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The evolution of electromechanical and electronic equipment used in poultry facilities
has been continuously progressing. The reason is simply economics. Monitoring and
control systems greatly reduce labor costs. They can provide improved environmental
conditions and air quality, improved broiler performance, and opportunities for improved
management. For example, it is sometimes desirable to provide a feeding in the middle
of the night. Lights and feeders can be scheduled by the control system to introduce this
special event. Some ventilation control systems provide hourly house temperature
targets. This allows for the house to be cooled at night to maintain daily house
temperature targets during hot weather. Automatic control systems, if properly used,
make flock management more consistent, since humans tend to forget.
A distinction is made between electronic and electromechanical devices. An example of
an electronic device is an environmental controller with one or more temperature
sensors and one or more relays that are used to activate equipment. An example of an
electromechanical device is a conventional thermostat, which is a temperatureactivated
relay used to turn on or off equipment such as heaters or fans as air
temperature varies. Either of these example devices can be used to operate a fan. The
type of control system used will also affect the troubleshooting options and approaches
when problems arise.