In winter, the temperature drops significantly. If you're raising chickens, you'll need to pay extra attention to keeping them warm and well-ventilated. So, what's the best way to keep chicks warm? Let's take a look.
1. Heating system using a warm air furnace
Heating with a hot air furnace involves setting up a hot air furnace outside the chicken house. It is a heating device that uses kerosene or other fuels to blow hot air into the top of the chicken house or introduces hot air into the air above the chicken house using positive pressure.
2. Electric umbrella heating
Electric heating umbrellas are a common heating method for flat brooding. The most common brooder is umbrella-shaped, hence the name electric heating umbrella. There are also brooders in various shapes such as round, polygonal, and square. In addition, a warm air furnace, heater, or stove is needed to raise the room temperature.
3. Automatic gas-fired heating furnace
Automatic gas-fired heating furnaces primarily use natural gas for heating. The equipment can be installed indoors and automatically controls the temperature through sensors. It boasts 100% utilization, high thermal efficiency, good ventilation, and hygiene, making it a relatively ideal heating method.
4. Heating with heated brick beds
The heat source for the kang (heated brick bed) is placed underground. A wood-burning or coal-burning kang is set up outside the brooding house to provide heat. A warm bed is formed on the ground near the flue inside the house. The heat flows out along the double flue 3 to 5 centimeters below the ground inside the chicken house and is finally discharged through the chimney outside the house.
5. Above-ground flue heating
For ground-level flue heating, a flue is constructed inside the brooding house using adobe or bricks, 25 cm above the ground and 1 meter from the interior wall. Its length depends on the size of the brooding house. Several flues converge and lead to a smoke collection cabinet, then through a chimney to the outside. To ensure uniform temperature within the brooding house and conserve fuel, a cover can be added to the outside of the flue. A thermometer is hung 5 cm above the ground outside the flue, and straw bedding is laid on the ground.
6. Firewall heating
The fire wall heating system involves installing a flue in the brooding room, building hollow walls, and placing the stove in the outdoor corridor. The chicks warm themselves by the heat emanating from the fire wall.
7. Infrared lamp heating
Infrared lamps are used for brooding by emitting heat. Infrared lamps range in size from 200 watts to 350 watts. A 250-watt lamp is commonly used for brooding, providing warmth for 110 chicks at a room temperature of 30°C. Infrared lamps come in both non-emitting and emitting types, with a lampshade to concentrate heat. They are typically used in groups of 2 to 6 lamps connected together. In low room temperatures, the lamp can be lowered to 33-35 cm, and it is generally suspended at a height of 40-60 cm from the ground. Starting from the second week of brooding, the lamp is raised 7-8 cm each week until it reaches 60 cm from the ground.
