From the outside the building may never win a beauty contest, but on the inside the new Jones-Hamilton Environmental Poultry House at UD's Research and Education Center in Georgetown, Del., is a state-of-the-art research facility for studying all aspects of broiler production. The poultry house is equipped with sensors to monitor such conditions as temperature, humidity and air quality and is computerized to adjust these variables for the best growing environment.

The Jones-Hamilton Environmental Poultry House is:

• a laboratory for air quality and enhanced litter studies;
  
  
• a testing ground for environmental solutions;
  
  
• an experiment to find ways to reduce poultry house emissions of dust, feathers and odors;
  
  
• a distance-learning center for college and high school students; and
  
  
• a partnership of the poultry industry, the state and the University that will improve the bottom line for growers and provide consumers with a better chicken.

Inside the building, the goal is to grow the healthiest broilers at the lowest cost to the producer, while testing out the feasibility of research practices under real-world conditions.

In addition, the poultry house provides a site for students in the College to gain experience. One of their projects involves monitoring air quality, temperature, humidity levels, carbon dioxide and ammonia emissions by using a remote, computer-controlled system. Video cameras inside the poultry house allow students to visually monitor the chickens 24/7.

Construction of the facility was partially funded by a $70,000 gift from Jones-Hamilton, a manufacturer of agricultural products, including poultry litter treatment. The state of Delaware funded the purchase of instruments and other equipment.