Analysis of microclimate temperature and relative humidity distribution of local poultry house in a subtropical area of Nigeria

The literature lacks information on the distribution of microclimate parameters, which is necessary for designing the ventilation system in poultry houses in Nigeria to guarantee optimal microclimate conditions. This study looked into the distribution patterns of relative humidity (RH) and temperature in a typical local poultry house. The specific objectives were to: i) analyze the vertical and horizontal distributions of the microclimate parameters in battery cage poultry housing and deep litter poultry housing; ii) identify whether the distribution is homogenous or heterogeneous; iii) identify the data spread of parameters. For this study, a locally located experimentally intensive naturally ventilated poultry house was used. It was made up of air-walled poultry housing systems for deep litter (DL) and battery cage (BC) birds. The RH distributions and daytime, nighttime, rainy, and dry season temperatures in the BC and DL poultry housing were examined. Day and nighttime temperature differences of about 1.2°C were noted between the poultry house and surrounding air. The poultry housing had a heterogeneous distribution of both temperature and relative humidity. The optimal values were reached by about 5% and 67-73% of the daytime and nighttime temperature data, respectively, and 37-41% of the daytime relative humidity.