Air Ionization in Livestock Buildings – A Review

Abstract

research has shown that microclimate is determined not only by air microparticles, but also by the degree of air ionization. ions affect the body through the respiratory tract and skin. exposure of reared chickens to elevated air temperature (37°c-23°c) was found to accelerate the breakdown of negative ions compared to temperature lower by 10°c. negative air ionization offsets the adverse effect of elevated temperature on chickens. Higher (85%) air humidity during rearing of chickens was also observed to destroy negative ions. Research findings indicate that air ionization is an environmental element that contributes to improving performance in broiler chickens. Many studies have also confirmed a positive effect of air ionization on the body weight and health of piglets.

Welfare of pigs during transport

“…Recent studies have called for further development of indices used to assess heat stress in livestock due to limitations in for example THI, such as (1) lack of integration of all environmental parameters; and (2) either not reflecting current high producing animals or not specifying production level. Factors like these may limit the usefulness of the indices to accurately predict or assess the thermal status of pigs and other livestock (Herbut et al., 2018; Mayorga et al., 2020). THI has, however, been used to quantify heat stress in studies of pig housing and transport (e.g.…”