What is the difference between infrared and conventional brooder heating?
There is a lot of misunderstanding about how infrared heat warms a broiler chicken or a broiler house. Infrared heat is the kind of heat that comes from a glowing brooder. It is the same kind of heat that we experience when we stand in front of a fire on a cold winter day. Even though the air temperature between our bodies and the fire is cold we still receive warmth from the glow of the fire. Conventional pancake or jet brooders will produce some infrared heat, but most of their heat output is by convection, heating the air. Infrared brooders, which are usually larger physically and in heat output, provide most of their heat as infrared and therefore do not directly heat the air in the poultry house. The infrared heat is transferred from the glowing brooder to the broiler chicken (and to whatever area of the litter that is exposed) without heating the air in between. The warmed surfaces then release heat to the air and air temperature will go up. This can make infrared more efficient.
Related Questions
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- What is the difference between infrared and conventional brooder heating?
