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Published on 08/15/00

Technology Helps Modern Chickens Cool It

Mayo Mims doesn't want his chickens to know about the extremely hot weather. He controls the lives of 100,000 chickens with his computer keyboard and mouse, watching the chickens' environment like a hawk, making sure each animal lives the good life.

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Photo: Joe Courson
Mayo Mims' broiler farm is a far cry from the old days of raising "yard birds."

"That's what the whole thing's about," said Mims as he looked over a graph comparing the outside temperature with that inside one of his houses. "If you've got him comfortable and keep him fed and watered, he'll grow."

Cozy Chickens Mean Money

The faster the chickens grow, the more money his agribusiness makes. Mims is contented with that arrangement. He wants his chickens to be cozy, too.

And they should be. Each chicken has all the water and feed it can eat and drink. And with the click of his computer, Mims can change the room temperature in a house of 22,500 chickens.

He watches the outside temperature closely and turns on the special cooling system for the chickens when it gets too hot. Fans pull outside air through cardboard pads doused with water. The system drops the temperature a good 20 degrees. It feels like a gentle sea breeze inside the chicken house.

While other farmers worry about crop losses, Mims worries about comfort of his chickens.

Drought-resistant Industry

"Really, the poultry industry is somewhat drought-resistant in that (growers) don't feel the effects of a drought or the effects of heat as greatly as they would in other industries," said Keith Bramwell, an Extension Service poultry expert with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

When chickens live as well as they do at Mims' farm, they get to market faster. Shoppers could save about 2 cents per pound over the old way of cooling the houses: dropping curtains on the sides and using natural ventilation.

The meat may taste a little tenderer, too, because the birds live in such a climate-controlled house.

While Mims spends a lot of time with his computer, he stills walks through his four houses at least twice a day to check on each chicken. "I think we have some mighty contented chickens here," he said.

Experts/Sources:
Keith Bramwell
Mayo Mims
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