October 6, 2008
India's largest poultry company, Suguna Poultry Farm Ltd, inaugurated its first Environment-Controlled (EC) commercial broiler sheds at Erumalampatti village, Pannikundu, Thirumangalam in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu.
The sheds were built to bring its production on par with standards in developed countries.
This is the first technologically advanced shed of its kind in India with a capacity of 32,000 chickens per shed, with the farm capacity of approximately 200,000 chickens per batch. Annual capacity of the sheds is approximately 1.2 million birds.
The system works by fans creating low pressure in the shed and air being circulated to all areas within the shed through a system of multiple small vents (mini-vents) located in the shed walls.
Cooling is further assisted by a high pressure system of spray nozzles that create a fine mist and lower temperatures through evaporative cooling. Since the spray nozzle cooling system operates at 1000 psi, the water is atomized to a fine vapor that that does not wet the floors in the sheds.
The whole system is automated through an advanced climate control system.
Also apart from having a temperature and humidity control function the spray system can be used to introduce approved levels of disinfectant to counter disease or to assist-in the task of shed cleaning.
Optimal temperatures and humidity levels are programmed into the system and it maintains the levels 24 hours a day.
In addition, the entire feeding systems and the watering systems are fully automated. The entire farm can be operated and controlled from a single computer-based system.
Besides, improved feed conversion ratio and better quality meat, the sheds also allow for one more batch per year per shed.
At the inauguration Mr B Soundrarajan, Managing Director said the EC shed is one step the company is taking in using technology for better productivity, hygiene and safety.
Suguna plans to have more such EC sheds across India.