Three years after Charlie Scott started his new layer houses, his brother Michael Scott now also has two aviary layer houses with Hotraco control systems. The new layer houses are located in Gifford, Scotland and house 16,000 hens each. Vencomatic UK provided all the poultry house equipment, including the innovative Fortica® system integrated in a Hotraco control panel.
It is important that the hens' living environment is kept at the right temperature and relative humidity so the animals feel comfortable. An optimum house climate improves the growth and health. The ZLV Vario air inlet chimneys on the roof ensure a perfect balance of fresh air and recirculating air, even at minimum ventilation. The touch screen Fortica® controls the ZLV Vario and ensures that the damper is in the correct position, the fan is at the correct speed and the opening of the cassette is large enough. The cascade control in the Fortica® coordinates these air distributors for automatic switchover to the winter, transition and summer modes.
Automatic feed control ensures that the right amount of feed reaches the laying hens in the house at the right time. The Fortica® system automatically sends the feed from the silo to the feed lines in the house. The amount of feed is determined on the basis of number of grams per animal per day. This gives the Scott family daily insight into feed consumption and feed costs.
A good light climate improves the egg production and feed intake of the animals. With the light control in the Fortica®, the activity of the laying hens can be stimulated. By dimming various lighting controls in a specific order, the animals are led to their nests on another floor. And automatically increasing the light intensity during the laying period prevents out-of-nest eggs.
The Fortica® guarantees a secure connection to the layer houses and is linked to an app and an innovative Farm Management programme. The SyslinQ remote app enables laying hen keeper Scott to control the houses remotely. Fortus Farm Management makes it easy to compare important data from the two houses, such as results of feed and water intake and climate.
Learn more about Farm Management