POULTRY HOUSING TIPS

Poultry business is becoming the fastest growing self-made business in the agricultural sector. However, this cannot be said if the entrepreneur (farmer) is negligent and nonchalant towards making his business a success. In other to achieve a great feat in it, housing of your poultry birds is very salient. In this post, we would talk about some few tips to build a good poultry house.  Remember to always give chickens a home they can cluck about by Scott Beyer of Kansas State University, Lithuania.

TIPS TO DO WHEN BUILDING POULTRY HOUSES

•  KEEP PREDATORS OUT:  Keeping predators out of the pen and coop is more important than keeping birds in. Pests/predators like dogs; hawks etc are just susceptible to dine on your chickens. In making the poultry house, light weight, cotton or plastic netting easily keeps your birds in a pen but to have a better option, to wire is much better to keep predators from chewing holes in the fence. Wire buried around the perimeter or suspended overhead may be necessary in areas where many predators are a problem. If financially buoyant and to be more cautions, electric fence would be a better option.

•   Make it easy: Poultry houses should always be kept clean and also easy to clean. Pick up all eggs being laid, give water and feed after that. The best way also is to have easy access for manure removal, especially those that have a place where manure drops. Do collect it so that the birds cannot disturb it. Also, you can place a removable tray underneath the poultry house so that the manures/droppings can be scrapped out from an access panel. The easier the manure removal, the easier it can be placed in a compost/waste bin.

•  Aesthetics: If a farm is kept nice and looks well, it helps to reduce the odor and noises coming from the farm. In some countries, their Local Governing boards may ask to review your poultry building plans before you build it. Also, it’s not really necessary to paint the coop, but to make it more attractive and good looking, painting it with bright colors like; lemon green, yellow, sky blue etc, can help reflect light.

•  Use automation: Light is very essential in poultry houses/coops and also in our everyday lives. In building it, consider features such as a small solar panel that can provide enough light in a coop. A light timer should be provided if possible, this helps to provide the exact number of total artificial and natural light to keep birds in eggs production. Evening time, the coops/poultry houses should be closed to prevent predators from entering at night, unless the run outside your coop/poultry house is totally enclosed.

•  Consider portability; Because of their scratching, chickens are destructive to their range areas. To avoid destroying the grass or plants where the house is built on. Then, try to make the coop/poultry house and the outdoor run is easily moved. This reduces the build upon parasites in the soil. Also, consider placing your coop on wheels which will make it easily movable to new range locations. Note, a movable coop allows you to easily seek shady areas and avoid harsh weather winds/sun.

•  Heating and cooling: Heat to your poultry birds, can cause a lot of damage to your birds body system. Heat stress is dangerous and that is why it is always advisable to keep your birds out of extreme cold and heat is very paramount. When building your coop/poultry house, it should include a layer of rigid foam with an aluminum coating on the exterior deflects heat from the roofing material and keeps the coop cooler through the dry season. Also, consider adding passive vents in the peak that allows warm air to escape

•  Do not overbuild: Endeavour to build a suitable and comfortable poultry house for your birds with the adequate materials, equipment, tools and items. Build, just as your finances can afford. Old doors, windows, vents can work but always make sure that they are free of asbestos and lead pan. Also, you will probably need fewer 6*6 posts than you need 2*4 posts to build small flock of housing.

SOME CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES OF BUILDING A GOOD POULTRY HOUSE

1). A good poultry house must have a comfortable beddings/flooring for the birds

2). It should be convenient and have an easy ease of cleaning\

3). Endeavour to provide a layout for easy egg collection

4). It should have an effective waste disposal

5). It must have a standard hatchery unit

6). It must be neat/clean at all times

7). you should Endeavour to provide proper/adequate ventilation

80. Good lighting /heating system should be readily available

9). the poultry house should have an easy access of movement within the poultry farm/building

10). If possible, try to produce a different house for different house (This enables you to train different species of birds according to their various ages and species of birds).

11). The poultry house should be weatherproof.