Weight gain in Broiler and reduced Egg production in layer & breeder.
– Heat Stress has Permanent damaging effect; damages the muscles affecting Meat Quality and Lowering Breast Muscle Yield
– Reduces Protein content of the muscles, reduction of muscle pH & Water Holding Capacity and ultimately affecting Juiciness of Chicken Meat
– Disturbs Lipid metabolism by affecting enzyme function in lipid breakdown causing Excess Fat deposition instead of converting to meat
– Heat Stress reduces Male fertility in breeder and affects hatchability severely.
– Heat Stress impact the Expression of Gene related to Growth, Production Performance & Resistance to disease
– Heat stress impairs chicken’s immune system, leading to a reduced response to vaccines, suppressing the production of antibodies and affecting the function of immune cells, particularly lymphocytes, due to the atrophy of immune organs like thymus under high temperatures; heat stress makes it harder for chicken to fight against infections after vaccination and increases their vulnerability to disease
– Heat stress lowers the level of circulating antibodies (IgM & IgG) produced after vaccination, resulting in a weaker immune response against pathogens
– High Temp cause atrophy of thymus, leading to decreased T-cell production and impaired cell-mediated immunity
– Heat stress increases release of corticosteroid and further suppress the immune system.
– Heat stress disrupts the function of immune cells; macrophages & lymphocytes, affecting their ability to recognize and fight pathogens.
– Heat stress damage the intestinal lining, allowing entry of harmful & resident microorganisms into the body system to produce infections.

How to reduce the effect of heat stress in Chicken?
– Poultry House Environment need to made near comfort zone in terms of Temperature, Humidity & Ventilation. Closed Environment Control poultry house is the perfect answer.
– Plantation of Tress on both side of each shed
– Farm construction near forest or under Coconut or Mango Garden
– Reduce Stocking Density in summer to provide more space & more ventilation
– In open house system action must be taken to REDUCE TEMPERATURE at Birds level through

I) Elevated Roof, higher centre height
ii) Coated Roofing materials
iii) Extended side roof overhang to prevent entry of direct Sunlight
iv) Thatching of Roof by Agricultural waste (Paddy & wheat straw, Jute stick, Mustard/seasame harvested dry plant) and Ceiling by Thermostat Aluminium foil
v) Constructing Side Pandals (Leaned Roof Over-hang 1 meter)
vi) Hanging of Gunny with Dipper on both side (2 layers is best)
vii) Ceiling fans in case of Broiler and Circulatory fans in Layer or breeder to improve ventilation
viii) Springler on Rooftop to cool the roof
ix) Fogger inside the shed to reduce inside temperature

Disease Stress:
– Dis ease (Not fine) or Disease is No 1 stress factor in chicken like all other living being. Even unnoticed infection cause stress to force chicken to sit without movement and stay away from feed & water.
– Stress due to Diseases is the most neglected chapter in poultry farming, especially the subclinical or asymptomatic diseases.
– Global Animal Productivity loss due to clinical & subclinical diseases is 20%. Hence, we need to understand the disease stress on chicken and must act to minimize the same.
– Every disease has some specific symptoms but there are some common manifestations to every disease as below:
1. Anorexia or off-feed
2. Dullness, lack of movement or inactive
3. Poor eye reflection
4. Huddling
5. Poor body Weight Growth and poor Egg production
6. Death

Picture 4

Picture 5

Disease Stress produces:
– Uneasy physical status beyond comfort level
– Many physiological changes in the body resulting different symptoms
– Loss of appetite, poor growth & poor production
– Direct or indirect Immunosuppression inviting many other diseases
– Death due to system failure or lack of food for long time anorexia

Mitigation of Disease:
– Practical & 100% Biosecurity to avoid disease entry in to the poultry area.
– Welfare of chicken with respect to space, ventilation, temperature, drinking water & nutrition
– Daily Health monitoring
– Monitoring of Bird’s activity & Feed Intake everyday
– Immediate identification of any deviation in health & production parameter
– Immediate diagnosis at farm & confirmatory from laboratory
– Immediate treatment or necessary action to protect the health & life of chicken

How to Recognize Stress in Chicken
– Vocalization: Chickens have alarm sounds to alert other chickens, like repetitive chirps or screaming.
– Loss of Appetite; poor feed consumption, eating little sometime & stay away from feed in almost all stresses including Heat or Cold stress and disease stress.
– Abnormal Posture: In Heat Stress Birds sits on its belly & breast touching the floor and wings spread apart to lose heat through conduction, convection & radiation. In case of Disease Stress, birds are usually inactive & huddle together near to corner or at areas of Sunlight in open shed.
– Abnormal Behavior: In Heat Stress, there will be too much Panting to lose body heat through evaporation. During disease stress, the birds remain inactive and lying with head down & beak inside litter. Deep breathing is seen in respiratory diseases.
– Water Intake: Heavy increase in case of Heat Stress but reduced in Cold stress and in most diseases.
– Repetitive Behavior: include packing, constant rocking back & forth, head swinging or toe-taping

Effect of Stress in Chicken
– Uneasy state of life, abnormal posture & abnormal activity
– Stressed chickens usually extremely anxious, pick feather & self-mutilate, may cause permanent damage of feather follicles and scar develop on their skin
– Reduced Feed intake & reduced water (except Heat Stress) intake
– Immuno-suppression leading to many diseases from already existing microorganism in the house environment or in the intestine as commensal
– Oxidative stress leading to damage of gut mucosa, poor digestion, dysbacteriosis and enteritis
– Panting & Dehydration
– Excess release of Stress hormone (corticosteroid) leading to further immunosuppression & loss of body condition
– Poor commercial performance like, poor body weight gain & high FCR in broiler and reduced egg production with poor egg shell quality in layer & breeder
– Mortality

Mitigation of Stress in Chicken
– Maintain clean, calm & disease-free poultry house environment
– Noise-free environment; chicken don’t like unusual circumstances
– Avoid environmental stress like winter chilling, summer heat stress, monsoon high humidity inside poultry house through modification of infrastructure & husbandry practice.
– Need conceptual, infrastructural & operational changes to avoid environmental stress with climate change induced global worming situation.
– Avoid compromised ventilation, especially during winter & rainy days in open system farming. Avoid poor ventilation during high humid monsoon & chilly winter months in EC shed especially with compromised structure
– Avoid overcrowding; welfare is most unattended issue creating stress in poultry
– Avoid litter ammonia, wet litter & dust in poultry house
– Follow SOP & behave gently while handling, transfer, mixing, transportation, vaccination and insemination.
– Implement 100% Biosecurity, arrange regular health monitoring & health management. Educate your team about importance of biosecurity in poultry.
– Making sure your flocks have access to safe drinking water and regular supply of recommended fresh nutritious feed during the whole production cycle.