Name: Mini Thermo-Anemometer

Cost: $140 to $270

Available at Home-Depot, Amazon, and manufacturers’ websites

Intended use

A mini–Thermo-Anemometer device is used to measure relative humidity (%), dew point, wind chill, temperature, and air velocity.

How does it work?

The device has sensors to measure temperature and humidity. It also contains a vane impeller that measures air velocity. This is a pocket-size meter that displays air velocity plus temperature or air velocity plus relative humidity on a large, dual display LCD. Wind speed values are displayed in 6 different units, which include MPH (miles/hour), km/h (kilometers/hour), Knots (nautical miles per hour), MS (meters/second), FPM (feet/minute), and Beaufort force (an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land) with +3% accuracy. There is an option to choose to get an average value for 5 or 10-second intervals. Temperature is measured based on °C and °F. The relative humidity is measured based on percentage. Features include data hold to freeze the most recent display and auto-power-off to preserve battery life. With the cover open, the meter extends to 9 In (22.8 cm). for reaching into openings.

Using the device

To use the device in a poultry barn, follow the following steps:

1. Press the ON/OFF/HOLD button to turn the device on
2. The display can show two numbers simultaneously. The number on the upper side is the air velocity readings. The number on the lower side can switch between temperature, relative humidity (RH%), dew point (TD), and temperature with wind-chill factor (WCI). To change the lower display parameter, you will need to hold down the ON/OFF button and press the UNIT/MODE button repeatedly to step through the parameters (Temperature, RH, TD, and WCI).
3. To change the air velocity unit, turn the device off. Press and hold down both buttons (ON/OFF and UNITS/MODE) until the display turns on and begins blinking then release both buttons. Press the UNITS/MODE button repeatedly to step through the units. After 5 seconds the meter switches back to normal operation mode automatically.
4. To change the temperature unit, turn the device off. Press and hold down both buttons (ON/OFF and UNITS/MODE) until the display turns on and begins blinking then release both buttons. Press both buttons momentarily to change temperature units. After 5 seconds the meter switches back to normal operation mode automatically.
5. To take a measurement, position the device so that the airflow enters the meter vane from the rear of the device (opposite side of the front panel log). You may want to use a tripod to provide stability. A tripod mount is located on the bottom of the device.
6. There are two modes on the display: Max and Average. Max mode represents the highest measurement taken since the device was turned on. Press the UNITS/MODE button to display the Max reading when the MAX icon appears. Press the UNIT/MODE button repeatedly to step through to the normal operating mode. The average mode represents an average of 5 or 10 readings. Press the UNITS/MODE three times for 5 reading averaging or 4 times for 10 readings. To exit this mode, press the UNITS/MODE button until the icon on the left disappears.
7. Data Hold is a feature that freezes the most recent displayed reading. To active Data Hold, press and hold the ON/OFF/HOLD button. As long as the ON/OFF/HOLD button is held the reading will remain on the screen.

Author Profile

Author Profile

Mohammad Afrouziyeh

Livestock Research Program Officer at RDAR - Results Driven Agriculture Research

Mohammad was the PIP team Research Associate (2021-2024) with extensive experience in poultry nutrition. He wrote science articles for newsletters and worked on developing adaptations and recommendations to support the adoption of new managerial tools, products, services, and practices by the poultry industry.

Looking at his poultry industry perspective, Mohammad has been serving the poultry industry through his extensive experience in feed formulation as an animal nutritionist over the past ten years. He was also a university lecturer for 10 years. Mohammad was a member of the Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) at the U of A. Mohammad graduated with a Ph.D. degree in Animal Science from the University of Alberta with a Postdoctoral fellowship before moving to his Research Associate position with the PIP team. Serving the poultry industry as an animal nutritionist for more than a decade, Mohammad loves teaching and worked as a university lecturer in Iran and a teaching assistant at the U of A. Mohammad was inspired by Dr. Frank Robinson, practicing the inquiry-based learning method when working as a TA in his “Principles of Animal Agriculture” class. “I have a strong passion on poultry nutrition and have always loved to help poultry producers with optimizing the poultry systems. The challenging part of working with live animals is that you need to be on call even as a nutritionist. However, the joy of seeing healthy animals and help with their welfare overcome the challenging part.”