Supply Management
ENVIRONMENT
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October 26, 2015
NET-0 Egg Barn Blog – Making Progress
Net-Zero Egg Barn, Blog Post #3 – Making Progress: October 26/2015
Construction efforts have moved inside, just in time for fall. The focus has been on the layer barn side, with Brant Colony making great strides on the walls and ceiling, as well as the installation of heating, lighting and ventilation systems.
Darrel Mandell, the colony’s egg manager, has been a driving force behind the Net-0 barn. Here he is standing alongside Jenna Griffin, EFA’s Industry Development Officer, who has helped coordinate the Net-0 project.
The barn’s ventilation system, which is relatively new to Alberta, includes 16 air inlets (2 rows of 4 inlets in both the layer barn and pullet barn) that will drop about 80″ below the ceiling, above the aviary housing structures. Precise planning was required during construction, as you can see from the holes that were left in the ceiling.
The ventilation system will be driven by the HRV, which is scheduled to be installed in early November. The 45′ x 12′ concrete pad for the HRV unit has been poured.
The barn’s heating system has been installed and will run the entire length of the barn, on either side of the air inlets.
The commitment to energy efficiency includes LED lighting being utilized throughout the barn.
Brant Colony has chosen a free-run aviary hen housing system for the new barn. Experts from the manufacturer will help with the installation.
Darrel is eager to show off the scratch pad and the flaps for the nest boxes, which are two enrichments within the housing system that help the birds express a wider variety of natural behaviors.
