Commercial chicken farming requires a high-level of expertise, understanding and commitment to be successful. Whilst it’s important to emphasize the need for excellent flock management at all times, something that comes with experience and aptitude, adopting the correct housing techniques and equipment will set a firm foundation for success of your poultry venture.
The following is a guiding checklist for poultry house construction:
A poultry house should provide the birds with a comfortable environment and protect them from the extremities of the prevailing weather (rain, wind and sunshine). It should have adequate space for the flock to be kept in the house.
The ideal stocking density is;
1. Layers (one square meter for 6 birds)
2. Broilers (One square meter for 11 birds)
Structure
How to construct a poultry house
The poultry house should be open-sided to allow natural ventilation with an east-west orientation to minimise the amount of sunlight entering the house directly. Its not good for sun rays to strike directly into the poultry house. It should be rectangular in shape and have a wall not higher than three feet on the longer side. The width should be at least 7-9 metres, but for the length you are only limited by your land. Avoid building poultry houses in a square form.
The wire
How to construct a poultry house
The wall can be made from stones, iron sheets, timber, silver boards or bricks and as well as the rest of the side of the wall should have a chicken wire mesh. The wire mesh on the sides of the house should be of a small gauge to prevent entry of wild birds, dogs and rodents. This normal chicken mesh is not long lasting, within a few months it rusts and gets off the house. its better to use a plastic quoted mesh.
The roof
How to construct a poultry house
The roof of the house should have a reflecting surface and pitched with overlaps to ensure that the house is comfortable and well ventilated. There should be enough gap between the birds and the roof to avoid heat stress. The pin of the house should be 8 metres from the ground, and the sides should be 5 metres., with this practice the birds will be healthy in terms of protecting them from heat stress as said earlier on and will not have negative impacts on the birds in case of administering vaccines to the birds because poultry vaccines react negatively to birds during heat.
Floor
How to construct a poultry house
Concrete floors are the best finishing as they are easier to clean and disinfect. Concrete floor help to prevent the birds from picking the floor. Furthermore concentrate floor all sort of ants, termites to have direct access to the birds.
Note; it doesn’t mean that farmer shouldn’t put wood savings or sawdust on the concrete floor..
Foot bath
How to construct a poultry house
A poultry house is not well constructed if foot bath isn’t available, we cannot consider a poultry house without a foot bath, there should be a foot-bath at the entrance of the house for those entering the poultry house to disinfect their foot wear. You know farm boys have a tendency of jumping the foot bath, but if it is wide enough they cannot jump it.
The feed store
How to construct a poultry house
One of the most crucial part of poultry house is feed store, I mean how can someone construct a house without a store. The same also applicable to poultry house, it’s essential to add poultry store to the poultry house were feeds, vaccines and medication will be stored. The feed store should also be separate from the house to reduce risk of attracting rodents. It should be constructed in isolated areas to minimize the risk of contamination.
Borehole construction
How to construct a poultry house
One of the most essential of life is water, everybody knows that no one can survive without water, which also applies to birds too, your poultry house plan must have borehole and a tank raised inside the poultry house. Exposing water to sunshine in bad, as it gets warm and birds may reject it, or may facilitate heat stress during the dry seasons which can later Leeds to a fatal diseases among the birds.
Lastly knowing how to construct a poultry house is a great investment knowledge wise, when I say investment knowledge wise it means as a poultry farmer you need to be versatile in knowledge acquisition, by this if a novice also want a prototype of your business you can easily put him or her through which you can charge a Fortune for. Moreover constructing the best poultry house doesn’t come with ease rather the below point must also be considered;
- The poultry house should be fenced to exclude stray animals and visitors.
- The doors should always be locked.
- To reduce the risk of rodents gaining entrance into the poultry house, clear all the vegetation in a radius of 3-5 metres around the pen.
- On poultry farms, an all-in all-out system is the best management practice as it prevents the build up of disease causing organisms and disease outbreaks. Its always good to have one age group in each house, but not putting different ages in one house.
- In case where farmers want to keep flocks of different ages, then each flock must be housed in its own.
Ventilation
How to construct a poultry house
Ventilation is the circulation of fresh air through the flock house and exhaustion of stale air out of the flock units and its achieved by air passing from one side of the house and exhausting through the opposite side.
Ventilation of poultry houses serves several functions including:
1. Removing excess heat and moisture.
2. Providing oxygen while removing harmful gases.
3. Reducing dust hence improving the air quality.
You must always allow optimal ventilation to avoid chicks getting suffocated.
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