Poultry demonstration facility making progress
Equipment is arriving and being installed in two new commercial-sized broiler houses at a poultry demonstration facility at the Louisiana State University AgCenter Hill Farm Research Station at Homer, La., which is moving closer to completion.
Funds for the houses, which will house 26,000 – 28,000 broilers each, have been provided by LSU AgCenter, as well as donations from poultry companies and those involved in the industry in North Louisiana. These houses will primarily be used to test and demonstrate different types of equipment.
One of the first comparisons will be between two types of heaters for chicks, said Johnnie Whitmire, an LSU AgCenter Extension agent who will manage the facility. One house will be equipped with radiant tube heating, and the other will be heated by standard brooders. “This will provide information on how the two systems compare in terms of cost of operation and health of the chicks,” said Whitmire.
Among the production practices evaluated will be feed conversion rates and litter treatments, along with monitoring ammonia and odour levels.
The LSU AgCenter operation will contract with the two major poultry companies operating in Louisiana – Pilgrim’s Pride and House of Raeford. The AgCenter will alternate between the two companies every 12 months.
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