How do we construct a good poultry house?
Siting and Shape
- isolated away from visitors or interferences
- protect from surface runoff
- Good drainage
Shape – must be rectangular in shape
Direction
- East – West orientation of narrow sides
- To protect against winds, rain and sunlight
Space Requirements
- Broilers 1sqft per bird by 4th week
- Layers 2sqft per bird by 5th week
Floor
- Level and compact
- protected from runoff and water logging
- concrete, marram, earthen
- avoid extensive perches or roosters
- laying boxes on dark sides of the house
- any perches or roosters at most 1 – 1.5 ft above the ground
Wall
- Minimum height 8ft
- At least the two long walls must be two thirds open – covered with chicken wire
- Lower third solid, top two thirds open
- solid part – stone, mud, timber, iron sheet etc
- Lockable door at entrance with a foot bath in front
- Two short sides may be closed in case of extremes of wind, rainstorms, sunlight.
- Preferably washable
Roof
Must be durable, slanting, reflective, washable, adequate overlap and a pitched with vent at the top
Feed storage
Should be isolated from the poultry units, sited in well drained areas away from flooding.
Construction should provide for vermin proofing with lockable doors to prevent uncontrolled access.
Wooden pallets must be provided for feed storage
Spacious enough to allow for Fast In Fast Out stock management protocol.
Must be cleanable and cleaned at least weekly to prevent rodent infestation.
Vegetation/Hedges
No trees should be planted at least 2 meters from the edge of the roof
Hedges should be trimmed and allow for good ground clearance and to prevent interference with free circulation of air. Wild birds must be discouraged from nesting around the poultry units.
Grass should be cleared at least 1 meter all around the poultry unit
The grass around poultry unit should be trimmed to reduce vermin infestation.
Doors
Each unit should have at least one lockable doors.
The keys to the lock should be allocated to specific individuals under close supervision by the manager or owner.
In front of each door, a foot bath should be provided that does not allow for people to enter the poultry unit without dipping foot wear into the disinfectant bath.