Method and apparatus for reduction of ammonia and bacteria in chicken houses and other poultry houses

A chicken or other poultry growing facility comprising:

• a growth chamber defined by walls, a roof and a floor assembly;
• said floor assembly including,
• a ventilated floor having flow passages that are of a size to permit air and moisture to pass therethrough while precluding passage of manure;
• and
• a bottom air plenum beneath the ventilated floor;
• said floor assembly formed from a plurality of modules, each of said modules including a ventilated floor section having a polygonal plan shape and a solid base component having a plurality of spacers integral with said base component, said spacers spacing said ventilated floor section vertically above said base component to define said air plenum, each of said spacers having openings at a top upper surface and said ventilated floor sections having depending projections which fit within each respective spacer opening to interlock within all said spacers and form said floor assembly as a rigid interlocked unitary structure.

A poultry growing or egg laying facility comprising a house having walls, a roof and a ventilated floor assembly with a ventilated floor and a ventilated bottom air plenum under said ventilated floor, an area above said floor and enclosed within said walls and roof defining a growth chamber for poultry growing or egg laying therein, said house further including at least one air moving mechanism associated with said poultry chamber and positioned above the floor for exhausting air out of the growth chamber into an outside environment through one or more exhaust vents in one or more of said walls to create a negative pressure inside the house, said ventilated floor having flow passages that are of a size to permit air and moisture to flow therethrough into the air plenum while retaining manure from said poultry on a top surface of said ventilated floor, said bottom air plenum being in air communication with said growth chamber through plenum vents to transmit said negative pressure in said growth chamber to said air plenum, said negative pressure causing moisture to evaporate from a bottom surface of the retained manure into the air of the air plenum through said floor flow passages and from a top surface of the retained manure into the air of the poultry chamber to dry said manure retained on said floor to a desired moisture content and reduce ammonia production in the house.

A chicken growing facility comprising:

• an enclosed growth chamber with one or more exhaust vents that allow air to flow between the growth chamber and the outside environment;
• a ventilated floor assembly extending substantially completely under said growth chamber and having a floor and an air plenum underneath, said floor having flow passages that are of a size to permit air and moisture to flow from said growth chamber into said air plenum while retaining manure from chicks in said growth chamber on an upper surface thereof, said plenum being in air flow communication with said growth chamber through one or more plenum vents;
• an exhaust fan associated with said growth chamber for pulling air out of the growth chamber and into the outside environment through said exhaust vents and creating a negative pressure inside both the growth chamber and the air plenum;
• said negative pressure evaporating moisture from a bottom surface of the retained manure into the air of the air plenum and from a top surface of the retained manure into the air of the growth chamber to dry manure retained on the floor to a moisture content of less than about 30% on a weight basis.

A method for reducing ammonia in a poultry growth chamber including the steps of:

• (a) providing a ventilated floor assembly in the poultry growth chamber, said ventilated floor assembly including a ventilated floor for supporting the poultry in the growth chamber and having a bottom plenum thereunder, said floor having flow passages of sufficient dimensions to permit flow of air and moisture through the floor while concurrently precluding passage of manure deposited on an upper surface of the floor into the plenum;
• (b) providing one or more vents between the air plenum and the growth chamber to provide pressure equalization therebetween;
• (c) creating a negative pressure inside the growth chamber and the air plenum by exhausting air out of the growth chamber into the outside environment;
• and
• (d) evaporating moisture from the manure retained on the upper surface of the floor, both upwardly into said growth chamber and downwardly into said air plenum.

A chicken house comprising

• a pair of elongated side walls interconnected by a pair of end walls, a roof, and a ventilated floor assembly having a ventilated floor and a ventilated bottom air plenum under said ventilated floor;
• a barrier sheet positioned underneath said ventilated bottom air plenum over ground of said chicken house, said barrier sheet and said ventilated floor assembly insulating said growth chamber from the ground of the chicken house;
• said walls, roof, and floor defining a growth chamber for raising chicks therein;
• said house further including at least one air moving fan positioned in one of said end walls and air inlet flaps or other negative pressure operating openings in said opposite end wall, said air moving fan and said air inlet flaps or other negative pressure operated openings creating negative pressure in said chicken house and tunnel ventilation air flow through said chicken house;
• said ventilated floor having flow passages that are of a size to permit air and moisture flow therethrough into said air plenum while retaining manure from said chicks on a top surface of said ventilated floor;
• said chicken house further including plenum vents which provide air communication between said growth chamber and said bottom air plenum to transmit negative pressure in said growth chamber to said air plenum;
• and
• said negative pressure evaporating moisture from a bottom surface of the retained manure into the air of the air plenum and from a top surface of the retained manure into the air of the growth chamber to dry said manure retained on the floor to a desired moisture content and reduce ammonia production in the chicken house.