LPM 221: Commercial Poultry Production and Hatchery Management (1+1)

Details of open-sided poultry house construction

DETAILS OF POULTRY HOUSE CONSTRUCTION

House Orientation (Direction)

• The poultry house should be located in such a way that long axis is in east-west direction. This will prevent the direct sunshine over the birds.

Size

• Each broiler require one square foot of floor space while a layer requires two square feet of floor space under deep-litter system of rearing. So the size of the house depends on the number of birds to be reared.

Length

• The length of the house can be of any extent. The number of birds reared and availability of the land determines the length of poultry house.

Width

• The open sided poultry houses in tropical countries should have a width not more than 22 to 25 feet in order to allow ample ventilation and aeration at the mid-portion.
• Sheds wider than this will not provide adequate ventilation during the hot weather.
• If the width of the shed is more than 25 feet, ridge ventilation at the middle line of the roof top with proper overhang is a must.
• Hot air and obnoxious gases which are lighter than air move upward and escape through ridge ventilation.
• In environmentally controlled poultry houses, the width of the house may be even 40 feet or more since the ventilation is controlled with the help of exhaust fans.

Height

• The height of the sides from foundation to the roof line should be 6 to 7 feet (eaves height) and at the centre 10 to 12 feet.
• In case of cage houses, the height is decided by the type of cage arrangements (3 tier or 4 tier).

Foundation

• Good foundation is essential to prevent seepage of water into the poultry sheds.
• The foundation of the house should be of concrete with 1 to 1.5 feet below the surface and 1 to 1.5 feet above the ground level.

Floor

• The floor should be made of concrete with rat proof device and free from dampness.
• The floor of the house should be extended 1.5 feet outside the wall on all sides to prevent rat and snake problems.

Doors

• The door must be open outside in case of deep-litter poultry houses.
• The size of door is preferably 6 x 2.5 feet. At the entry, a foot bath should be constructed to fill with a disinfectant.

Side walls

• The side wall should be of 1-1.5 feet height, and generally at the level of bird’s back height.
• This side wall protects the bird during rainy days or chill climate and also provides sufficient ventilation. In case of cage houses, no side wall is needed.

Roof

• The roof of the poultry house may be thatched, tiled, asbestos or concrete one depending upon the cost involvement.
• Different types of roofs are Shed, Gable, half-monitor, full-monitor (Monitor), Flat concrete, Gambrel, Gothic etc. Monitor type is mostly preferred in tropical countries like India.

Overhang

• The overhang of the roof should not be less than 3.5 feet in order to prevent the entry of rain water into the shed.

Lighting

• Light should be provided at 7-8 feet above the ground level and must be hanged from ceiling.
• If incandescent bulbs are used, the interval between two bulbs is 10 feet. In case of fluorescent lights (tube lights) the interval is 15 feet.