Key words
Climate control, ventilation, construction of animal houses, welfare of farm animals.
Objectives
Students must obtain an insight in:
- ventilation principles in natural and mechanically ventilated houses in order to create and maintain an optimal climate for farm animals
- the construction and equipment of houses for cattle, pigs and poultry
- how to build environment-friendly animal houses (reduction of emissions from animal houses)
- how to build animal-friendly houses
- the use of materials in a farm animal environment.
Topics
The course consists of two parts. The first part deals in detail with the principles and operation of natural and mechanically ventilated animal houses. The course treats the calculation method, the practical execution and adjustment of the ventilation.
The second part deals with the technical construction and realisation of houses for farm animals (cattle, pigs and poultry). Attention is especially focused on an animal-friendly environment for farm animals and hence on contemporary house concepts. For cattle the accommodation of dairy cattle, young stock and slaughter cattle is treated. For pigs the accommodation of piglets, slaughter pigs, dry and pregnant sows, breeding sows, farrowing sows and boars is discussed. For poultry the housing of laying hens and broilers is discussed.
Prerequisites
Students must have a basic knowledge of:
- animal houses: poultry, pigs, cattle (must have visited some animal houses)
- farm animals (animal science)
- dairy installations / milk cooling tanks (must have visited some installations)
- heat transport in materials
- laminar and turbulent flow in fluids
Final Objectives
- students must be familiar with all factors influencing the climate of farm animal houses
- students must have a theoretical knowledge of the operation of natural and mechanically ventilated animal houses
- students must be able to recognise ventilation problems in an animal house, to analyse ventilation problems and suggest practical solutions from their theoretical knowledge (calculation)
- students must acquire a basic knowledge of housing systems for farm animals, in particular the housing of cattle, pigs and poultry (incl. reduction of NH3 emission in animal houses)
- students must acquire a knowledge to improve the welfare of farm animals in the animal houses
Materials used
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Syllabus ‘Agricultural constructions and climate control’ – 300 pp
2002 – 2003: revision: low emission houses
2003 – 2004: revision: group housing of sows and accommodation of dairy cattle.
2004-2005: revision: milking parlours and milking installations
Study costs
Cost: 25.0 EUR
Costs for copying the textbook: 25 Euro
Study guidance
- follow-up through exercises on the calculation of heat balance, moisture balance, heat transport in materials
- follow-up through practical exercises: study of ventilation problems in practice
- follow-up through interaction with students.
Teaching Methods
Lectures with illustrations (PowerPoint presentations) and visits to farms.
Assessment
- Oral examination with written preparation
- Assessment of reports on visits and exercises.
Weighting coefficient
Lecturer(s)
Bart Sonck
Tiny Stoop.
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