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Hot Weather Management: Heat Stress, Cool Cells, and Effective Fogging

Hot Weather Management Poultry farmers are no strangers to extremes, especially extreme temperatures. Perfect growing conditions might only exist a few days out of the year, and the rest of the time is spent trying to manufacture the perfect environment. Peak summertime temperatures can be detrimental to flocks, so its imperative that effective cooling strategies…

Winter Blues: Diseases to look out for

We’re coming into winter, and humans are not the only animals spreading germs and catching colds. Your birds are doing it, too. Unfortunately, there is no escaping a sick neighbor in the poultry house. We help our feathered friends out by practicing good biosecurity, but disease can still find its way into a flock. To…

A Guide to Brooder Cleaning

Brooder cleaning is one of the most important tasks done on the farm. Brooders rapidly lose heating efficiency when they are dirty. Routine maintenance ensures you get the most out of your heating equipment and prevents fire hazards. Brooders should be cleaned and inspected before every flock. Regardless of what they look like on the…

3 Secrets to Winter Ventilation

Air quality is heavily dependent on humidity Humidity is the culprit for many of the respiratory issues found in poultry flocks. It amplifies the presences of ammonia and carbon dioxide and makes it difficult for birds to regulate their own body temperatures. Air quality is important especially during the colder winter months, when minimum ventilation…

18 Egg Facts for Egg Day 2018

18 Egg Facts for Egg Day 2018 1. Eggs are good for your eyes. They contain lutein which prevents cataracts and muscle degeneration. 2. An egg shell can have as many as 17,000 pores. 3. Egg shell and yolk color can vary but have no effect on taste…

Poultry Watering: Understanding Iron

Iron can be found in wells and municipal water all around the world. Sometimes it is obvious – the water runs red in the sink, often having a distinctive taste and smell. Sometimes it is less obvious – but still leaves its mark in the form of reddish-brown discoloration on appliances. While mostly harmless, it…

Poultry Watering: Understanding pH

You’re probably aware of the importance of pH, especially when talking about watering systems and treatments. But how well do you really understand it? pH is the abbreviation of “power of hydrogen” (the ‘H’ is capitalized because it represents the element symbol of hydrogen, and it is standard to capitalize those). pH measures the hydrogen…

How-To: Clean & Maintain A Water Line

So many factors can affect the quality of poultry flock, but water is the most important. It’s easy to take for granted, especially in areas where water quality isn’t a daily concern. Drinkable quality and high quality are not the same, though. Paying close attention to the quality of the water will always result in…

Poly belt care for cleaner eggs

Recently, there have been many food recalls due to contamination such as e.coli and Salmonella. Controlling the spread of these diseases – to consumers and to other flocks – requires a careful cleaning and disinfecting program through every step of the rearing process. Every farm has its own checklist of chores to complete in between…

Litter Management to Improve Flock Health

The reduction in antibiotic use in poultry farming requires a reduction in bacteria and pathogens that birds are exposed to. One way to do this is to tighten biosecurity. Another method is to improve litter management. Modern poultry farming often uses bedding for repetitive flocks. Chickens shed bacteria in their excrement, exposing subsequent flocks to…

Grower Spotlight: Bryan Essex

Bryan is the Owner/Operator of 8 broiler barns in northwest Arkansas. His farm has been in operation for just about two years and has just finished its 10th flock. Every single flock has finished in the top 3, and he attributes his success to the VAL-CO system. Each of his 46x520 houses are equipped with…

VAL-CO in Africa

[grid-2-3] Africa is the second-largest continent in the world both in size and population. As of 2009, about 14.7 percent of the world’s population resides in Africa. As diverse as it is large, over 1500 languages are spoken across the continent. Each country also brings with it a unique culture, economy, and climate. Each of…

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The Ultimate Poultry Watering Guide