Housing is very important in poultry farming; its main function is protection, from adverse weather conditions and predators.
These two factors are great threats to the productivity of the poultry birds.
Building a poultry house has strategies and approaches for it to enhance the productivity of the birds.
Many poultry businesses fold up today as a result of the ignorance of the farmer. It is very possible you feed your birds with highly nutritious feed, serve fresh clean water and follow a strict medical program yet have a poor production.
Productivity of birds does not only lie on the nutrition and health program alone; environmental factors also play a germane role on the productivity of poultry birds. Your poultry house is the interphase between your birds and the environment; hence, poultry house should be constructed such that it compensates the welfare of the birds.
There are different types of poultry house and several factors have to be considered in building a poultry house. A poultry house should be constructed bearing in mind the effects of some environmental factors, such as: heat, rainfall etc.; a good poultry house must abate the effects of these environmental factors. Here are some guides you should follow when constructing a modern poultry house.
Orientation of the house:
Did you know there is a way you must position your poultry house to enhance their productivity and make the birds very comfortable? Yes, there is. The longest side of your pen, that is, the breadth, should face the direction of the prevailing wind. This has several advantages. The most cogent advantage that your birds receive is even ventilation. Also, moisture dries up easily in such poultry house. Ventilation is very important in poultry farm. It eliminates heat stress and makes the bird comfortable, thus, enhancing their productivity. One of the ways to ensure good ventilation in a poultry house is it orientates the poultry house in the direction of the prevailing wind. For you to know the direction of the wind, just throw up a kite and watch where it moves to up the sky, alternatively, set up a small fire watch the direction of the smoke or hold a strand of thread in the air and watch the direction it orientates to. This is one of the factors to consider before setting up a poultry house.
Materials used in poultry house:
The materials you use in the construction of your poultry house depend on your financial strength. Poultry house can be made with different materials but you have to bear the purpose of the house in mind. The most prominent purpose is protection, from harsh weather and predators. Ensure any material you will use serves this purpose duly.
Ventilation:
Ventilation is very important in a modern poultry house. There are several biological processes going on in a poultry house that tends to generate heat; ventilation serves two purposes: elimination of heat stress and drying up of moisture in the poultry house. Heat stress is very detrimental to poultry birds; it can reduce the productivity of birds greatly and also cause death in severe cases. Also, moisture in a poultry house is not good for the well-being of the birds. Moisture provides a favorable condition for disease pathogens to thrive, thus, causing disease outbreak in the farm. Ventilation is the principal solution to these threats; proper ventilation eliminates the heat in the farm and also dries up moisture. The poultry house must be designed in a way that is well ventilated.
Planting of tree crops:
Trees are beneficial entities to humans, especially those that bear edible fruits. However, deforestation is one of the banes of environmental pollution the world today. Trees are not only good for man; they are as well beneficial to animals. Trees provide fresh air and also bring a cool sensation to animals. Planting a tree around your poultry house makes your birds healthy, eliminates heat stress, provides a cooling effect and shields your birds from harsh weather condition. You can plant tree crops like banana, plantain, orange, mango, etc.; although some of these trees may harbor some pest. This can be controlled with proper security measures, use of repellants etc.
Protection from predators:
Predators can be micro, in form of bacteria, fungi and others, or macro, in form of snakes. All these can be controlled biologically; there are pest repellants crops you can plant to keep macro predators away from your farm. Also, use of biosecurity is very important, it eliminate the emergence of micro predators; these are very destructive.
Litter material:
In our homes, we have carpets and rug to adore the floor, so also in a modern poultry house, litter material serves this purpose too. Litter materials are placed on the floor of the pen to absorb moisture from the birds’ droppings, facilitate easy cleaning and also make the birds comfortable. Wood shaving is the common litter material used, others are groundnut husk, newspaper for chicks etc. do not use saw-dust; its small particle size can enter the birds’ eyes and make them blind or cause a respiratory disease.
All the aforementioned guides must be implemented to achieve success in the poultry business. Feeding alone does not determine the success of a poultry farm; these are structural and environmental aids to poultry birds.
