SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY

POLILLO, CAMPUS
POLILLO, QUEZON

POULTRY AND LIVESTOCK HOUSES, FIXTURES AND

EQUIPMENT
Poultry House Construction
BRIONES, MARC RAINIER R

Need for poultry house

 To protect birds from adverse climatic conditions

 To ensure easy and economic operation
 To ensure scientific feeding in a controlled manner
 To facilitate proper micro-climatic conditions in a near vicinity of bird
 For effective disease control measures
 To ensure proper supervision
 Selection of location

 Poultry house should be located away from residential and industrial area.
 It should have proper road facilities.

EDUKASYONG PANTAHANAN AT PANGKABUHAYAN

 SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY
POLILLO, CAMPUS
POLILLO, QUEZON
 It should have the basic amenities like water and electricity.
 Availability of farm labourers at relatively cheaper wages.
 Poultry house should be located in an elevated area and there should not be
any water-logging.
 It should have proper ventilation.

Layout of poultry farm

A small size poultry farm doesn’t require any special layout as it involves
construction of only one house. The medium and large size farms require special
considerations for placement of building in the farm premises. The basic
principles to be observed for layout are

Layout should not allow visitors or outside vehicles near the birds.
The sheds should be so located that the fresh air first passes through the brooder
shed, followed by grower and layer sheds. This prevents the spread of diseases
from layer houses to brooder house.
There should be a minimum distance of 50-100 feet between chick and grower
shed and the distance between grower and layer sheds should be of minimum 100
metre.
The egg store room, office room and the feed store room should be located near
entrance to minimize the movement of people around the poultry sheds.
The disposal pit and sick room should be constructed only at the extreme end of
the site.

Different types of poultry houses

Brooder / chick house-It is used to brood and rear egg-type chicks from 0 to 8
weeks of age.
Grower house-It is used to grow egg-type birds from 9 to 18 weeks of age.
Brooders cum grower house-Here, the birds are reared from 0 to 18 weeks of age
(entire brooding and growing period of egg-type chicken).
Layer house-In which birds over 18 weeks of age are reared, usually up to 72
weeks of age.
Broiler house-In which broilers are reared up to 6 weeks of age.

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 SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY
POLILLO, CAMPUS
POLILLO, QUEZON
Breeder house-In which both male and female breeders are maintained at
appropriate sex ratio.
Environmentally controlled (EC) house-In which, entire environment is
manipulated in such a way that is optimum for the birds growth.

Optimal environmental conditions for rearing broilers

Temperature - 22-300C (70-850F)

Relative Humidity - 30-60 %
Ammonia level - Less than 25 ppm
Litter moisture - 15-25%
Air flow - 10-30 metres/minute

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.

EDUKASYONG PANTAHANAN AT PANGKABUHAYAN

 SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY
POLILLO, CAMPUS
POLILLO, QUEZON
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 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.
Gable type is mostly preferred in tropical countries like India.

Lighting

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 SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY
POLILLO, CAMPUS
POLILLO, QUEZON
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.

Systems of Poultry Housing

Poultry can be housed under different systems based on following factors,

 Availability of land
 Cost of land
 Type of farming activity
 Climatic condition
 Labour availability

Broadly, poultry housing systems are classified into three systems:

Free range or extensive system

Semi-intensive system
Intensive system
Deep-litter system
Slatted floor system
Slat cum litter system
Cage system
1) Free range system
This system is adopted only when adequate land is available to ensure
desired stocking density by avoiding overcrowding. We can rear about 250 adult
birds per hectare. A range provides shelter, greens, feed, water and shade.
Foraging is the major source of feeding for birds. Shelter is usually provided by
temporary roofing supported by ordinary poles. The fields are generally used on
rotational basis after harvesting of crops by moving of birds from one field to
another depending on cropping programme. All categories of birds can be reared in
this system. This system is most preferred for organic egg production.

Advantages

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 SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY
POLILLO, CAMPUS
POLILLO, QUEZON
Less capital investment
Cost of housing is least.
Feed requirements are less since birds can consume fairly good amount of feed
from grass land.
Fertility of soil can be maintained.
Disadvantages

The scientific management practices can not be adopted.

Eggs are lost when laid inside the dense grasses unless special nests are provided.
Losses due to predatory animals are more.
Wild birds may bring diseases unless proper care is taken.
2) Semi-intensive system
As the name indicates birds are half-way reared in houses and half-way on
ground or range, i.e. birds are confined to houses in night or as per need and they
are also given access to runs. The houses are with solid floors while runs are fields
only. The success of rearing depends on maintenance of condition of runs to
reduce the contamination. Runs can also be used on turn basis. The stocking
density rate on an average for adult birds is 750 per hectare. This system is usually
adopted for duck rearing. The feeding and watering facilities are provided in the
pen.

Advantages

More economical use of land compared to free range system

Protection of birds from extreme climatic conditions
Control over scientific operation is some extent possible
Disadvantages

High cost for fencing.

Need for routine cleaning and removal of litter material from the pen.
3) Intensive system
Birds are totally confined to houses either on ground / floor or on wire-
netting floor in cages or on slats. It is the most efficient, convenient and
economical system for modern poultry production with huge numbers.

EDUKASYONG PANTAHANAN AT PANGKABUHAYAN

 SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY
POLILLO, CAMPUS
POLILLO, QUEZON
Advantages

Minimum land is required for farming.

Farms can be located near market area.
Day-to-day management is easier.
The production performance is higher as more energy is saved due to restricted
movements.
Scientific management practices like breeding, feeding, medication, culling etc.
can be applied easily and accurately.
The sick birds can be detected, isolated and treated easily.
Disadvantages

Birds’ welfare is affected. They cannot perform the natural behaviour like
roosting, spreading wings, scratching the floor with legs etc.
Since they are not exposed to outside sunlight and feed sources, all the nutrients
should be provided in balanced manner to avoid nutritionally deficient diseases.
Chances for spreading of diseases are more.

Poultry Farm Equipments

Incubation equipments

Setter
It is a machine in which proper temperature, humidity and turning are provided for
the first 19 days of incubating chicken egg.
2. Hatcher
It is similar to that of setter but turning mechanism is not available and the trays
are designed to hold the newly hatched chicks.
Here, the eggs are placed for the last three days of incubation.
Various styles of setter and hatcher found around the world include,
Walk-in or Corridor incubators
Tunnel type incubators
Vertical fan incubators
3. Compressed air system
Some incubators require compressed air to actuate the turning mechanism for the
racks of eggs.

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 SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY
POLILLO, CAMPUS
POLILLO, QUEZON
A large central compressed air system is needed for blowing down dust and other
dry cleaning in the hatchery.
4. Emergency standby electric plants
When there is a failure in the local electrical supply, the incubators must have a
secondary source of electricity.
Therefore, a standby electrical generator located on site, generally within, or next
to the hatchery building is imperative. The standby electrical generator should have
the capacity to support the all essential services of the hatchery.
5. Hatchery automation equipments
Hatcher tray washers Waste removal systems Egg transfer machines In ovo
vaccination equipment Chick box washers Rack washers Vaccinating / sexing /
Grading systems High pressure pumps

Egg candler

It is a lighting device, used to find out the internal structure of eggs.

Two types of egg candlers are available, individual and mass candlers
Brooder equipments
Equipment used to provide warmth and light and to rear the baby chicks during the
first few weeks of life are called brooders.
The brooders consist of some heating source, reflectors to reflect the heat and light
towards the chicks, light and heat adjustment devices such as stands, thermostats
and other accessories, depending on the model.
Different equipment used for brooding are,
1. Charcoal stove / kerosene stove
These are used in places where electricity is not available or costly and
where power failure is quite common.
These stoves are covered with plates or pans to sustain the heat in the
brooding area.
2. Gas brooder
Natural gas, LPG or methane is connected to heating element which is
hanged 3 to 5 feet above the chick to provide heat.
It is attached with canopy type reflectors to reflect the heat towards the
chicks.
3. Electrical brooder

EDUKASYONG PANTAHANAN AT PANGKABUHAYAN

 SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY
POLILLO, CAMPUS
POLILLO, QUEZON
It is also thermostatically controlled heating system that spread required
amount of heat uniformly above large area, this avoid crowding of chicks
under brooder directly.
One electrical brooder can be used for 300 to 400 chicks.
4. Infra-red bulbs
It is a self reflecting bulb and hence no need of reflector over the bulbs.
150 and 250 watt bulbs are available to provide sufficient heat to 150 and
250 chicks, respectively.
5. Reflectors/ Hovers
These reflectors are called Hovers.
These are reflectors of heat and light.
i).Flat type hover

These hovers are flat provided with heating element, heating mechanism and
pilot lamp and in some cases thermometer are also there in order to record
the temperature.
Generally they are mounted with stands on all four corners, instead of
hanging from the roof.
ii).Canopy type hover

These reflectors are in concave shape consisting of ordinary electrical bulb,

thermostat mechanism and in some cases thermometer.
6. Brooder guard / chick guard
These are thin sheets of metal, hard board, or bamboo mat of 1 to 1.5 feet
height and varying in lengths.
They are used to restrict the movement of chicks, so that the chicks will be
kept closer to the brooders and prevent them from chilling.
They are used to prevent chicks from straying too far away from heat supply
until they learn the source of heat.
We have to provide brooder guard with a diameter of 5 feet, height of the
brooder should not exceed 1.5 feet.
For this purpose, we can use materials like cardboard sheet, GI sheet, wire
mesh, and mat etc. depending upon the season of brooding.
During summer season, brooding is done for 5-6 days. In winter season it is
2-3 weeks.
7. Electrical heaters (heating rods or coils)

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 SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY
POLILLO, CAMPUS
POLILLO, QUEZON
This type of brooder is provided with heating elements and pilot lamps and
in some cases thermometer is provided to record the temperature.
They used to have a reflecting device over the heating rods or coils.
The temperature can be adjusted depending on the requirement.

Feeding equipments

Feeders are equipment used to feed the birds, by placing feed in them.
They may be conventional, semi-automatic of various designs and shapes
and made up of either metal or plastic.
Different feeding equipment are,
1. Automatic feeder
In case of automatic feeder the feed is supplied to the entire length of the
poultry house by specially designed feed troughs with auger type or chain
type devices to move the feed from the feed bins to the other end.
These are operated with electricity and the height of the feeder can be
adjusted depending upon the age of the birds.
2. Linear feed
Different sizes of linear feeder with guards are available.
Provision is also made to adjust the height of the feeder.
Linear feeders are usually made of Galvanized Iron. However it can as
well be made out of any locally available material like wood, bamboo,
etc.
Provisions for stability and adjustment in height at which the feeder
stands have to be made in its design.
Birds can stand on either side of the linear feeder.
Total feeder space available = 2* length.
No of linear feeders = (2*Length of the feeder) ÷ Feeder space with all
measurements in cm.
3. Circular feeder
These are semi-automatic feeders and can hold 5 to 7 kg feed in its cone
at a time.
The feed is slowly delivered to the bottom by gravity.
It can also be attached with feed grills to prevent wastage.

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 SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY
POLILLO, CAMPUS
POLILLO, QUEZON
These are made of high plastic and usually suspended from roof/ roof-
truss or from separate pipeline for the purpose.
These are also called as ‘hanging feeders’.
These feeders are available in different capacity and when completely
full, the feed will suffice 4 to 7 days, depending upon the age and number
feeding on them.
The height at which the feed is available can be easily adjusted by simple
clamp mechanism.
Plastic feeders will be brightly colored (red or blue, generally) and hence
are expected to attract layers, especially chicks to feed.
No. of hanging feeders = 1.3* (Circumference ÷ Feeder space) with all
measurements in cm.
30% more birds can be accommodated in a hanging feeder when
compared to that in linear feeder.
4. Shell grit box
It is used to provide shell grit to the layer birds as a supplemental source
of calcium

Water equipments

Water with high total dissolved solids will cause deposits on the humidity
controls, spray nozzles, jets and valve seats.
Therefore filter systems and water softeners are necessary to reduce the TDS
content of the water used for hatchery operations.
1. Plant and jar type
This type of waterer is circular in nature, having two compartments i.e.
jar for filling water and pan for delivering water.
2. Linear waterer / Channel type waterers

This type waterer is usually attached with cages for providing continuous
water supply.
One end of channel type waterer is designed as funnel shape to receive
water from a tap and the other end has the provision for draining the
excess water.
3. Water basin made of plastic / wood/GI with grill

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 SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY
POLILLO, CAMPUS
POLILLO, QUEZON
Basins of different diameters are available (10”, 12”, 14” and 16”
diameter).
A separate grill is available to prevent the entry of birds inside the water.
4. Bell type automatic waterer
These are made of high-impact plastic in a bell shape usually suspended
from separate pipeline for the purpose.
This type of waterers has control over the water flow and maintains the
required water level always.
There will be a continuous flow of water so as to ensure water available
for the birds throughout the day.
Height at which the water is available can be easily adjusted by simple
clamp mechanism and rate of flow water is adjustable by a valve (spring-
mounted). Plastic drinkers will be brightly colored (red,blue) and hence
are expected to attract layers, especially chicks to water.
No. of bell-drinkers=1.3*(circumference÷ Drinker space)
5. Nipple drinker

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EDUKASYONG PANTAHANAN AT PANGKABUHAYAN