Ammonia concentration (AMC) in poultry facilities varies depending on different environmental conditions and management; however, this is a relatively unexplored subject in Colombia (South America). The objective of this study was to model daily AMC variations in a naturally ventilated caged-egg facility using generalized additive models. Four sensor nodes were used to record AMC, temperature, relative humidity and wind speed on a daily basis, with 10 minute intervals for 12 weeks. The following variables were included in the model: Heat index, Wind, Hour, Location, Height of the sensor to the ground level, and Period of manure accumulation. All effects included in the model were highly significant (p<0.001). The AMC was higher during the night and early morning when the wind was not blowing (0.0 m/s) and the heat index was extreme. The average and maximum AMC were 5.94±3.83 and 31.70 ppm, respectively. Temperatures above 25°C and humidity greater than 80% increased AMC levels. In naturally ventilated caged-egg facilities the daily variations observed in AMC primarily depend on cyclic variations of the environmental conditions and are also affected by litter handling (i.e., removal of the bedding material).
Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia;Grupo de Investigación en Genética, Mejoramiento y Modelación Animal (GaMMA), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia;Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia;Grupo de Investigación en Genética, Mejoramiento y Modelación Animal (GaMMA), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia;Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia;Grupo de Investigación en Genética, Mejoramiento y Modelación Animal (GaMMA), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
Recommended Citation:
Diana María Gutiérrez-Zapata,Luis Fernando Galeano-Vasco,Mario Fernando Cerón-Muñoz. Semiparametric Modeling of Daily Ammonia Levels in Naturally Ventilated Caged-Egg Facilities[J]. PLOS ONE,2016-01-01,11(1)