What Are The Basic Requirements For A Poultry House?

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2024-05-16

Larger-scale commercial production is a more intensive way of raising chickens, as opposed to free-range chickens. Therefore, in order to create a good environment for chickens, it is necessary to reasonably design and build chicken houses that are conducive to the growth of chickens. Chickens have no sweat glands and mainly rely on respiration to dissipate heat. Their heat resistance is worse than their cold resistance. It likes a warm, cool, dry, fresh air, and quiet environment. For this reason, the chicken house should be built in a place with higher terrain, good ventilation, sufficient water and electricity, and convenient transportation. Dry, noisy, no pollution, easy to disinfect and isolate the place.

Chicken cage space

The area and capacity of the chicken house depend on the degree of mechanization and the management level of the breeder. The chicken coop built by the farmer can be determined according to the specific conditions of the site. The span of the open chicken house should not be too large, otherwise it will not be conducive to the ventilation and lighting of the chicken house. The span of the chicken house is generally 6-9m. The span of mechanically ventilated chicken houses can reach 9-12m. The length of the chicken house can be adjusted according to local conditions. Small chicken coops for raising 2800-5000 laying hens can be designed to be 7-8m wide and 33-53m long. Large and medium-sized chicken houses with 5,000-10,000 floors can be designed to be 10-12m wide and 40-65m long.

Chicken house height

The height of the chicken house should be determined according to the feeding method, manure cleaning method, span, and climate conditions. Generally, the distance between the top layer of the chicken cage and the roof is 1.5m.

The wall

The walls of the chicken house have good thermal insulation performance, simple structure, easy to clean and disinfect, and are strong and earthquake-resistant. In cold climate areas, the walls should be appropriately thickened. In areas with mild climates, the walls may be slightly thinner. The exterior walls are plastered with cement, and the interior walls are plastered with cement or white lime.

On the ground

The floor of the chicken house should be waterproof, solid, smooth and non-slip, corrosion-resistant, have certain insulation properties, moisture-proof, no water accumulation, and easy to clean and disinfect. Generally, fields should be 20-30 cm away from the ground to create a high, dry environment. In order to facilitate drainage and avoid accumulation of sewage, the ground inside the house should have a slope of 2%–3% in the direction of the drainage ditch.

The doors and windows

Doors, windows, and ventilation doors are generally located on the south side of the south-facing chicken house. Doors should be sized to allow smooth access for all facilities and work vehicles. Generally, a single door is 2m high and 1m wide, and a two-door door is 2m high and 1.6m wide. The windows of the chicken house should consider lighting and ventilation. It can be set on the front and rear walls, and the front window should be wide. Can be lower to the ground for easier lighting. The rear window should be small, about 2/3 of the front window, and can be slightly higher than the ground to facilitate ventilation in summer. On the premise of basically meeting the lighting and ventilation requirements in summer, the number of windows in chicken houses in cold areas should be as small as possible. Although closed chicken houses do not require windows to provide lighting and ventilation, some emergency windows should also be installed to prevent urgent needs in unexpected situations such as power outages.

The roof

The roof of the chicken house should be insulated, waterproof, strong and lightweight. The main forms of chicken house roofs include flat roof, single slope, double slope, bell tower, half bell tower, vault, etc. The chicken house should be equipped with a suspended ceiling as much as possible so that a roof chamber is formed between the roof and the suspended ceiling to enhance the heat insulation capacity of the chicken house.

Other basic requirements for chicken house construction
Foundation and ground: The ground of the chicken house should be 20-30 cm higher than the outside world, and the foundation should be deep and solid. In areas with high groundwater levels and relatively humid areas, the foundation should be raised or a moisture-proof layer should be laid underground. In addition to being easy to rinse and disinfect, it is also rodent-proof.
Chicken house structure: It is best to use brick-wood structure or materials with good thermal insulation effect. If the roof is made of asbestos tiles, it is required to open a ventilation floor at the ridge every 12 meters. The roof should be a three-layer structure: the outermost layer is asbestos tiles, the middle layer is straw, and the innermost layer is a three-layer structure. It is waterproof linoleum paper or colored striped cloth. The bearing capacity of foundations, beams, columns, and roofs must meet the region’s maximum wind, flood, and snow protection requirements.

Construction scale: Designed based on the batch breeding capacity of 5,000 chickens per chicken house. The height from the eaves to the ground is 2.6±0.1 meters, the length of the chicken house should not exceed 60 meters, and the span should not exceed 9 meters.

Drainage ditch: Set up a drainage ditch (40 cm wide and 10 cm deep) 30 to 50 cm away from the corner of the chicken house. If the chicken house is built on a slope, drainage ditches should be provided on the slope.

Disinfection pool: At least 1 foot disinfection pool/basin and 1 disinfection wash basin are set up in front of each chicken house (the fixed foot disinfection pool is made of cement, with specifications of 50 cm long, 30 cm wide, and about 5 cm deep).

Sports ground: It is required to be well greened, without stagnant water or weeds.

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