<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> Good air quality in poultry houses is crucial for animal health and productivity. In these houses, air is generally contaminated with noxious gases and microorganisms, the concentrations of which depend on numerous factors including microclimate. In this case study, the relation between microclimate and air concentrations of noxious gases and microorganisms was investigated in extensively reared turkey house. The study was carried out at a family household in Dalmatia hinterland, Croatia, with 50.3±3.1 turkeys kept in the house during the study period. Air temperature, relative humidity, airflow rate, concentrations of ammonia, carbon dioxide, bacteria and fungi in indoor air were measured three times per month from September to December, in the morning, prior to releasing turkeys out for grazing. Air temperature ranged from 9.73 to 26.98 °C, relative humidity from 63.29% to 75.08%, and airflow rate from 0.11 to 0.17 m/s. Lowest ammonia and carbon dioxide concentrations were measured in September (2.17 ppm and 550 ppm, respectively) and highest in December (4.50 ppm and 900 ppm, respectively). Bacterial and fungal counts were lowest in December (2.51×105 CFU/m3 and 3.27×103 CFU/m3 air, respectively) and highest in September (6.85×105 CFU/m3 and 1.06x105 CFU/m3 air, respectively). Air temperature and relative humidity showed negative correlation with concentrations of noxious gases and positive correlation with air microorganisms (P&lt;0.05 all).</abstract>

Good air quality in poultry houses is crucial for animal health and productivity. In these houses, air is generally contaminated with noxious gases and microorganisms, the concentrations of which depend on numerous factors including microclimate. In this case study, the relation between microclimate and air concentrations of noxious gases and microorganisms was investigated in extensively reared turkey house. The study was carried out at a family household in Dalmatia hinterland, Croatia, with 50.3±3.1 turkeys kept in the house during the study period. Air temperature, relative humidity, airflow rate, concentrations of ammonia, carbon dioxide, bacteria and fungi in indoor air were measured three times per month from September to December, in the morning, prior to releasing turkeys out for grazing. Air temperature ranged from 9.73 to 26.98 °C, relative humidity from 63.29% to 75.08%, and airflow rate from 0.11 to 0.17 m/s. Lowest ammonia and carbon dioxide concentrations were measured in September (2.17 ppm and 550 ppm, respectively) and highest in December (4.50 ppm and 900 ppm, respectively). Bacterial and fungal counts were lowest in December (2.51×105 CFU/m3 and 3.27×103 CFU/m3 air, respectively) and highest in September (6.85×105 CFU/m3 and 1.06x105 CFU/m3 air, respectively). Air temperature and relative humidity showed negative correlation with concentrations of noxious gases and positive correlation with air microorganisms (P<0.05 all).

Relation Between Microclimate and Air Quality in the Extensively Reared Turkey House

Department of Animal Hygiene, Behaviour and Welfare, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Agriculture

Department of Poultry Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Macedonian Veterinary Review

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Good air quality in poultry houses is crucial for animal health and productivity. In these houses, air is generally contaminated with noxious gases and...

Relation Between Microclimate and Air Quality in the Extensively Reared Turkey House

Article Category: Original Scientific Article

Published Online: Mar 15, 2017

Page range: 83 - 90

Received: Nov 23, 2016

Accepted: Feb 02, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/macvetrev-2017-0015

Keywords
turkeys, ammonia, carbon dioxide, bacteria, fungi

© 2017

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Relation Between Microclimate and Air Quality in the Extensively Reared Turkey House

Article Category: Original Scientific Article

Published Online: Mar 15, 2017

Page range: 83 - 90

Received: Nov 23, 2016

Accepted: Feb 02, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/macvetrev-2017-0015

Keywordsturkeys, ammonia, carbon dioxide, bacteria, fungi

© 2017

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
turkeys, ammonia, carbon dioxide, bacteria, fungi