Farm layout and poultry houses

Basic Design
The latest design of poultry houses for broilers and layers is focused on the
attainment of the following targets:
1. Provide essential requirements for the comfort, biosecurity, and
protection of the chickens against the elements of nature
2. Provide convenience and ease of work for the caretakers
3. Provide strength and durability to allow maximization of investments
4. Allow for a reasonable construction cost.
5. To protect inclement weather, direct sun rays and rain.
6. To minimize effect of dampness.
7. To provide safety from their predators.
8. To apply scientific management practices
9. To provide suitable, atmosphere for expression of full genetic potential

Structure
The poultry house for Broiler should be made
of durable relatively cheap materials. Coconut
lumber is the most commonly used materials
for the main frames (fig.3), but good lumber,
when available is ideal. Galvanized Iron (GI)
sheets, asbestos and aluminum are used for
roofing materials.

Basic Principles to be observed for layout

1. Layout should not allow visitors (for office works) and outside vehicles to
come in contact with birds. From this, administrative block and feed mill
unit should be kept away from sheds on farm.
2. The younger birds should be kept away from disturbances due to
movements of outsiders. For which brooder and grower houses are
preferably. Located at far end of site, away from administrative block and
mill unit.
3. The houses of should be necessarily placed on the upwind flow side to
avoid cross-infection from adults to youngers through air. In our country
for major part of year, west is the upwind flow side.
4. Feed mill is generally attached to medium and large size poultry farms
and preferably placed near gate.
5. The shed should be located that the fresh air first passes through the
brooder shed, followed by grower and layer shed. This prevents the
spread of diseases from layer houses to brooder house.
 6. There should be a minimum distance of 50-100feet between chick and
grower shed and the distance between grower and layer shed should be
of minimum 100 meter
7. 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.
8. The disposal pit and sick room should be constructed only at the
extreme end of site.

There are two types of housing that can be

used.
 Slatted flooring
 All-litter type

Wood slat with plastic net

o Poultry houses should have a width of

7.3m to 9m (24-30 ft). The space in
between houses should at least be
13.7m (45 feet).
o The slatted houses should be elevated from the ground to minimize
ammonia buildup.
o The main concern for building design in the Philippines is to provide the
most comfortable ventilation and lowest temperature possible.
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 growers 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.
Breeder house- in which both male and female breeders are maintained
appropriate sex ratio
Environmentally controlled (ec) house- in which entire environment is
manipulated in such a way is optimum for the bird’s growth

House orientation (Direction)

o 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
o Each broiler requires one square foot of floor space while layer requires
two square foot 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
o The length of the house can be of any extent. The number of birds reared
and availability of land determines the length of poultry house

Width
o Not more than 22 to 25 feet in order to allow ample ventilation and
aeration at the mid-portion.
Height
o The height of the sides from foundation to the roof line should be 6-7 feet
and at the center 10 to 12 feet. In case of cage house, the height is
decided by the type of cage arrangements (3 tier to 4 tier)
o Foundation
o Good foundation is essential to prevent seepage (leakage) 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.
o
o Floor
o 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.
o
o Doors
o The door must be open outside in case of deep-litter poultry houses. The
size of door is preferably 6x2.5 feet. At the entry, a foot bath should be
constructed to fill with a disinfectant.
o
Sidewalls
o The side wall should be of 1.5 feet high and generally at the level of birds
back height. This side wall protects the birds during rainy days or chill
climate and also provides sufficient ventilation. In case of cage houses,
no side wall is needed.
Roof
o 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,
gothic, etc. Gable type is mostly preferred in tropical countries.
Overhang
o 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
o Light should be provided at 7-8 feet above the ground level and must be
hanged from ceiling. If incandescent bulb is used, the interval between
two bulbs is 10 feet. In case of fluorescent lights (tube lights) the interval
is 15 feet.
Poultry Housing Systems:
1. Free Range or Extensive system
2. Semi-intensive system
3. Intensive system
3.1 Deep-Litter system
3.2 Slatted floor type
3.3 Slat cum litter system
3.4 Cage system
Types of cages:
Based on the number of birds in a cage, it is classified as:
 Single or individual bird cage (Only one bird in a cage)
 Multiple bird cage (from 2 to 10 birds, usually 3 or 4 birds per cage)
 Colony cages ( holding birds more than 11 per cages
Base on the number of rows:
 Single- deck
 Double- deck
 Triple- deck
 Four- deck
 Flat- deck

Based on arrangement of cages:

1. Stair –step cages
2. Battery cages (vertical cages)
Based on the type of bird reared
1. Brooder/chick cages
2. Grower cages
3. Layer cages
4. Breeder cages
Broiler Cages
1. Brooder cage/chick cage

Layer cage
Two types of stair-step layer cages are commonly used in open-sided poultry
houses
1. Conventional cages
2. Reverse Cages

Below is a comprehensive list of poultry equipment and its uses;

o Feeders are equipment used in feeding poultry birds

Feed Bucket 7A - 13kg

Feed Bucket 7A - 13kg
capacity

o Heaters or Brooders used in

regulating and increasing the temperature of the poultry farm

Infrared Gas Brooder

Infrared Gas Brooder for heating up to 1,000
birds

o Incubator is an instrument or device used in hatching eggs.

o Chick Box is an equipment where the poultry birds are kept for egg
laying.
o Egg Tray is an equipment used in setting the eggs.
o Laying nest is another equipment that helps the birds for laying of eggs.
o Egg Scale is the equipment used in weighing the weight of the eggs.
o Egg Washer is an equipment that make use of a powder called the egg
washing powder.
o Aluminum curral for chicks brooding
17.5”
 Chick drinker 6L cap

o
o
o
o
o Poultry debeaker is used to trim beak to avoid
cannibalism or feather pecking.

 Nipple drinker for poultry.

Easy water line tapping
 Durable and long lasting plastic material

o Disposable syringe is used during administration

of injectable drugs or when measuring liquid
biological and supplements.
o UV Resistance Laminated Curtain
o Shovel and wheel borrow
o Knapsack sprayer-is used to disinfect poultry farm facilities
o Electrical and Carpentry tools- used in simple repair or maintenance
in poultry house
o Cleaning materials:
Brooms and dust pan, cleaning bucket, disinfectants, detergents

Safety practices
Safety – the physical or environmental conditions of work which comply with
the prescribed Occupational Health Safety (OHS) Standards and which allow
the workers to perform his or her job without or within acceptable exposure to
hazards.
Occupational Safety and Health is devoted to the recognition and control of
those factors in the workplace, which may cause death, disability, injury,
sickness, or great discomfort and inefficiency among the workers.
Health – a sound state of the body and mind of the workers that enable him or
her to perform the job normally
Safety Hazards – something that can cause physical injury or damage to
property
Health Hazards – something that can cause illness or disease
Workplace Hazards
Direct – unguarded machines, falling objects, electrical hazards
Physical – noise, inadequate ventilation; vibration, extreme temperature,
inadequate illumination
Chemical – gases, dust, fumes, vapors, mists
Biological – fungi, molds, bacteria, virus, insects
Ergonomics – repetitive and/or prolonged activities, awkward positions,
forceful exertions, improper lifting
Hazard + Exposure = Accident or Illness
SAFE WORK PRACTICES:
1. KEEP all tools and equipment clean and in good condition. ( note: keep
tools sharp and guarded)
2. STORE tools and equipment in the proper storage areas when not in
use.
3. REMOVE any defective tools and equipment from service.
4. ARRANGE equipment and machinery for a clean and safe working area
and ease maintenance
5. STORE tools and material in their proper place.
6. ORGANIZE your work area and keep it clean of trash and other hazard
7. THROW AWAY trash and waste material properly.
8. LABEL all storage areas inside rooms clearly.
PROVIDE proper identification and labeling of work areas per unit of
competency/ area of specialization tools and instructional materials

Cleaning and Disinfection = Decontamination

• Cleaning and disinfection are key components of routine biosecurity in
poultry farming
• Decontamination kills any disease organisms like:
 Virus, Bacteria, Parasite, Mold
Decontamination allows for safe re-population of a farm
Survival of disease causing agents
in the environment
Disease agent Survival time
Avian influenza Days to months
IBD (Gumboro) Months
Coccidiosis Months
Fowl Cholera Weeks
Coryza Hours to days
Marek's Disease Months to years
Newcastle Disease Days to months
Mycoplasma Hours to days
Salmonellosis (Pullorum) Weeks
What can kill disease agents?
 Detergents / soap, Disinfectants, Sunlight, Heat (direct flame or steam)
Cleaning
The physical removal of foreign materials like:
- Dust, Soil, Organic material such as: droppings, blood, secretions which
protect disease agents

Cleaning - is a two-step process

Step 1. Dry cleaning
Step 2. Wet cleaning
You must CLEAN properly before you disinfect!
Disinfection
• Disinfection might kill the remaining disease agents left after cleaning
• Disinfection is the least reliable step of biosecurity, depends on many factors
such as: the quality of cleaning, the hardness of water, quality and suitability
of disinfectant, correct dilution and application

What are Disinfectants?

Disinfectants are chemicals that
- Slow disease agents’ activity, multiplication and their growth
Or
- Kill disease agents
Common types of disinfectants
Disinfectants are divided into several groups based on their chemical structure
Like:
• Halogens (iodophors and chlorines, halamid®, dettol®)
• Alcohols
• Oxidizing agents (hydrogen-peroxide, hyperox®, virkon®)
• Phenols (fenix®, Prophyl 75®)
• Aldehydes (glutheraldhyde – TH4®, formalin)
• Quaternary ammonium compound (Timsen® Medisep®)
Disinfectants might cause poisoning:
– Acute (fast) toxicity with certain disinfectants may cause: dizziness, nausea
and itchy eyes or skin
– Chronic (slow) toxicity may occur gradually over many years, may cause:
permanent disability because the body has become very sensitive
Poisoning
Chemicals can enter your body through 3 ways:
1. through the lungs when breathing or smoking
2. through the mouth when eating and drinking
3. through the skin and eyes
 Types of minor repairs and maintenance

Maintenance is work done regularly to keep equipment, building and rounds

in good condition and working order.

2 types of maintenance system

 Planned maintenance
 Unplanned maintenance

A1. Preventive Maintenance

A2. Controlled maintenance
A3. Breakdown maintenance
[Link] maintenance-maintenance performed unexpectedly
Minor poultry repairs:
 Walls,
 Knee braces,
 Trusses