A poultry farm is a specialized enterprise destined for manufacture of aviculture products. They are meant for keeping 10, 20 and 50 thousand of hens in lay, or raising up to 500 thousand broilers a year. Both poultry factories and farms are equipped with machinery and equipment for technological process complex mechanization and automation. Poultry farms are classified for purpose (goods and pedigree); poultry species (hens, ducks, geese, turkeys); product directions (egg and meat production); manner of poultry keeping (cages and floor based). A poultry farm has principal and auxiliary premises, and utility lines, organized by a single technological production process. Principal distinctive feature of poultry farm vs. poultry factory is manufacturing capacity, determined by poultry population and wide specialization of products.
In the poultry egg and meat production, highly productive specialized selected crosses are used. For realization of the poultry potential hereditary abilities, certain environmental conditions are needed, under which various strains and crosses were selected. Keeping and feeding conditions exert significant influence upon poultry yield and selection results. Poultry selected for high vitality and yield is especially fastidious to environmental conditions, and even insignificant violation (illumination, feeding, temperature and other modes) entails powerful reaction of organism and yield decrease.
State-of-the-art industrial technology of egg and meat production features a number of particularities, creating conditions, which are extreme to certain extent: keeping poultry in cages and on the floor without pasture; applying differentiated lighting modes with artificial illumination, forced premises ventilation; dry feed use; activation of forced mew etc. As a result of intensification process, specific “technology” diseases spread among the poultry - cell fatigue, hypodynamia, hysteria, fatty liver syndrome. In connection herewith, the breeders’ task is creating strains and crosses adapted to intensive keeping conditions.
Drinking troughs should ensure automatic watering poultry with pure water the temperature hereof should be close to that of the air in the poultry-house. The number of drinking troughs or the length hereof shall be determined by zootechnical standards. Drinking troughs shall be designed for water supply from water main with pressure up to 0,5 MPa via intermediate vessels, which should reduce pressure to 0,03 MPa, and heat water to reach the poultry-house air temperature. The most popular are flute type, cup- and micro cup-shaped, nipple and vacuum troughs.
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