Comfort and energy consumption in a hybrid tunnel-type broiler barn in different bioclimatic zones of Brazil

Abstract

Poultry production is influenced directly by its environmental conditions and, therefore, the conditions of comfort, animal welfare, and energy consumption of the facilities. The objective of this study was to carry out an assessment of the climatization needs of a negative pressure ventilated broiler barn in 12 Brazilian cities, located in the 8 bioclimatic zones of the country. It was found that, cities located in bioclimatic zones 1 and 2 require a higher energy consumption for heating during the chicks phase (0-21 days), while zones 7 and 8 require more energy for cooling during the chickens phase (22-42days). The cities located in zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 present the best comfort conditions and the greatest energy savings for the two phases.