Modelling bio-aerosol concentration in commercial poultry houses

Abstract. Measuring bio-aerosol concentration in poultry houses remains as a difficult task. Aerosol analyzers are expensive and require frequent labor intensive maintenance. Precision Livestock Farming technologies support farmers in their daily routine of animal management, through monitoring animals continuously during their life in an automated, non-invasive way, without inducing additional stress in the animals. In this work, a model to relate broiler activity and ventilation rate with aerosol concentration has been developed.

For several complete growing periods in a UK commercial poultry farm, broiler activity using the eYeNamic® system and ventilation rate using the climate control system were measured. Bio-aerosol concentration was continuously monitored using DustTrak^TM and the Aerosol Particle Sizer analyzers, to be used as Gold Standards. A Multi-Input Single-Output Transfer Function model was developed to estimate the aerosol concentration in the poultry house using broiler activity and ventilation rate as inputs. This model has an average accuracy of 82%. This model has the potential, not only to continuously estimate the aerosol concentration in the poultry house by automated monitoring of broiler activity and ventilation rate, but also to be part of a control system to manage aerosol concentration in the farm in real-time.