Michael Czarick

Mr. Czarick has been the leader in the development of the use of tunnel ventilation to keep poultry cool during hot weather. The poultry industry in the U.S. and internationally considers him to be the father of tunnel ventilation. Tunnel ventilation allows poultry producers to quickly exchange the air in their houses and provide a constant breeze that provides a wind-chill effect of ten degrees or more as well as facilitates the use of evaporative cooling pads. Prior to the introduction of tunnel ventilation the U.S. broiler industry would lose millions of birds each summer to heat stress. In addition to the cost of the birds lost, hundreds of millions of dollars would be lost each summer due to reduced weight gains and increased feed conversions.

In 1985 when Mr. Czarick began his career at the University, tunnel ventilation was an unproven concept. Tunnel ventilation was used on just a couple of farms in Georgia, the design of which was done by trial and error and as a result the benefits varied widely. Some producers found tunnel ventilation beneficial but many others found it inferior to traditionally curtain-ventilated houses. Through research and numerous field trials Mr. Czarick brought an engineering perspective to poultry house ventilation and developed the science of tunnel ventilation. Air speed guidelines were determined as well as fan selection, installation, and operation guidelines. Tunnel inlet and pad guidelines were also developed as well as basic tunnel ventilation management techniques that are in wide use by the poultry industry around the world today. Through Mr. Czarick’s guidance, bird performance in tunnel-ventilated houses has improved to the point today that no one seriously considers building a broiler house that is not tunnel ventilated, whether in south Georgia, Pennsylvania, or Australia.

Mr. Czarick has become a world leader in the movement of the poultry industry to modernize controlled environment housing. The modern broiler house is designed to allow the producer to precisely control the environment throughout the year. Through the use of tunnel ventilation during warmer weather, and negative
pressure/inlet ventilation during the remainder of the year, producers can provide optimal growing conditions within a house regardless of outside weather conditions.

Mr. Czarick has worked with every major poultry company in the U.S. as well those in dozens of countries on the development of poultry house specifications to insure a proper level of environmental control. In order to properly control the environment throughout the year, an environmental control system is required. A house needs a heating system, a minimum ventilation system, a transitional ventilation system, tunnel ventilation, and an evaporative cooling system. These systems must be properly designed and coordinated in order to maximize bird performance and keep energy costs to a minimum.

Mr. Czarick’s knowledge of controlling poultry environments is widely recognized by the scientific community. Mr. Czarick designed the environmental control systems for UGA’s five-million-dollar Poultry Research Complex expansion. He has also designed the environmental control systems for new research facilities for the USDA Lab in Beltsville, Maryland, University of Arkansas, Auburn University, two of the industry’s primary poultry breeder companies, four poultry companies and for a major poultry pharmaceutical company.

With ever-increasing energy costs, energy usage is a major area of concern for most poultry producers. Mr. Czarick has spent a large percentage of his time over the years working to keep poultry house energy usage to a minimum. He has conducted numerous field studies on various energy conservation techniques, many of which are used in poultry houses around the world today. Mr. Czarick has conducted numerous programs across the state as well as across the nation on educating poultry producers on how to keep their operating costs to a minimum.

Mr. Czarick is considered by the poultry industry and the academic community as the leading authority on the design and operation of poultry house environmental control systems. Since 1985, Mr. Czarick has written over 190 monthly Poultry Housing Tip newsletters. Each newsletter covers a different aspect of poultry house environmental control and energy conservation. Over 3500 copies of the newsletter are distributed each month to poultry producers, county agents, and poultry companies around the world. Most of the people that receive the newsletters are poultry company managers/supervisors that are responsible for hundreds of growers. The managers/supervisors copy the newsletters and distribute them to their growers increasing the actual distribution into the thousands. Countless other individuals download new as well as past newsletters from Mr. Czarick’s UGA Poultry Sciencey Website, www.poultryventilation.com.

Mr. Czarick’s website is a very popular source of information on poultry house ventilation and energy conservation. At the site users can find over 350 past Poultry Housing Tips as well as Powerpoint notes from many of the presentations he has given at recent educational meetings.

Mr. Czarick’s unique ability to explain relatively complex ventilation concepts in an easy to understand way has made him a highly sought after speaker world round. Over the past 36 years Mr. Czarick has given presentations on poultry house environmental control and energy conservation in 56 different countries on six different continents.