Closed-Loop Control of Poultry Deep Body Temperature Using Variable Air Velocity: A Feasibility Study

Current poultry housing environmental controllers do not directly factor in the state of the birds themselves, such as their deep body temperature (DBT) responses. In this article, we propose and investigate the feasibility of a new approach for real-time closed-loop control of poultry DBT under heat stress conditions using variable air velocity. Using five commercial breed broilers, an experimental tunnel ventilation enclosure placed inside an environmentally controlled chamber, implanted radio telemetry sensors, and a programmable logic controller (PLC), four experimental trials were conducted using a proportional-integral type feedback controller. The results indicated that (1) air velocity has a measurable, dynamic, and almost immediate impact on DBT of birds under heat stress; and (2) DBT of heat-stressed broilers can be maintained below a setpoint by varying air velocity using feedback control. These preliminary results suggest that using DBT as a feedback variable to manipulate air velocity within poultry housing is a promising approach. This article represents a first step towards the design of the future poultry environmental controller that responds directly to the physiological needs of the birds.