Full automation
In the 2-storey hen-raising barn of Van Avendonk, all processes are fully automated. The raising is the most important phase in the life of a young laying hen. Here, we lay the basis for the later top performances of these animals. Two Orion PPs are used for climate control. The feed is controlled by an Orion FWS in combination with an FWS-4N feed scale of barn 1.

Automatic winching-up
The system plateaus, nipple lines and landing areas in the barn can all be automatically winched. They are moved up and down, depending on the age of the animals. The animals are lured out of the system and, in this way, trained to perform well later in the laying barn. Winching up and down is done by means of an easily set curve in the Orion. For the daily control, the plateaus, nipple lines and landing areas can be manually operated by using a remote control.

Light control
To simulate the natural behaviour of the animals and get them back in the system, the light in the system is controlled by the Orion at every moment and every level. The high frequency fluorescent lighting is dimmed in two groups and dimmable LED lighting is installed at two levels in the system. All sorts of combinations can be made with the different light clocks in the Orion. The feed and water clocks are also connected to the main light clock.

Longitudinal ventilation
Both storeys are equipped with longitudinal ventilation. The air enters via Flash inlets on the long side of the barn and is exhausted at the rear by six frequency-controlled high-pressure ventilators. The total installed ventilation capacity per storey is about 165,000 m3/h. To be certain that the required amount of air is ventilated, a ventilation fan is installed.

Climate control in the barn
The ventilators above and below are controlled on the basis of a temperature curve. On the top storey, the air inlet valves are also controlled on temperature and the bottom storey on underpressure. The advantage of working with a certain pressure in the barn is that the incoming air in the bottom storey always has enough speed to refresh the air in the middle of the barn.

Weighing the animals
When the animals leave the barn, they may not be too heavy or too light. The target weight is between 1200 and 1300 grams. Therefore, the animals’ weight must be constantly monitored. This is done separately on both storeys with four animal scales. By using the Rainbow+ management program, the animal weight can be monitored and a timely reaction or adjustment can be made.

Management
With the Rainbow+ program, Harrie van Avendonk registers the most important management data of his hen-raising barns and captures the actual situation. “With Rainbow, I can very clearly oversee all my barns at the same time.” The dashboard is an indispensable tool for getting an optimum balance between climate, feed/water, and animal weight for an ideal growth and healthy animals. “I try to reason from the animals’ perspective, because that’s what it’s all about!”