2.1.2. Poultry House

The whole farm consists of five poultry houses and two outbuildings. Four of the poultry houses are large with an area of 1700 m2, and one is smaller, at a distance around 80 m from them. The impact of the smaller poultry house, on the soil, was the object of this study (Figure 1). The farm is engaged in broiler breeding. The chicks are bought from an external company, which provides the necessary vaccines and injections of a lincomycin and spectinomycin mixture. The breeding cycle lasts 42 days (6 weeks) with the initial temperature of 31 ◦C, falling down to 18 ◦C during the breeding, and constant air circulation (supply, exhaust, heating). Food given to the chickens is supplied in the form of a mixture of soybean meal, wheat, triticale, corn, soybean oil, and premix as a supplement (ready mix of minerals and vitamins, contains 2.5 kg of salt per ton of additives). However, during breeding, the

necessary amount of antibiotics (such as amoxicillin, doxycycline, and enrofloxacin) are given ad hoc in water troughs (the line is not cleaned after supply). Notwithstanding, the antibiotic withdrawal period is respected, under threat of punitive measures by the meat purchasing company.

According to the breeder, proceedings involving distant discharge of polluted air and its high frequency are to maintain hygiene in the poultry house itself, and eliminate the controversial odor around the farm. The poultry house is cleaned once, before the start of every cycle (one cycle = 42 breeding days) by an external company. As part of cleaning, the litter is replaced, and the surface is swept and wet-cleaned each time with the use of cleaning agents, fired and whitewashed with lime, with the addition of ammonium sulfate for disinfection. Before settling the shed, disinfectant is sprayed in mist form. The composition of cleaning and disinfecting agents is unknown, and at the same time considered irrelevant in these tests. After replacement, the litter is moved outside the building at point 7A\_M and then taken outside the farm.

**Figure 1.** Soil sampling point distribution. 1–7A, 1B, and 1C soil samples point, collected in area A (around poultry house), area B (450 m away), and area C (980 m away).
