Case Study: Impacts of Reducing Ammonia in a Broiler Farm Using Calyx Sensors
Recently we shared an interview discussing Mr. Wang’s overall experience using Calyx sensors and working with our team. As promised, this time we deep dive into how we identified the root cause of a mysterious issue in one of his broiler houses and increased his revenues through our pilot program.
When we first began discussions with Mr Wang, he posed us with a challenge that was a huge cause for concern: he was unsure why two seemingly identical broiler houses had drastically different performances. Farm B always had lower performance than Farm A; chickens were difficult to raise, average weight of chicken was lower and thus profits were lower from that farm.
Although temperature and humidity readings were already available, it didn’t provide any insight as to why this was happening so we helped them install Calyx ammonia sensors. Deployment was quick and easy, with wireless & battery support included. Once the sensors were deployed, we immediately found that ammonia concentration in Farm B was always higher than Farm A by 6–8ppm.
It’s been shown that higher ammonia concentration in poultry farms causes higher Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) in poultry. FCR is a ratio or rate measuring the efficiency with which the bodies of livestock convert animal feed into the desired output. Thus the lower the FCR the better, and higher FCR means the poultry needs more feed to get to the same weight.
Based on ammonia data combined with temperature and humidity readings, Mr. Wang concluded that he needed to adjust his ventilation fans in Farm B to combat the performance issue. The specific data on ammonia levels allowed him to make precise decisions on ventilation fan usage. Our sensor system continually senses and provides readings without needing to recalibrate. Whenever the ammonia levels get too high again, Mr. Wang will receive a notification for it.
The installation of Calyx ammonia sensors and subsequent adjustments of ventilation fans lowered the ammonia levels in Farm B. The birds were no longer oppressed by high ammonia levels, improving the FCR and thus increasing Mr. Wang’s profits by 37% within the first batch. Mr. Wang was also able to confirm that Farm A’s performance was at its best by receiving live data of low ammonia levels. The power of our sensors extends beyond the day we deployed the sensors. Mr. Wang is able to continuously maximize the performance of both broiler farms through round the clock monitoring.
Through a subscription model of Calyx ammonia sensors, broiler farms can receive up to 60 times return on annual investment (60x ROI) and 20–40% increase in net profits.
Production loss and decreased flock performance can be eliminated with better sensing solutions. Calyx’s solution provides actionable insights to keep a fine balance between ammonia concentration, temperature and ventilation rate.
NH3 is one of the most important factors affecting flock performance and growth, along with temperature and disease & food management. Present solutions are not very good, electrochemical based sensors don’t provide dependable real-time solutions. They are cost prohibitive, inaccurate in high humidity, and lasts less than a month in high concentration ammonia environments. Unfortunately, failing to closely monitor ammonia often results in more than $240,000 USD yearly losses per farm*.
Calyx gas sensors use patented bioengineering technology. Our solutions are customizable to suit specific business and industry needs.
To learn more about our company and products, please visit www.calyxtechs.com.
To contact us, you may email us at info@calyxtechs.com.
