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Different Types of Poultry Housing System for Tropical Climate

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Different Types of Poultry Housing
System for Tropical Climate

By:
Pragya Bhadauria
Scientist
ICAR, New Delhi
 Introduction

Nutritional
improvement

Genetic
Environment
improvement
 Poultry Physiology

Body
temperature
105°F -
107°F
Poultry house
Comfort design should
zone: be directly
related to
18-22 °C environmental
conditions

Less Strong effect

tolerant of
of heat environmental
than cold factors

High yielding Tropical

exotic environmental
breeds have effect more
temperate high yielding
origin birds
 Importance of Housing

Comfort and Protection

Scientific management in a controlled manner

Easy, convenient and economic operations

Reduces the total cost of production

Maximizes flock performance

Ensuring better health and welfare

Proper micro-climatic conditions

Increased stocking density

Optimum and uniform growth rate

 Type of poultry housing Systems

Semi-Intensive Intensive
Free Range
/Extensive

Slat cum litter Slatted floor Deep Litter Cage

Stair-step/ Battery/ Individual

California Vertical
 Free Range System

 Oldest system and adopted only when adequate land is available

 Rearing of poultry by letting them loose on ground (Field) called as range
 A range should provide shelter, greens, feed, water, shade etc
 Foraging is major source of feeding for birds
 Shelter is usually provided by temporary roofing supported by ordinary poles
 Stocking density: 300-400 birds per hectare
 At present, almost outdated
 Semi-intensive System

 Commonly used by smallscale producers

 Birds are half way reared in houses and

half way on ground or range
 Birds are confined to houses in night or as
per the need, they are also given access to
runs
 Houses may be simple house, thatched
roof, littered earthfloor or slatted
 Provides protection from inclement
weather predators and shade
 Stocking density: 4-5 birds m.sq. in houses
Fold Unit System

 House and run combined, part of which is

covered with chicken wire and the
remainder with solid walls

 A unit 6 metres by 1.5 metres for 6-18 birds

 Floor space 2 square metres per bird

 Moved each day over an area of grassland

 Similar to the deep-litter system, but

requires more space, a considerable amount
of litter for the yard, and the fresh green
food for the birds

 More expensive and less durable

 Deep Litter System

 Poultry birds are kept in large pens on floor, mainly for broilers
 Floor is covered with litters , such as straw, saw dust or leaves up to depth
of 2-3 inches
 Bird density: 5-7 birds per square meter
 Easy assess for feed, water, egg collection, provide good protection
 Disadvantage: Require high quality liter and litter born diseases
 Slatted or wire-floor system

 Small houses with a slatted or wire mesh

floor

 Slats- wooden pieces of 2.5-5 cm wide

placed 2.5 cm apart, running through the
length of house

 Slats placed 3 ft above the ground floor to

allow accumulation of dropping

 Bird density can be 6–8 per square metre

 Feeding, watering & egg collection

handled from outside the house

 Cooler houses but expensive & suitable

for adult bird only
 Combination of slatted floor and deep litter

 60% slat area and 40% litter area

Slats on either side of house against

each side wall leaving central portion for
litter floor

The area is raised above the concrete

floor by 0.5 metres or more to
accumulate manure below the slatted
area

Waterers and feeders are placed on the slat area

slatted area
litter area
Bird density upto 5-7 per sqaure meter

Expensive & complicated management

 Aviaries

 Multi-tiered buildings for cage-free housing

 Several levels of flooring
 Use of vertical space (perches and platforms) – allow birds to
jump to different levels
 High density of birds upto- 25 birds per sqaure meter
 Cage System

 Rearing of poultry on raised wire netting floor in smaller compartments, called cages

 Initially introduce for individual egg & pedigree recording & culling of poor layers

 At present, 75% of commercial layers in the world are kept in cages

 Suitable for keeping high density of birds, when space is limitation

 Scientific managemental practices can be followed

 Feeders and waterers are attached to cages from outside, except nipple waterers, for which
pipeline is installed through or above cages

 Auto-operated feeding trolleys and egg collection belts can also be used

 The droppings are either collected in trays underneath cages, on belts or on floor or deep
pit under the cages

 Recommended Floor space Chick (0 to 8 weeks) = 0.3 Sq.ft

Grower (9 to 16 weeks) = 0.5 Sq.ft
Layer (Above 17 weeks) = 0.6 Sq.ft
Structure of Cage

Floor slope: 1.5 inch per running 12

inch
 Types of cages

Based on the bird density Based on arrangement of cages

 Single or individual bird cage  Battery cages (Vertical cages)

(Only one bird in a cage)
 Multiple bird cage  Stair-step cages
(From 2 to 10 birds) a) M-type cages
 Colony cages b) L-type cages
(More than 11 birds per cage)

Based on the number of rows Based on the type of bird reared

 Single-deck  Brooder / chick cages

 Double-deck  Grower cages
 Triple-deck  Layer cages
 Four-deck  Breeder cages
 Individual cage

Colony cages Battery cages

 California Housing
(High Rise/ Elevated cage house)
 This type of houses provides sufficient
ventilation & waste management in tropical
countries

 The height of the shed is raised by 7-8 feet from

ground level using concrete pillars

 The distance between two pillars is 10 feet

 Two feet wide concrete platforms are made

over the pillars

 For 3 ‘M’ type cages are arranged 4 platforms

are needed

 The inter-platform distance is 5-8 feet

depending upon the type of the cages used

 The total height of the house is 20-25 feet and

the width is 30-33 feet
 8 to 9 ft

7-8 ft

10- 15 ft
interval
Depends on cage
design
(5 to 8 ft

2 ft
 Modern Housing System

 In recent years, most poultry operation are intensive type houses with
Environment Controlled house, in which inside conditions are maintained as near
as to the bird’s optimum requirements
 Temperature: 24oC
Relative Humidity- 50 to 60%

 A closed building with no windows, longitudinal preferably east to west, with

big exhaust fans on west side while evaporative cooling pads on east side along
with automatic feeding and drinking systems inside

 Fully system controlled with no manual controls, feeding system, watering

system, manure collection system, egg collection system are all mechanized and
automatic

 ECH helps to achieve better FCR, improving production, care of birds, control
diseases and meet other safe breeding conditions

 One extra batch (or cycle) per year per shed

Environmentally Controlled House
Principles of Housing

Selection of site

Housing Design

Housing Environment

Housing Equipment's

Housing Space
Light

Housing hygiene and sanitation

Biosecurity
 1. Selection of site

 Located away from residential and industrial area

 Soil and drainage
 Basic amenities like water and electricity
 Shade and protection
 Relation to other building
 Proper ventilation
 Availability of farm labourers at relatively cheaper wages
 Market
 Proper road facilities
 2. Housing Design
Distance between sheds

 Preferably locate chicks, growers & layers in

different localities for better biosecurity

 Distance between sheds = 0.4 x H √L

House Orientation (Direction)

20- 50 m
N
N

W E E W N
E W
S
S S
Hot& cold climate Cold climate Hot climate
Foundation
 Solid & Concrete, concrete blocks &
bricks with 1 to 1.5 feet below the
surface and 1 to 1.5 feet above the
ground level
1.5 ft

Length
 Can be of any extent

Width
 Not more than 33 feet

 If the width of the shed is more than

30 feet, ridge ventilation at the
middle line of the roof top with 33 ft
proper overhang is must

 Can be of any width in EC houses

upto 40 ft
Height
 Height of the sides from foundation to the
roof line should be 8-10 feet (eaves
height) and at the centre 10 -12 feet

10 -12 ft 8-10 ft
 In case of cage houses, the height is
decided by the type of cage arrangements
(3 tier or 4 tier)

Side walls
 Protects the bird from adverse climate and
provides sufficient ventilation

 Usually half to two-thirds area will be

kept open and fitted with wire mesh in
floor houses

 In cage houses, avoid side wall

 EC houses should have solid side walls

 Types of Roofs
 Draft and moisture proof

 Sufficient overhang

 Insulation values of R-4 and R-2 for ceiling and

walls, respectively in hot climate 2-3 ft

 Painted with a reflecting type of paint such as

aluminum paint or polyurethane insulation
under the roof or above the ceiling

 Dropped ceilings
• Modern houses are well insulated with blown in
cellulose or glass fiber batt

• Protect the trusses and ceiling insulation by

acting as a vapor barrier

• Reduce the ceiling surface area and reduce heat

gain during hot weather and heat loss during
cold weather Dropped ceiling
Shed Type Two-thirds span roof Gable roof/double-pitch
/equal-span roof
Monitor style Half-monitor style

1 feet height
 Types of roofing material

Asbestos sheets Asphaltic roofing material

Roof white washed Spray polyurethane Rigid board

Thatched roof insulation
insulation
 Types of Floors

Concrete with rat proof device and free from dampness

Extended 1.5 feet outside the wall on all sides to prevent rat and snake problems

Consist of well-drained soil or gravel or concrete which is more desirable, it is easy

to clean, durable and more rat proof

A concrete floor should be 80–100 mm thick and be made of a stiff 1:2:4 or 1:3:5
mix, laid on a firm base at least 150 mm above ground level, and given a smooth finish
with a steel trowel

Doors
The door must be open outside mostly in deep-
litter poultry houses
The size of door is preferably 6 x 2.5 feet
At the entry, a foot bath should be constructed to
fill with a disinfectant
 Katcha floor Concrete floor

Plastic slatted floor Wire mesh floor

 3. Housing Environment

Macro environment
Local environment around a animal

Temperature
Not possible
to
manipulate
Gases Microenvironment
Humidity
Dust and Relative
Air quality Temperature
Microorganisms humidity
Particulate matter
Control over micro-environment
can be achieved by
Hence
By completely By completely environment
eliminating enclosed from inside house is
macro outside in our control,
environment incliment
contact with weather Here the
the house conditions concept of EC
has arisen
Ventilation/ Air Movement

Moving FRESH AIR INTO a house and

moving STALE AIR OUT of the house

Sending UNWANTED heat, EXCESS

moisture, ammonia OUT of the house

Limiting the buildup of HARMFUL

GASES

Providing OXYGEN for respiration

 Natural Ventilation

 Natural outside air can easily flow into

and out of the house

 Ventilated shelter must be expose to

the wind

 Windbreaks reduce natural air

movement, keep them 100 ft away

 Increased air-exchange rates by

installing fans

 Proper building design & construction

major factors which affect ventilation
 Mechanical/ Forced Ventilation systems

 All air movement is produced by fans

and controlled by automatic
environmental control mechanisms in
the building

 Positive pressure systems use fans to

blow fresh air into the building, creating
a slightly higher pressure inside the
house

 Pressure difference moves the stale air to

escape through strategically placed
exhaust vents or outlets
 Negative-pressure ventilation: Exhaust fans expel air from the building &
creates a partial vacuum inside that pulls air into the house evenly through all
inlets, creating more uniform conditions in the house

 Inlets are distributed around the periphery of the building

 Having a tightly sealed house is critical for successful control of in-house

conditions in negative-pressure ventilation
 Tunnel ventilation

 Most effective in tropical climate due to higher air exchange rate

& faster air movement @ 2.5-3 m/sec

 Fresh air enters the house at one end and pulled through the house
in longitudinal direction by means of high-performance fans
 Cross ventilation (fans on one side of the
house and inlets on the other side –works
best in houses of less than 10 m wide)

 Sidewall ventilation: fans and inlets on

same sidewalls

 Attic inlet ventilation: fans are distributed

at the side-walls, inlets are in the roof
Components of Mechanical Ventilation systems

 Fans and openings:

Control the amount of air exchange
Effect air distribution and mixing

 Heaters: provide supplemental heat

during cold weather and brooding

 Controls: to adjust ventilating rates

(fan controls), supplemental heating
rates, and the air velocity rates (fan
controls), supplemental heating rates,
and the air velocity through openings
as weather, bird age and size change
 Fans

 Placed on the windward direction of the

houses

 Install slow speed, industrial fans 1m above

the ground

 Use 1x 620 mm rpm fan/1,000 layers

 In EC houses: Important to determine how

much air flow through the building which
determine the no: of fans required

 Air flow rate = cross sectional area of the

house x required speed desired

 A minimum of 1 m2 inlet area per 14 m3/h

exhaust fan capacity is recommended
 Openings

• Air inlets: to provide fresh air throughout the building, control direction of
airflow, and maintain sufficient inlet air velocity

• Inlets for negative-pressure ventilation systems: continuous slots and discrete

box or area inlets

• Continuous slot inlets have a rigid movable baffle for controlling the size of the
opening, Bottom-hinged baffles are preferred.

• Continuous inlets may be positioned along both eaves

• Tunnel ventilation requires a separate set of inlets

• Unplanned inlets includes large openings such as doors, windows, and fans
without shutters, which are not originally designed to be part of the ventilation
system
 Heaters

 Supplemental heat is needed in natural & powered ventilated houses to

maintain desired indoor temperatures during cold weather & brooding

 Different types of heaters are used for supplemental heating in poultry houses
including radiant, space and make-up air heaters
 Automatic controls

 To maintain the indoor temperature

and provide air exchange as weather
changes hourly and seasonally

 Regulate the supplemental heating

rate

 Sold state controllers and computer

systems capable of controlling the
inlet and outlet opening and
supplemental heaters
 Insulation
A well-insulated building is needed for EC houses

 It prevent condensation on the inside surfaces, reduce heat loss in

cold weather, and reduce solar heat gain in warm weather
 Evaporative
Cooling

SPRINKLING FOGGING
PAD systems
systems systems

Naturally Power- Power-

Very dry ventilated
ventilated ventilated
climates housing house
housing

Cooling the House: cooling effect by evaporation

 Foggers

FOGGER SYSTEM

Low pressure fogging

• Inject fine water particles
• Low cost fogging system
• High quality and durable PVC Pipes are
used

High pressure fogging

• Micro mist fog size (10-15µ) Fogger Sprinkler
• Fogger in true sense discharges fog not
water
• Operated intermittently or designed to avoid
excessive water
• High pressure and durable Stainless Steel
Pipes are used
 Evaporative cooling pads

Operate on the same cooling principle as foggers

Cooled air entered the house, when it passes through the wet pads above which water runs
through perforated pipes

This method avoids the problem of wet litter

Concrete coated bagasse pad, Aspen fiber, rubberised hogshair pad and corrugated
cellulose or fluted cardboard pads materials widely used as cooling pads
BROODER HOUSE EQUIPMENTS
 Feeding

•When the chicks are day old flat feeders can be used (cutout of chick box or egg
trays)

•As the birds grew older deeper (V shaped) and longer containers can be used
(wooden trough or troughs made up from bamboo plank)

•Height of feeder – lower portion of feeder must be in line with back of bird.

•Shallow fountain drinkers for chicks (empty cans, plastic mugs and plates).

•Many farmers add some sort of sweetener substance, like sugar to the water (8
% solution) for the first few hours of life.

•For feed and water birds should not move more than 10ft
 Automatic feeders have one loop of feeder chain and trough capable of feeding a given
number of birds

 A feeding control system to turn the feeders on and off

 Feed monitoring systems are available to measure the amount of feed consumed by bird

 It is important that, same amount of feed to be available at all locations along the feeder
 Conveyor and Pan Feeder System

The feed hopper in the house holds the feed before it goes out through the auger & into
the feed pans

Feed goes through the auger lines &

drops into each feed pan for the chickens
to eat
 Tube Feeder Hanging type Feeder Linear Trough feeders

Round bottom feeders Square bottom feeders Automatic feeder

 12-13 birds/nipple

Feed-water delivery has been largely automated

 Watering

Fountain drinkers Automatic/bell drinkers Nipple drinkers

Medication system allows for medicines to be
administered through the water lines
 Egg collection
Conveyor belt system
Small computer box

Sensors
A stand-by generator for emergency power supply to
all houses in case of power failure
 Lighting
• EC houses should be light proof, use of light trap at fan openings
• A monitoring and control system for scheduling of lights
• A system than can pre-program lighting schedules over the life of the flock
is very useful for management
• It is also important to provide the desired intensity of light
• Lighting is provided by incandescent lights with dimmer switches

Incandescent lights Fluorescent tube light Compact Fluorescent light

Waste management Biosecurity
 CONCLUSION

 Automation is the need of hour to reduce labor cost and increase

poultry production

 California houses with automation is better option in tropical

climate

 Thought should be given to Environmental Control houses while

constructing houses in hot climate, if capital is available

 Civil engineers or architectures should be involved while

planning and designing poultry houses
 Bibliography

 Appleby, M.C, Hughes, B.O, and Elson (1992) A. Poultry Production System.
CAB International, Wallingford.

 Bhanja S. K. Notes on poultry housing and management. Technical Bulletin,

Central Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar.

 Daghir, N. J. (2008). Poultry Production in Hot Climates. CAB International,

Nosworthy Way, Wallingford, Oxfordshire.

 Elson (1986). Poultry managemnt systems; looking to the future. WPSA 7th
European Poultry Confrence Paris, 24-28 Aug, 1986 . (1) 1-11

 FAO (2011). Rural structures in the tropics: Design and development.

 Lohmann Tierzucht. ManagementGuide (Hot Climate)

 North, Mack O. Commercial chicken production manual.

 News letters on Poultry Housing Tips. University of Georgia's College of

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Extension service
 Early period of growth when supplemental heat must be provided, due to the birds’
inability to generate enough body heat.
 Start at 95° F and reduced by 5° each week.
 Brooder guards are used to keep chicks and poults near food, water and heat, critical
for their survival

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