Keeping on top of unpleasant odours is one of the key responsibilities of a poultry farm manager. There are a number of factors that generate odours in poultry farms, and which need proper management to ensure that they don’t get out of hand. Poultry farm odour control helps to ensure that a farm doesn’t become an environmental hazard both for the people who work within it and the surrounding community.
Odours from poultry farms can travel considerable distances leading to complaints from local people and possible investigations by local authorities and governmental bodies. For this reason, chicken farm odour control is never just an optional extra. It’s a critical requirement.
What causes poultry farm odour?
There are a number of odorous gases that are generated by poultry farms. These include mercaptan, hydrogen sulphide, skatole, thiocresol and thiophenol. By far the biggest cause of poultry farm odours however is ammonia. This is a colourless gas with a sharp and unpleasant odour that also acts as an irritant. It’s corrosive, and even in low concentrations can produce skin and eye irritation. Because it’s lighter than air, it can easily disperse over the surrounding area.
The principal cause of odour from poultry farms is from the livestock itself, as well as feed, housing, manure, and waste such as carcasses. The Environment Agency closely monitors all of these to ensure that farms are compliant with relevant regulations. Other bodies such as the British Egg Industry Council, the British Poultry Council and the NFU all produce checklists and publications to help poultry farmers.
As chicken faeces, feathers, spilled feed, dust, and bedding materials all break down they can create odours. Left unchecked or without proper management these can become significant issues. They are primarily associated with three main locations: the sites of production, land application and storage areas.
Managing poultry farm odours
There are a number of ways by which to minimise and manage odours from poultry farms. Cleaning up feed spillages, avoiding the fine grinding of feed and reducing protein content in the feed can help to reduce some of the conditions that can lead to odours.
Keeping control of humidity and temperature is another important element of odour management. Ensuring that manure belts are emptied regularly and that the prevailing wind direction is considered when it comes to manure storage location. Sufficient straw and litter should be provided for the birds to help bind nitrogen and to prevent ammonia escaping.
Poultry farms may also deploy odour control systems to effectively eliminate unpleasant odours. These reduce the level of air pollution via multiple types of filtration systems which have been specifically designed to suit the particular needs of each installation.
Making sure that the farm has the right ventilation to deal with fumes and odours can ensure that a poultry farm is not having a detrimental impact on the local environment.
Odour & Emission control systems from Exeon
If you manage a poultry farm and are looking for an effective and comprehensive solution to chicken farm odours, then Exeon can help. Our experts can design an innovative and effective odour and emission control system that meets your specific requirements.
At Exeon, we work with all kinds of industries and installations to ensure that an effective odour control system is in place.