Scientists have found an egg-cellent way of keeping chickens cool on farms in the height of summer.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries, Mark Furner said traditionally producers had used evaporative coolers in grow-out sheds to keep chicks cool, but these systems used a lot of water.
“Evaporative coolers also increase the humidity inside the sheds which can actually increase how hot the chickens feel,” Mr Furner said.
To solve this problem the Minister said staff from his Department had “hatched a plan” with the industry to find alternate ways to keep chickens cool.
“They identified a low-pressure sprinkler system that has been developed in Northern America,” Mr Furner said.
“In an Australian-first trial, they installed the sprinkler systems in sheds on two farms in South East Queensland to see how they performed under local conditions.”
He said the sprinklers discharged at regular intervals and delivered water sprays in short bursts.
Mr Furner said when used appropriately with in-shed tunnel ventilation, sprinklers reduced the use of evaporative cooling and could save between 200,000 to 300,000 litres of water per shed per year.
“This is promising news for growers, especially in areas of limited water supply, in times of drought, or as a back-up or complementary cooling system,” he said.
The study was funded by AgriFutures’ Chicken Meat Program with support from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
