John 14:6 “I am the way, the

truth, and the life. No one

comes to the Father except
through Me.
TOPIC 4. PRINCIPLES OF POULTRY HOUSING
At the end of this topic, the students should be able to:
1. Discuss the importance of poultry housing in the efficient
operation of the farm.
2. Give and discuss the essential requirements that must be
met in the construction of the poultry house.
3. Name the different types of poultry houses to be
constructed to provide comfort to the birds and also ease
of operation.
4. Give the housing requirements for poultry with reference
to floor space, feeding and watering space. Name the
various facilities and equipment needed in poultry
operation.
5. Name the various facilities and equipment needed in
poultry operation.
Poultry housing, in a narrow sense, refers
to the construction of the roof, floor, walls
and partitions to house the birds. In a
broader sense, it includes the equipment
and facilities that go into the efficient
operation of the farm.
 A. Importance of Good Poultry Housing
The construction of the poultry house can be
viewed from three important aspects:

1. As an important aspect of biology – the poultry

house should provide comfort to the birds to
minimize stress and other environmental
conditions that will make them unproductive.
2. As a problem of engineering – the poultryman
should consider the essentiality of the design of
the poultry house so that all areas are functional,
the materials to be used and their durability,
their appearance, the dimensions and all the
other details of construction.
3. As a problem in economics – construction cost
should be given also some attention to avoid
unnecessary expenses.
Concept of Five Freedoms in Housing Poultry
1. Freedom from discomfort – providing suitable
environment and comfortable resting area.
2. Freedom from pain, injury and diseases –
providing prompt diagnosis and treatment when
injuries or diseases occur.
3. Freedom from fear, discomfort, and distress –
providing constant good condition and freedom
from fear from other animals.
4. Freedom to express normal behavior –
providing sufficient and appropriate space
inside the house and the company of other
animals.
5. Freedom from hunger and thirst –
providing fresh water and right qty. of
rations.
B. Essentials of Poultry Housing
1. Type of stock and production capacity.

• The building and fixtures should suit the purpose

for which the birds are raised.
• There should be sufficient space for the desired
number of birds.
The following space requirements may
serve as a guide:
Broilers and Layers
Day old - 3 wks ---------------- 0.3 sq.ft./bird/chick
3 – 8 wks --------------------------- 0.5 sq.ft./chick
8 – 12 wks --------------------------- 1.0 sq.ft./chick
After 12 wks
Litter floor ------------------------ 2.25 sq.ft./bird
Slat floor pens ------------------- 1.5-2.0 sq.ft./bird
Cages ---------------------- 0.75-1.0
sq.ft./bird
The following recommended watering
requirements may serve as a guide:
Broilers and Layers
Day old – 4 wks --------------------- 0.5 cm/bird
6 – 8 wks -------------------------- 0.6 cm/bird
3 – near laying age ---------------- 1.0-3.0 cm/bird
Layers ---------------------------- 2.0-2.35
cm/bird
The following feeding space requirements
may serve as a guide:
Broilers Layers
0 – 2 wks ------ 2.5 cm/bird ------------- 2.3 cm/bird
2 – 6 wks ------ 4.5 cm/bird ------------- 4.5 cm/bird
6 – 8 wks ------ 7.5 cm/bird ------------- 7.5 cm/bird
8 – 20 wks ------ ------------- 7.5 cm/bird
20 – more ------ ------------- 8.0 cm/bird
• Lack of space may result to:

 Overcrowding
 Poor egg production
 Cannibalism
 Disease
2. Environmental Factors
a) Shape of house – long, narrow and open sided
for better circulation of air and ventilation.
b) House orientation – constructed with the
length parallel to the normal wind direction to
prevent exposure of birds to draft and heavy
rains.
c) Roof style – monitor type is recommended for
larger housing unit.
Con’t:
d.) Location – well drained, well ventilated
(elevated and sloping topography)
e.) Roofing materials – good insulator.
3. Sanitary Provisions
a) Easy to clean/disinfect
b) Good drainage inside and outside
c) If possible, natural light can enter
d) If ample area is available, houses should be
reasonably spaced from one another, for
health safety measure.
4. Economy of construction
a) Cheap, durable and locally available
materials
b) Convenient designs (saves time and effort)
c) Functional structural design
5. Provision for easy expansion
» Building should be built that it permits the
setting up of additional houses/extension
that is maybe needed later.
C. Types of Poultry House
1. According to the
requirements of
specific group of bird

1. Brooder house – houses

birds or chicks for
approximately 4 wks.
When they no longer
need heat to keep them
warm and comfortable.
Types
a. Litter floor
pens
b. Slat floor
C. Battery or cage brooder
2. Grower
house

after the
brooding
periods until
about to lay (15
– 17 wks of
age).
Types
a. Range –
grower houses -
The poultry
house is located
at the middle of
the pasture.
This is becoming
obsolete for it
requires a wide
area of land.
 Ex. Of Cage
b. Litter – floor
c. Slat – floor
d. Cages
Note: Some poultry operations use one
building which serves as brooder and
growers. The design provide fixtures that
can be adjusted to accommodate the
growing chickens especially broilers.
3. Layer house – from
17 – 18 or 20 wks of
age up to end of
production.
Con’t:
a) Litter – floor
b) Slat – floor
c) Combination of a and b
d) Cage system – current trend in housing layers
• Size of layer cages
»Height of the cages uniform at
about 41 cm (16 in.) at the cage
floor slope
»47 cm (18 in.) at the higher
level of the slope
 Common floor measurements of cage
compartments
In inches In centimeters
10 x 16 25x41
12 x 16 31x41
12 x 18 31x46
14 x 16 36x41
16 x 18 41x46
24 x 36 61x91 (colony
cage)
26 x 48 91x122 (colony
cage)
Advantages of Caging layers:

a) Saves space
b) Prevents cannibalism
c) Facilitates detection of non producers
 Disadvantage of type of cage system

a) Single bird (expensive)

b) Multiple birds
c) Colony cages (cannibalism, broken eggs,
egg eating cases)
 Ephesians 2:8-9
“For by grace you have been
save through faith, and that
not of your selves; it is the gift
of God,
not of works, lest anyone
should boast.”
 Cage Arrangement
1. Single deck
this require much space but
is practical in areas with
warm climate and also
expensive.
2. Double deck
usually an offset
arrangement and
is often called
the stair-step
system
3. Triple deck
offset or vertical
4. Four deck
offset or vertical
5. Flat deck
close together
(good for
automated,
waterer and
feeder)
b. Light Requirement

Expose pullets to decreasing or steady

daylight from brooding to 20 weeks old and
to increasing day length there after until
they are culled. Lighting schedules to be
adopted.
Age Period of continuous
Lighting
0-4 24
4-20 13
20-24 14
24-28 15
28-older 16
 2.) According to Roof style
a. Shed or Single
Span
This is the simplest
type of roof. Usually
used for a small
construction.
b. Gable or
Double Span
this is the most
conventional
system of roof
construction.
c. Monitor
desirable for big
establishment. It
has an outlet of
air at the top of
roof.
d. Semi-
monitor
like a monitor
type, except the
outlet on top is
only one side of
the roof
 3.) According to Floor type
a. Litter floor
Using rice hull, saw
dust, sand or any
absorbent materials.
 Advantages (Litter Floor)
1. Not Expensive.
2. Lesser incidence of breast blisters,
especially broilers.
Disadvantages
1. Volume of manure may become bulky
that disposal is a problem.
2. Higher incidence of parasitism.
b. Slat- floor
Housing
floor can be
made of bamboo
splits, lumber or
wire.
 Advantages
1. Affords better air circulation.
2. Lessen chances of parasitism.

Disadvantages
1. High incidence of breast blisters, especially on
wire floors.
C. Combination of Litter and slat floors

In this type of housing the slat may cover only

half the floor, usually in the strip down the center
of a long house. The slat portion is raised high
enough above sub floor to provide a pit for the
accumulation of manure.
4.) Broiler
House
Constructed to
be able to put
the entire flock
under one house.
i.e. from
brooding until
the birds are
ready for
market.
 Broiler House Standard:

• Orientation: N. East, Southwest direction

• Distance between houses: 50 ft.
• Ground floor clearance: 6 ft.
• Floor to ceiling clearance: 8 ft.
• House width: 30 ft.
• Roofing design: Monitor
• Roof angle: 20o
• Roof hang: 4ft
• Floor slats: 1 inch
• Floor slats spacing: ½ inch
5.) Isolation
House
sick birds; and
newly acquired
stocks are housed
for quarantine.
6.) Other basic Structures:

• Feed bodega- at least one week feed

supply
• Sheltered manure pit
• Egg sorting and storage room
• Store room for poultry equipment etc.
• Incinerator - for safe disposal of dead
birds.
Incinerator
 D. Poultry Housing Equipment/Facilities
1. Feeding through or
feeders
a device where the chicken
get their feed.
• can be placed inside or
along the front of the
cages (built-in feeders)
• consider ease in cleaning
and avoidance of
spillage.
• consider age of birds and
house design.
Con’t:
a. a chicken feed box (paper, wood plastic
and metal)
b. automatic feeder
c. plastic feeders
2. Waterers
a device where
the chicken
drink.
a. plastic tube
waterer
(shallow pan with
a plastic hurdle
as a reserve
container in the
inverted
position).
b. bamboo
waterers
are cheap ( but
don’t last long
and prone to
slime growth)
Con’t:
c. deep pan waterer
d. long, shallow water through with
continuous flow
e. tire halved
3. Feed cart
useful in bringing
feeds from the
bodega to the
feeders
4. Egg Basket
these are usually
made of strong
wire that will not
flex with the
pressure of egg
load.
5. Roof
Sprinklers
used in sprinkling
galvanized iron
roof of poultry
when the
temperature is
high.
 Other tools:
1. Catching hook or net
2. Catching crate
3. Catching panels
4. Brooms
5. Rubber hose
6. Shovels
7. Wheel barrow
8. Mower
End of the Topic