Manual labour has traditionally been employed for the thorough terminal cleaning and disinfection of poultry buildings, but two enterprising cleaning contractors in north-east England have developed an automated system for disinfection. They claim their specially adapted vineyard sprayer carries out the task to a much higher standard, and with less risk to the operator. Another innovation is their purpose-built gas burner, used on floors to tackle infective organisms such as coccidia.
The hydrostatic machine is based on a vineyard sprayer, adapted into a sealed, self-propelled unit, capable of disinfecting around 18,580sq m (200,000sq ft) of housing in just four hours. Air conditioning is installed, for the driver's benefit. Running on four-wheel drive, which makes it highly manoeuvrable, the machine has a 70hp, Italian diesel VM engine. The 2300-litre tank is mainly used for liquid disinfectants, although it can also handle powders, depending on client requirements. The calibration is set with reference to a dilution chart, which gives the recommended rate of the chemical agent on a square footage basis.
The machine's applicator has 12 individual spray nozzles, operating at around 40 bar pressure, with a built-in agitation system. Spray coverage is up to 8m (26.2ft) high, and to a width of about 23m (75.5ft). As the machine moves through the poultry house, the sprayer applies a thorough coating of disinfectant to every aspect of the building, including walls, ceilings, and all internal furniture and equipment.
It also disinfects its own exterior casing, after completing the task in each building. Despite its efficacy, it is not always possible to use the machine in confined spaces, which is the reason why it also carries a hand-operated lance.
The gas burner is 1.8m wide, with the frame rear-mounted on three-point linkage, attached to a 25 horse power Kubota tractor. As well as the row of burning nozzles, it also carries its own wash and disinfection system, which gives the exterior a thorough cleaning between houses.
Each gas burning machine carries either two or four gas tanks. This multiple bottle design allows the machine to source gas flow from all the tanks at the same time, which prevents the pipe work from freezing up during the winter. The two-bottle gas burner version can cover 20,000sq m (nearly 216,000sq ft), before it has to be refilled.
The pair claim that the equipment is effective against a range of disease-causing organisms, including bacteria such as E coli, yeast and moulds. Other benefits include no run-off, which eliminates the risk of possible watercourse pollution.
The system, which has been adopted by virtually all their poultry producer customers, is priced to compete with chemical treatment. It has been designed with help from gas supplier, Calor. Despite the equipment having the ability to raise the ambient temperature in the house to up to 22C, Mr Scott assures producers that it will not cause any damage to concrete.
"Gas burning was popular 20 years ago, but its use gradually declined, as new chemical liquids became available. Now it has gone full circle, and we think it will grow in popularity in the future. A number of effective disinfectants have already been withdrawn, because of health and safety issues," says Mr Scott of Agriwash UK. "Looking ahead, it is possible that gas may end up being the only option."
Source: Farmers Weekly Interactive
