Clearly stating your purpose for having a poultry guides you in making decision(s) about some salient things relating to the farm.
Every venture, have its basic requirement(s) to ensure it is successful and effective. One of such requirement for poultry farming is having an Effective Housing System Providing the ideal housing system is essential for commercial poultry farming. The benefit of housing the birds in an effective system cannot be overrated in ensuring profit maximization in the farm operations/management.
ESSENTIALS FACTOR TO CONSIDEER WHEN CONSTRUCTING THE POULTY HOUSING SYSTEM
Considering the importance of an effective housing system to your poultry business, planning the poultry house is a major project. Therefore, when planning for your poultry house design, the following are key factors that must be put into consideration to ensure it is effective –
The purpose of starting the poultry farm –
The purpose for starting a poultry farm is a major factor to consider when building the poultry house.. Therefore clear answers must be give to these questions –
- Are you starting the farm in order to hatch eggs – hatchery?
- Are you starting the farm in order to sell eggs?
- Are you starting the farm in order to sell poultry meat?
Clarity on the purpose of the poultry farm helps you to identify what facilities must be provided in the poultry house. This facilitate constructing an ideal housing that properly care for the birds, avoid wastage and other related hazards.
The age of the birds –
Also, the age of the birds you are investing in is very important to the housing design. The baby chicks and older chicken require different things for their housing. Therefore, it is important to know the age of the birds that would be reared in your poultry farm before building the poultry house. Temperature requirement of the birds differ depending on the age. While the day-old to about 2wweks old may require more heat, the older birds don’t need much heat. Knowing the age and needs of the birds for your farm, enhance proper planning for what facilities to provide in the poultry house.
The climatic condition of the environment –
The temperature and weather patterns of your poultry farm location play a crucial role in designing an ideal poultry house. Is your area generally cold or hot? In cold climates, poultry houses must be well insulated to retain heat and keep birds warm. This is because low temperatures can negatively affect growth, productivity, and overall health of the flock. Conversely, in hot regions, proper ventilation and heat reduction strategies are essential. To prevent heat stress in hot regions or weather, the farmer can install cooling systems or use reflective roofing materials. Adapting the poultry house design to suit the local climate ensures the comfort and productivity of the birds year-round.
The ventilation system –
Proper ventilation is a key factor in building a healthy and productive poultry house. The structure should allow for adequate airflow to ensure a continuous exchange of fresh air while removing excess moisture, heat, and harmful gases such as ammonia. One effective approach is to construct low walls that permit cross-ventilation,. Then, complete the upper portion of the walls with durable materials like barb wire or mesh to maintain airflow while keeping predators out. . A well ventilated house helps farmers avoid the frequent challenge of managing sick or underperforming birds
Location –
Choosing the right location is crucial when building a poultry house. A well-drained site is highly recommended to prevent waterlogging and damp conditions. A water-logged or damp site can lead to poor litter quality. Excess moisture in the poultry house environment encourages the growth of harmful pathogens and increases the risk of infectious diseases among birds. Proper drainage also helps maintain dry bedding, reduces odour, as well as, improves overall flock health and performance
KEY IMPACT AREAS OF HOUSING ON THE BIRDS
- Health – Proper housing of the birds help to effectively curb spreading of diseases among the birds, thereby, reducing occasion of high mortality rate which could be traced to disease outbreak
- Safety – Proper housing of the birds to protect the birds from harsh weather conditions (such as heavy rainfall and wind) and attack from their predators
- Growth and productivity benefit – An ideal housing system with proper ventilation, light and temperature for the birds helps to boost the growth and productivity of the birds – For example with the right light and heat, the possibility of egg production is impacted positively.
- Cost reduction and profit optimization – Providing the birds with the ideal housing facilitates better health of the birds which impacts positively on the growth of the birds. This consequently reduces expenses on treating sick birds – Significant reduction in expenses, implies more savings and better profit for the farmer.
BENEFITS OF AN EFFECTIVE HOUSING SYSTEM
Beyond ensuring that money expended in constructing shelter for the birds is not a waste of resources, an effective housing system also provides the following benefits –
- It provides adequate protection to the birds and mitigate the risk of predator(s) attack. Examples of the predators include – dogs, mice, rats, ants, etc.
- Provides protection to the birds from the impact of natural hazards. Example include – heavy rainfall, wind and excessive sun.
- Provides a safe haven for the birds in time of flood to ensure the birds are not washed away.
- Provides adequate caring measure for the birds in their feeding and egg production (as related to layers) to eradicate occurrence of waste.
- Provides a well ventilated facility (which allows easy flow of air in and out of the house). Easy flow of air in and out of the poultry house, reduces the risk of respiratory problems among the birds. Consequently, improves the health condition and productivity of the birds.
- An improved health condition and productivity of the birds results to higher profit earning for the farmer.
- Regular profit optimization from the farming operations promote sustainability of the poultry farm.
- Contribute positively to the poultry farm successful operations.
- Enhances the productivity and profitability of poultry farm as the risk of bird mortality is significantly curbed.
- Sustainable productivity and profitability of the farm operations consequently enhance the sustainability of the poultry farm for a long time.
An effective housing system is essential in optimizing the return on the investment made in building the poultry house. Therefore, it is a pivotal aspect of poultry farming that must be given conscious and proper attention.
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