The sources of ammonia in chicken farms can be divided into two aspects:

1. External sources

The main source of exogenous ammonia is the degradation and decomposition of a large amount of feces and urine excreted by chicken flocks every day. These excreta will continuously degrade and produce various harmful gases, mainly ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane, and fecal odor. Secondly, in colder seasons (winter and spring), enclosed delivery rooms and nursing homes for insulation purposes produce large amounts of ammonia, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide every day, which continuously accumulate in the rooms and gradually increase in concentration, causing great harm.

2. Endogenous sources

Endogenous ammonia, also known as ammonia in the blood, mainly comes from:

1) The pathogenic bacteria in the intestine decompose undigested nitrogen-containing compounds (such as peptides, small peptides, and amino acids in chyme) or ammonia produced by intestinal mucosal shedding, which is absorbed by intestinal mucosal epithelial cells and enters the bloodstream through the portal circulation, causing an increase in blood ammonia levels;

2) Proteins or amino acids in muscle tissue

Amines or ammonia produced by deamination during normal metabolism or injury to tissues and organs, as well as ammonia produced by amide hydrolysis of amino acids.

What are the hazards of ammonia to chicken farms? The necessity of installing ammonia gas detectors in aquaculture industry

Ammonia is a toxic, colorless gas with a strong pungent odor, and can be felt at a low concentration of 5.3ppm. Ammonia has a high water solubility (907g in 1L of water at 0 ℃), so it is often adsorbed on the skin, mucous membranes, and conjunctiva of chickens, causing irritation and various inflammations. According to some data, when the ammonia concentration in the chicken coop reaches 20ppm and lasts for 6 weeks, it can cause congestion and edema in the chicken lungs, decreased appetite in the flock, and decreased egg production rate; When the concentration reaches 50ppm, it can lead to laryngeal edema, necrotizing bronchitis, pulmonary hemorrhage, decreased respiratory rate, and death in chickens after a few days; When reaching 80ppm for 2 months, it can lead to a 90% decrease in egg production rate and an increase in mortality rate in laying hens; When it reaches 100ppm, the mortality rate will significantly increase. It can be said that the presence of ammonia poses a great threat to the growth of chickens. The ammonia concentration in a typical chicken coop should be kept below 20ppm.

Therefore, it is necessary to install ammonia gas detectors in chicken farms, which can monitor ammonia concentration in real time and provide convenience for the growth of chickens and other animals.