The Rural Voice, 2005-12, Page 341 1 1
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L. _ ! ._ ....Jl.. .._
.I.
REMEMBER
THE HEAT?
2005 provided plenty of heat but surprisingly few
large-scale losses in Ontario's poultry flock. Now's
the time to start planning for 2006 to make sure
heat doesn't take its toll.
By Keith Roulston
As winter's cold weather
approaches the memory of
last summer's heat fades, but
now is the time for poultry farmers to
be planning how to avoid heat
problems next summer.
Given that Hamilton, near the
heart of the Niagara Peninsula's large
poultry growing area, had 29 days in
2005 when the temperature exceeded
30 degree C, and London and
Waterloo had 21 and 22 days each,
there was some surprise that the
losses in flocks due to heat stress did
not nearly approach the mortality rate
in the last really hot summer in 2002.
The secret may be that it really
30 THE RURAL VOICE
isn't the heat, but the humidity,
explains Harry Huffman, long-time
OMAFRA engineer who is now in
private practice specializing in
ventilation.
Speaking at a poultry producer
update meeting in Seaforth,
November 3, Huffman pointed out
that for humans, a humidex reading
of 40 or more created great
discomfort.
Despite 29 days when Hamilton
reached 30 degrees or more in
temperature, the humidex only
surpassed 40 on 11 days. London and
Waterloo had just three days with a
humidex of over 40.
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As winter sets in most poultry
producers aren't thinking about
heat losses but experts say now is
the time to start planning for next
summer by maximizing ventilation
(bottom) or changing feeding
strategies (below).
Ontario Farm Animal Council