Poultry

It is that time of year again. It is coming on to cool weather. We do not have any idea, given current events, what the cost of fuel is going to be this winter. Even if the cost is low, it makes no sense to waste fuel. Wasting fuel means wasting dollars.

One of the easiest ways to save fuel is to make sure your poultry house is tight, before winter sets in. There are a number of things that need to be looked at to discover if the poultry house is too loose.

1. Do the curtain straps hold the curtains tight against the sides of the house? If not, a significant amount of heat can be lost from the curtain openings. A one inch gap in the curtains, running the full length of the chicken house is the same as having a three square foot hole in the side of the house.
2. Is there enough curtain overlap (make sure there is a minimum of 3 inches of overlap)? Overlap on the bottom curtain serves to help seal the house.
3. Are there shavings in the bottom of the curtain keeping it from closing completely? This is easy to check and fix and can help tighten the house significantly.
4. Do the side wall and end wall doors close completely? Just like you do not leave the doors of your house open in winter, do not leave the doors of the poultry house open.
5. Are there holes in the ceiling? Holes in the polyvinyl ceiling liner will leak a tremendous amount of air.
6. Are exhaust fan shutters closing completely? Dirt, dust, feathers, and wear can all stop the shutters from closing.
7. Are there holes in the side and end walls?
8. Do the exhaust fans sit tightly against the side wall?
9. Are there holes in the curtains? Holes leak heat. Get out the duct tape.

Fixing any of these things will tighten your house and minimize heat loss and fuel use. Remember that a one square foot opening in a side wall or ceiling will lose as much heat as through the entire insulated ceiling of the chicken house.

For more information, contact your county office of the Cooperative Extension Service. All Cooperative Extension programs are open to all people regardless of race, religion, color, ethnic origin, age, sex or disability.