If you're running a commercial poultry operation and haven't looked into high pressure misting yet, you're missing a trick that could transform your business.
Why High Pressure Misting is Taking Off in UK Poultry
Let's be honest - the British weather might not be the most predictable, but when those summer heatwaves hit, they can absolutely devastate a poultry operation. I've seen too many farmers struggle with heat stress in their sheds, watching their production figures plummet whilst their electricity bills soar from overworked ventilation systems.
High-pressure misting systems have been around for donkey's years in other industries, but it's only in the last decade that UK poultry farmers have really cottoned on to what they can do. And frankly, it's about time. With the F.E.T.F grants covering up to 40% of the costs, there's never been a better moment to get on board.
From Low Pressure to High Pressure: A Proper Game Changer
Back in the day, we used to bodge together low-pressure systems that ran off mains pressure - about 3 bar if you were lucky. These systems were a bit of a faff, really. You'd mount them outside the sheds pointing away from the building, hoping the incoming air would pick up just enough moisture without turning your shed into a sauna.
It worked after a fashion, but only on the really scorching days, and even then it was hit and miss. You'd spend half your time worrying about whether you were creating more problems than you were solving.
High-pressure systems are a completely different beast altogether. The pressure is so much higher that you get these incredibly fine droplets that evaporate almost instantly when they hit warm air. It's proper engineering, not the makeshift solutions we used to cobble together.
Three Ways These Systems Will Transform Your Operation
1. Keeping Your Birds Cool When It Matters
This is the obvious one, but it's worth saying properly. When humidity stays below 70-80%, you can knock 5-8 degrees off your shed temperature. The trick - and this is something I've learned from chatting to farmers who've been using these systems for years - is to get them running early in the morning.
Don't wait until your shed's already like an oven. Get the misting going early, bring that baseline temperature down, and your birds will cope so much better with the heat as the day progresses. They're not already stressed, they're not pumping out extra heat, and the whole system just works better.
2. Sorting Out the Dust Problem
Here's something that might surprise you. One farmer I know swears by running his misting system for a couple of minutes before he goes into any shed, regardless of the time of year. All that dust floating about gets bound up and drops to the floor, making it much nicer to work in.
It sounds like a small thing, but if you're spending hours in your sheds every day, having cleaner air to breathe makes a real difference. Your lungs will thank you for it.
3. Helping Your Chicks Get Off to a Flying Start
This one's a bit more technical, but bear with me. When you're using biomass heating or indirect heating systems, you don't get the humidity build-up you used to get with older heating methods. Sounds good, right? Well, not always.
Turns out, day-old chicks actually need a bit of humidity in their first few days to get their respiratory systems firing properly. The Ross broiler manual and other industry guides have proper graphs showing how a bit of extra humidity on days one to three helps chicks develop better breathing.
If your air's too dry, you can actually cause problems. A quick burst of misting to bump up the humidity can make a real difference to how well your chicks get established.
Getting the Most Out of Your System Throughout the Production Cycle
At Cleanout Time
This is one of those benefits that nobody talks about until they've experienced it. Once you've cleared out all the muck and manure, run your misting system before you start washing down. The moist air binds any remaining dust, and it pre-soaks all your floors and equipment.
I know a farmer who says this trick alone cuts his washdown time in half. Less time cleaning means you can turn your sheds around faster, and that's money in the bank.
Managing Heat Stress Like a Pro
Heat stress isn't just uncomfortable for your birds - it's expensive. Feed conversion goes out the window, egg production drops, and in the worst cases, you start losing birds. Modern misting systems have clever controls that monitor both temperature and humidity, so you get the cooling effect without creating a swamp.
The control systems are pretty straightforward. They'll kick in when the temperature hits whatever threshold you've set, and they'll switch off if the humidity gets too high. No more guesswork, no more constantly adjusting things manually.
Getting the Engineering Right
Shed Size Matters
If your sheds are under 60 feet (about 18 metres) wide, you can get away with two lines of misting above your side inlets. Simple as that. But if you're running wider sheds, you'll want a third line down the middle. Most people put this on a winch system so you can raise and lower it as needed.
Dealing with Different Ventilation Systems
Got a reverse-flow setup where air comes in at the ridge and the fans are in the side walls? No problem. You just mount the nozzles up at the ridge instead, and the air drags the mist down and out through the sides. The system adapts to whatever ventilation setup you're running.
Keeping Things Clean
When the system's not running, dump valves at the end of each line release any water that's left in the pipes. You don't want stagnant water sitting about - that's just asking for trouble. It's one of those details that makes all the difference between a system that works reliably and one that causes headaches.
What to Expect When You're Getting It Installed
The Installation Process
Most single sheds can be done in a day, assuming everything's ready to go. The misting pipes get screwed to your side walls with tech screws, then connected to the pump system with flexible pipes. It's not rocket science, but it needs doing properly.
Here's the thing though - you'll need to sort out the main plumbing connections to your pump, and get an electrician to wire up the controller. The installation team doesn't handle those bits because every farm's different, and trying to carry every possible fitting and connection would be a nightmare.
Once everything's connected up, the installation team comes back to commission the system and give you proper training on how to get the best out of it. This bit's important - don't skip it. A system that's set up wrong is worse than no system at all.
The Money Side of Things
Grant Funding
The F.E.T.F grants are covering up to 40% of the cost right now, which is frankly too good an opportunity to miss. With that kind of support, the payback period becomes very reasonable indeed.
What It'll Do for Your Bottom Line
You'll see the benefits pretty quickly. Lower mortality when the weather's hot, better feed conversion rates, maintained production levels even during heatwaves. Plus your sheds will be nicer places to work, which isn't something you can put a price on but definitely makes a difference to day-to-day life.
Your ventilation systems won't have to work as hard either, which means lower electricity bills and less wear and tear on your equipment.
Making It Work: Some Hard-Won Wisdom
Start Early, Stay Ahead
The farmers who get the best results are the ones who start their misting early in the morning, before things get hot. It's like preloading your shed with cooler air. Once you're behind the curve and the temperature's already soaring, you're fighting an uphill battle.
Watch Your Humidity
Keep an eye on humidity levels. When it gets above 70-80%, misting becomes counterproductive. You'll just be adding moisture to air that's already too damp, and that's not good for anybody - birds or equipment.
Keep Things Maintained
Like any bit of kit, misting systems need looking after. Check your nozzles regularly for blockages, keep an eye on pump maintenance schedules, and make sure your dump valves are working properly. A bit of preventive maintenance saves a lot of headaches down the line.
The Reality Check
Look, high-pressure misting isn't a magic bullet that'll solve every problem, but it's a bloody good tool to have in your arsenal. Climate change isn't going anywhere, summers seem to be getting hotter, and the birds we're raising these days are bred for performance, not heat tolerance.
Having proper environmental control isn't a luxury anymore - it's essential kit for anyone serious about running a profitable poultry operation. With grant funding available and proven results from farms up and down the country, the real question isn't whether you should invest in misting technology. It's whether you can afford not to.
The farms that adapt to these changing conditions will be the ones still thriving in ten years' time. Those that don't... well, they'll be the ones struggling to keep up with rising costs and falling margins whilst their competitors steam ahead with better technology and better results.
