THE REALITIES ABOUT POULTRY The Modern Farm - The Realities About Poultry_Seco | Page 46

A small, simple house, which allows 0.3 to 0.4m 2 per bird, and which has thatched roof, a littered
earth floor and slatted or chicken wire walls on at least three sides will provide protection from
rough weather, from predators at night and offer shade in the day time. The shelter should be large
enough to enter to collect eggs and be equipped with nest boxes, feeders, drinkers and perches. For
convenience the house should be situated so that access to each of the runs can be provided with
small outlet doors.
This system is low in cost, but growth of the birds and egg production are likely to be less than with
systems offering closer confinement and better feed. Losses may be encountered by birds of prey
and from failure to find eggs laid in bushy areas. The poultry run requires a considerable amount of
fencing.
Permanent Poultry House
The permanent poultry house is constructed from brick, clay, timber, corrugated iron sheets or any
other available material.
Basic requirements for a permanent poultry housing
 Floor in the shed should provide space for three layers/m 2 on 10cm deep litter. Density of birds
per unit area is the most important basic principle in housing, as the space available determines
the number and type of poultry that can be kept. For example, a deep litter house measuring 6 m
by 11 m can hold 200 laying hens at a stock density of 3 birds/m 2 (3.6ft 2 /bird). An ideal floor for
a deep litter house is well drained and made of concrete, with a layer of heavy gravel or wire
mesh embedded in it to keep out rats. This type of floor is usually costly. Wood, bamboo, bricks
or large flat stones (according to what is locally available) can be used, but are ha rder to clean.
Clay floors are cheaper, but require the application of a fresh layer of clay either between flock
batches or at least annually. In areas where construction materials are cheaper than deep litter
and particularly in humid regions where litter material is not available, raised floors are
sometimes used. These are made of wire mesh, expanded metal, wooden slats or split bamboo,
to allow the droppings to collect under the house, and should be about one meter above the
ground to allow for cleaning and ventilation. Higher floors may result in an unstable building.
They are supported by pillars, which are either rot-resistant or have stone or concrete footings,
and which are made of such materials as wood, bamboo, oil drums and concrete blocks. Houses
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