However, I have recently seen cases when background heat is maintained, even at older ages, that good FCRs are maintained. One example in North East USA is the use of attic vents, where sun-warmed air is pulled into the house after being stored in the house’s attic plenum. Farms which have mastered this supplemental heating method have seen much improved FCR, a reduction in fuel expense and drier floors.
Another system I observed in Western Europe involved a direct fire boiler system utilising straw. The boiler was connected to a heat exchanger which delivered warm air to the entire house, even on older birds. Such systems can work off multiple raw materials, including straw, wood or cellulose pellets. Farms with this system have shown better
performance and less pododermatitis. Again, the common theme is background heat – not relying simply on the bird-generated heat during cold weather. In both of these examples, the common observation is that more air was moved as thermostat-triggered fans cycled more often.