{"id":3132,"date":"2026-10-29T15:52:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T07:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=3132"},"modified":"2026-10-29T15:52:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T07:52:57","slug":"cold-storage-for-egg-and-poultry-products-sizing-basics","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/pt\/news\/cold-storage-for-egg-and-poultry-products-sizing-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Cold Storage for Egg and Poultry Products: Sizing Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/pt\/armarios-frigorificos-solucao-de-transporte-da-cadeia-de-frio\/\"><strong>cold storage system<\/strong><\/a> on a poultry farm is a refrigerated room, or set of rooms, that holds eggs or dressed birds at a controlled temperature and humidity between collection and dispatch. Size it from three inputs: the temperature band your product and market require, the longest holding time you must cover, and peak daily output.<\/p>\n<h2>What &#8220;cold storage&#8221; actually means on a farm<\/h2>\n<p>In food logistics, &#8220;cold storage system&#8221; usually means a distribution warehouse. On a poultry farm the job is narrower: bridge the gap between the moment product leaves the house and the moment a truck takes it away.<br \/>\nThat gap looks different depending on what you produce:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Table eggs collected from layer houses and held until the packer or buyer collects them.<\/li>\n<li>Hatching eggs held on a breeder farm until they go to the hatchery.<\/li>\n<li>Dressed carcasses on farms that slaughter on site, which need chilling first and holding second.<\/li>\n<li>Mortality storage (dead birds awaiting disposal), which uses refrigeration too but is a biosecurity facility, not a food store.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each of these has a different target temperature. Treating them as one &#8220;cold room&#8221; is the most expensive sizing mistake on this list, so the temperature question comes first.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-762\" src=\"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Transport-Cold-Chain-Slaughtering.webp\" alt=\"Apoio \u00e0 agricultura e sistemas auxiliares\" width=\"840\" height=\"440\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Transport-Cold-Chain-Slaughtering.webp 840w, https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Transport-Cold-Chain-Slaughtering-300x157.webp 300w, https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Transport-Cold-Chain-Slaughtering-768x402.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Temperature bands by product and market<\/h2>\n<p>The table below summarizes the published bands. Note the column on direction: for some products colder is better, for others the rules or the biology push the other way.<\/p>\n<table style=\"height: 580px;\" width=\"1073\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><b>Produto<\/b><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><b>Target band<\/b><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><b>Humidity<\/b><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><b>Source<\/b><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><b>Direction<\/b><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Table eggs, US (packed for consumers)<\/td>\n<td>Ambient \u2264 7.2 \u00b0C (45 \u00b0F)<\/td>\n<td>Not specified<\/td>\n<td>USDA FSIS, 9 CFR 590.50<\/td>\n<td>Colder is required<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Table eggs, US (on farm, after lay)<\/td>\n<td>Ambient \u2264 7.2 \u00b0C (45 \u00b0F) starting 36 h after lay<\/td>\n<td>Not specified<\/td>\n<td>FDA <em>Salmonela<\/em>\u00a0Enteritidis rule, as summarized by USDA FSIS<\/td>\n<td>Colder is required<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Table eggs, EU Class A<\/td>\n<td>Constant temperature; premises not artificially held below 5 \u00b0C<\/td>\n<td>Not specified<\/td>\n<td>EU egg marketing standards (Reg. (EC) 589\/2008, since replaced by Delegated Reg. (EU) 2023\/2465)<\/td>\n<td>Avoid chilling<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hatching eggs, 0\u20134 days storage<\/td>\n<td>19\u201321 \u00b0C<\/td>\n<td>60\u201375 % RH<\/td>\n<td>Lohmann Breeders Parent Stock Management Guide<\/td>\n<td>Moderate cool only<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hatching eggs, 5\u20137 days storage<\/td>\n<td>17\u201318 \u00b0C<\/td>\n<td>70\u201378 % RH<\/td>\n<td>Lohmann Breeders Parent Stock Management Guide<\/td>\n<td>Cooler as storage lengthens<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Fresh poultry carcasses<\/td>\n<td>\u2264 4 \u00b0C, reached as soon as possible after evisceration<\/td>\n<td>Not specified<\/td>\n<td>EU Reg. (EC) 853\/2004, Annex III, Section II<\/td>\n<td>Colder, fast<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Frozen poultry meat<\/td>\n<td>\u221218 \u00b0C<\/td>\n<td>Not specified<\/td>\n<td>Food Safety Authority of Ireland summary of EU 853\/2004 requirements<\/td>\n<td>Frozen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Why US and EU egg rules point in opposite directions<\/h2>\n<p>This is the misconception that catches export-oriented farms. The US rule exists to slow Salmonella Enteritidis growth inside the egg; USDA FSIS risk work found contamination levels roughly 30 times higher in eggs held five days at 65 \u00b0F than at 45 \u00b0F.<br \/>\nThe EU logic is about condensation. The EU regulation&#8217;s own recitals explain that cold eggs brought into room temperature can &#8220;sweat,&#8221; and moisture on the shell helps bacteria get in. So EU Class A eggs are kept at a steady, cool-but-not-chilled temperature from farm to shop, with short tolerances: eggs below 5 \u00b0C for up to 24 hours in transport or 72 hours at retail are not treated as chilled.<\/p>\n<p>The practical consequence: a farm supplying both markets, or switching buyers, may need two temperature zones rather than one cold room. Ask your buyer which standard governs before you size anything.<\/p>\n<h2>Holding time drives the size more than bird count<\/h2>\n<p>A 50,000-hen farm with daily pickup needs a fraction of the room a 50,000-hen farm with weekly pickup needs. Holding time is set by:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Collection frequency. Automatic egg collection lets you collect several times a day, which shortens the time eggs sit warm in the house but does not change how long they wait for a truck.<\/li>\n<li>Dispatch frequency. How often the packer, hatchery or buyer collects.<\/li>\n<li>Disruption buffer. Public holidays, road closures in the rainy season, and border delays for farms exporting overland.<\/li>\n<li>The downstream shelf window. In the EU, eggs must reach the consumer within 21 days of laying (Reg. (EC) 853\/2004, Annex III, Section X). Every day the eggs sit on your farm is a day the packer and retailer lose.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>For hatching eggs, storage time also changes the target temperature, as the Lohmann bands above show. A room designed for three-day holding at 20 \u00b0C will be wrong if the hatchery shifts to weekly setting.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-966\" src=\"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/banner1.webp\" alt=\"Solu\u00e7\u00f5es para a produ\u00e7\u00e3o de ovos\" width=\"924\" height=\"289\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/banner1.webp 1920w, https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/banner1-300x94.webp 300w, https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/banner1-1024x320.webp 1024w, https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/banner1-768x240.webp 768w, https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/banner1-1536x480.webp 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 924px) 100vw, 924px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>How to size an on-farm egg cold room in five steps<\/h2>\n<p>These steps give a first estimate to take to a refrigeration designer. They do not replace a heat-load calculation.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Fix the temperature zone(s). Use the table above and your buyer&#8217;s contract. If you need both a table-egg and a hatching-egg zone, size them separately.<\/li>\n<li>Calculate peak daily output. Use your flock&#8217;s peak production, not the annual average. Example input: 50,000 hens \u00d7 90 % peak lay = 45,000 eggs\/day = 1,500 trays of 30.<\/li>\n<li>Set the maximum holding days. Dispatch interval plus disruption buffer. Example input: pickup every 3 days + 2 buffer days = 5 days \u2192 7,500 trays in storage at peak.<\/li>\n<li>Convert trays to pallet positions. Divide by the number of trays per pallet from your packaging supplier&#8217;s specification. Case and pallet formats vary by country, so do not borrow a figure from another market.<\/li>\n<li>Add space for air and people. Product must not touch walls or block evaporator airflow, and you need aisles for a pallet jack or trolley. Your refrigeration designer sets these clearances; ask them to state the assumption in writing.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You can check the result quickly: if the room only works when every pallet position is full and the doors stay closed, it is undersized for peak days.<\/p>\n<h2>Carcass rooms need chilling capacity, not just holding space<\/h2>\n<p>For on-farm slaughter, sizing has two separate parts. A chiller must pull warm carcasses down to 4 \u00b0C quickly; a holding room only has to keep already-cold product at temperature. Research on air chilling of chicken carcasses, published through the International Institute of Refrigeration, notes that the time needed to reach the 4 \u00b0C limit is the main commercial factor in the cost of the cooling system. Sizing a holding room and loading it with warm birds is a common way to end up with product that never reaches the legal limit in time.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-334 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/d2-8.webp\" alt=\"Control panel with multi-function buttons for ventilation, temperature, and alarm settings.\" width=\"398\" height=\"250\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/d2-8.webp 398w, https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/d2-8-300x188.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 398px) 100vw, 398px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>On-farm cold room vs. same-day dispatch<\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><b>Fator<\/b><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><b>On-farm cold room<\/b><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><b>Same-day dispatch, no cold room<\/b><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Fits US consumer-egg rule<\/td>\n<td>Yes, if held \u2264 7.2 \u00b0C from 36 h after lay<\/td>\n<td>Only if the buyer collects within the window<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Fits EU Class A practice<\/td>\n<td>Yes, if held constant and not chilled below 5 \u00b0C<\/td>\n<td>Yes, if transport is temperature-stable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Exposure to missed pickups<\/td>\n<td>Buffered by holding days<\/td>\n<td>Eggs wait at ambient temperature<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Capital and power cost<\/td>\n<td>Room, refrigeration plant, backup power<\/td>\n<td>None for storage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Condensation risk at loading<\/td>\n<td>Present in hot, humid climates<\/td>\n<td>Lower, since eggs are not chilled<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Record-keeping<\/td>\n<td>Logger and alarm needed<\/td>\n<td>Depends on buyer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The trade-off that decides most projects: an on-farm room only pays back if dispatch is irregular or the market rule demands it. If your buyer collects daily in a temperate climate, the money may be better spent on the houses.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1256\" src=\"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-1.webp\" alt=\"Arm\u00e1rios de armazenamento a frio e solu\u00e7\u00e3o de transporte da cadeia de frio\" width=\"840\" height=\"440\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-1.webp 840w, https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-1-300x157.webp 300w, https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-1-768x402.webp 768w, https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-1-18x9.webp 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>What does on-farm cold storage cost?<\/h2>\n<p>The cost drivers to bring to that quote are:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Number of temperature zones and their setpoints<\/li>\n<li>Pallet positions at peak (from the five steps above)<\/li>\n<li>Chilling duty for carcasses, if any, as distinct from holding duty<\/li>\n<li>Ambient design temperature and humidity at the site<\/li>\n<li>Backup power requirement where the grid is unstable<\/li>\n<li>Insulation, door and anteroom specification<\/li>\n<li>Destination-country electrical and refrigerant requirements<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>For the layer equipment that feeds the room, <a href=\"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/pt\/\">Mugong<\/a>&#8216;s published market reference is about US$15\u201325 per bird of capacity for an automatic layer battery cage system (equipment only), with fully automatic 20,000-layer systems typically in a US$35,000\u2013120,000 range depending on automation level. Treat these as typical industry ranges, not a quote.<\/p>\n<h2>Perguntas frequentes<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u00a0What temperature should eggs be stored at on a farm?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It depends on the product and market. US consumer eggs must be held at an ambient temperature no higher than 7.2 \u00b0C (45 \u00b0F) from 36 hours after lay. EU Class A eggs are kept at a constant temperature without chilling below 5 \u00b0C. Hatching eggs are held warmer, around 17\u201321 \u00b0C depending on storage time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0Can table eggs and hatching eggs share one cold room? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Not if either is held to its proper band. US table eggs need 7.2 \u00b0C or below, while hatching eggs stored for a few days are held around 19\u201321 \u00b0C. A single setpoint would be wrong for one of them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many days of storage should I plan for? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Plan for your longest realistic gap between pickups, plus a buffer for holidays and transport disruption. In the EU, remember that eggs must reach the consumer within 21 days of laying, so long on-farm holding reduces the buyer&#8217;s shelf window.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0Is a carcass holding room the same as a chiller?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No. A chiller removes heat from warm carcasses quickly enough to reach 4 \u00b0C as required under EU Regulation 853\/2004. A holding room only maintains temperature. Loading warm carcasses into a holding room can leave product above the limit for too long.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0Does Mugong publish a price for cold storage rooms? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No published reference range covers cold rooms. Pricing depends on zones, pallet positions, chilling duty, site climate and backup power, so it requires a project quote.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A cold storage system on a poultry farm is a refrigerated room, or set of rooms, that holds eggs or dressed birds at a controlled temperature and humidity between collection and dispatch. Size it from three inputs: the temperature band your product and market require, the longest holding time you must cover, and peak daily output.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":["post-3132","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/poultryequipmentmanufacturers.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}