An optimally controlled climate for free range houses

There are currently increasing numbers of poultry houses where the layers have access to an outdoor run. These houses offer the birds more opportunities to exhibit their natural behaviour and access fresh, outdoor air. However, creating and maintaining a constant climate in free-range houses is a challenge. The many pop holes reduce the pressure in the house which means the incoming, fresh air is not well distributed throughout the house. This can create draughts and cause wet litter close to the pop holes. To avoid these problems, systems with equal pressure ventilation are applied in free-range poultry houses. In equal pressure systems, the air is both supplied and extracted by fans.