Atmospheric ammonia changes on different zone placement from the closed house inlet affecting broiler chicken performance in the rainy season

Abstract

The applied study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different zone placements within the closed house on the performance of broilers during the rainy season. The treatments applied were as follows: zone 1 = chickens placed next to the inlet, zone 2 = chickens placed in 1/4 length of the cage from the inlet, zone 3 = chickens placed in 1/2 length of the cage from the inlet, and zone 4 = chickens placed in 3/4 length of the cage from the inlet. Change of macroclimate outside the closed house, microclimate, and atmospheric ammonia inside the closed house were observed in each zone. The parameters observed were feed consumption, body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), performance index (PI), and income over feed cost (IOFC). Data were subjected to analysis of variance. Correlation analysis between heat stress index (HSI) or atmospheric ammonia on broiler performance was carried out. The results showed that a further distance of zone placement from the inlet is indicated by microclimate changes and an increasing average of atmospheric ammonia. There were significant decreases in feed consumption, BWG, PI, and IOFC start from the 2nd zone. FCR was significantly increased in the 3rd zone (P≤0.05). The increase of atmospheric ammonia at the further zone placement from the inlet negatively correlated, strong and significant with performance, while the HSI did not correlate strongly. In conclusion, the further zone placement from the inlet increased atmospheric ammonia and decreased broiler chicken performance in the rainy season.