Ammonia accumulation in poultry sheds is a major welfare problem causing eye and respiratory damage in broilers and laying hens at concentrations common in commercial production.
Broilers exposed to elevated ammonia experience chronic respiratory irritation, ocular inflammation with painful corneal lesions, and immune suppression. Affected birds show reduced activity and increased huddling near ventilation points. Ammonia damage is insidious and cumulative, with welfare costs often not visible without close examination. Stockpeople frequently habituate to ammonia odours, underestimating concentrations. Welfare-focused ammonia management combines litter quality monitoring, ventilation optimisation, and stocking density management to maintain concentrations below welfare thresholds throughout the production cycle.