Compact Clean Out Helps Contractor Speed Poultry Turn-Around
A fleet of Massey Ferguson compact tractors has made the task of cleaning out poultry houses a faster and more efficient operation for specialist hygiene and cleansing contractor, Ryan Poultry Services.
Ryan Poultry Services
Based at Kenninghall, near Norwich, the company services poultry farms throughout East Anglia, clearing out, fumigating and re-bedding houses between batches of birds being reared for the fresh and frozen poultry markets.
Bob Gooderham, who runs Ryan Poultry Services, explained that cleaning out poultry sheds is a dusty and cramped job, requiring tough machines able to work long hours in tight spaces. “Poultry is reared today in very low buildings to maximise heat economy so we need tractors that can work comfortably in areas where headroom is limited,” he said “Even compact tractors have to have their rollbars removed before they can access every part of the building.”
When Ryan Poultry Services first started out in 1983, manual shovel work was the principal method used to clear out soiled bedding and spread fresh material, particularly around the perimeters of the buildings where height is at its lowest.
Some four years ago, the company acquired its first Massey Ferguson compact tractor to help reduce the time and labour demanded by the job. Today, the business runs two 19.5hp MF 1519s, two 22hp MF 1523s and a 28hp MF 1528, all engaged on poultry house cleaning and bedding operations. A 38hp MF 1540 tractor is dedicated primarily to building fumigation using a mounted orchard-type mist sprayer.
All of the tractors have been supplied by the Attleborough branch of local Massey Ferguson dealer, Randell NFM, who carried out a number of important modifications to meet the specific operating requirements of Ryan Poultry Services.
These include the fitting of wide-core radiators to prevent blocking and overheating in dusty working environments, removing the roll bars and fitting special seats on turntables to enable the driver to sit at an angle and duck down easily to steering wheel level to dodge overhead beams and light fittings.
“The tractors are robust, economical to run and cope well with the harsh conditions, helped by the modifications made by Randell NFM,” commented Mr Gooderham. “All in all, they do a very good job for us, enabling cleaning contracts to be completed effectively with much reduced manual effort in what is a very challenging working environment.”