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MacFarlane Pheasants uses Mistral
MacFarlane Pheasants is the largest pheasant producer in North America with more than 80 years of experience. Their experience on the importance of keeping humidity down in the barns was recently shared in their blog, Gamebirdexpert.com.
Brian Davis, MacFarlane Pheasants Brooder Manager, says that “wet litter creates ammonia, which is bad for the birds’ eyes, and is also an optimum condition for parasites like coccidiosis, bacteria like E. coli, and virus’ such as reovirus. Flies and other insects are more attracted to wet litter as well. “
He reiterates these effects of humidity need to be eliminated. So, in order to keep humidity down in the barns, they use different strategies:
Good ventilation and Mistral - a litter conditioner.
Good ventilation, “The key tactic we use is simply to keep the buildings ventilated. Our ventilation system runs in tandem with their heating system and its intensity depends on the chicks. The temperature of a room is dictated by the age of the birds in it and we keep the temperature desirable for the birds. Keeping the air moving is very important-replacing the humid barn air with fresh outside air.”
Mistral litter conditioner, “If the bedding does become wet for any reason, we remove the bedding as soon as possible to dry and re-bed the area. In order to dry any wet spots from water leaks or an excess of humidity, which are common occurrences on our farm, we use a drying agent called “Mistral” that is sprinkled on the wet areas to absorb the moisture before it can create mold and breed dangerous bacteria. Mistral has performed impressively for us and we will often use it to powder the whole floor before putting down any bedding to make certain the floor is completely dry.”
Brian Davis concludes that they have found some really great ways to cut down and even eliminate the effects of humidity.
More information was written about Mistral and its application in game birds in a recent publication of the North American Game Bird Association (NAGA) News. Gary Johnson, BS, MS, Nutrition Sales Specialist, from Olmix NA wrote an article entitled “Mistral Sanitizing Powder” – “Mistral is safe, natural sanitizing powder which aids in reducing moisture, ammonia and bacteria from livestock bedding material.”
Read and download the full article.
MacFarlane Pheasants uses Mistral - 1.4462KB