February 24, 2009, Manheim, PA – Lancaster County-based Kreider Farms
recently announced the opening of several new chicken houses.
February 24, 2009, Manheim, PA – Lancaster County-based Kreider Farms recently announced the opening of several new chicken houses.
The operation, which won the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s 2008 Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award, is investing in high-tech egg facilities aimed at enhancing bird welfare and improving food safety.
Kreider Farms’ egg division, comprised of four million laying hens, is based out of four Pennsylvania locations around the Lancaster region: Manheim, Middletown, Mount Pleasant and Mount Joy. This past summer, Kreider Farms opened its most advanced chicken houses in Mount Joy.
Some of the features of Kreider Farms’ new chicken houses include:
- Tunnel Air Ventilation – A system that flows fresh air equally throughout the houses to every cage, shifting away hot air on warm days and fluffing birds’ feathers.
- Daily Manure Removal System – Birds’ manure falls on a new conveyor belt system. Once on the belt, piped air dries the manure and the belts remove the manure from the building on a daily basis.
- Larger, Stainless Steel Cages – These larger boxed cages have much more cubic space, providing additional room for the birds to flap their wings and move about.
Three additional new chicken houses are planned at the Manheim location, with openings scheduled for 2009, 2010 and 2011.
