Three popular ways of housing birds in poultry farms

 Important factor to consider is the poultry housing system and fencing options. Poultry housing system determines up to 40% of the rater of success you would achieve in poultry farming. A good housing system is very important for your poultry farm. The housing system commonly used in poultry farming are:

1. Extensive system: Range and fold unit

2. Semi Intensive system: Standard semi intensive unit and straw yard

3. Intensive system: i. Deep litter, ii. Wire and slated floor, iii. Straw yard, iv. Battery cage 

1. Free Range System 

Under free range poultry farming system, chickens are allowed to roam around on their own in search for food. This system cannot be used for commercial poultry farming because of the high level of risks involved. 

2. Deep Litter System 

This system involves spreading wood shavings or saw dust on a concrete ground with the chickens placed on the floor and the dust serving as a ‘cushion’ for them. The dust is changed regularly, either by removing and replacing or by layering.

Deep litter system is used by a lot of poultry farmers because it increases efficiency and makes it easier to manage large flocks of birds but it allows for a faster spread of diseases when there is an outbreak and also makes it difficult to fish out unproductive birds 

3. Battery Cage System 

As for the battery cage system, metal cages are constructed inside a building to house the birds. The cages are usually split into different compartments to house small groups of birds. The cages also contain feeding and water troughs as well as laying nests.

Bird droppings fall on the floor and are cleaned mechanically by a scraper. This method is considered to be the most effective for egg production but the major downside of this method is that it is more expensive to construct and maintain compared to other forms of poultry housing systems.

If you are running a poultry farm for commercial purposes and you intend getting the best out of the business; with respect to high birds” productivity and efficiency. Then you should consider housing your birds using the intensive system. Note that each of the three housing system has its own advantages and disadvantages. Lastly, your poultry housing structure should be built at a particular angle; taking sunlight and wind into consideration 

Other assistant poultry equipment and appliances 

There is a very long list of equipment and facilities to put in place in order to fully manage a poultry farm. You would need to construct a house for the birds, provide feeders and drinkers, a good waste disposal system, source of water, lightening and heat, egg crates and storage space for keeping feed and eggs.

Therefore, you should make a list of all the items you would need, find out the prices and compare different prices to further give you an idea of the costs of setting up the poultry farm.The following equipment may be needed for your poultry farm and their uses: 

1. poultry Feeders

2. poultry Drinkers

3. Perches

4. Nests

5. Crates

6. Lighting system

7. Waste disposal system

8. Incubator

9. Heaters or brooders

10. Egg tray

11. Cages and coops 

Feed mill 

Automatic feeding system

Automatic drinking system

Manure removal system 

Please collect our website, we update poultry farming blog specially about African poultry farm, we will be very glad that our information helpful for you.

If you have any advice or have poultry farm plan, welcome to send email to Info@Chinachickencage.com, or whatsapp NO. +86-180 3388 9188 (24 hour) , I am Hyde Zhang.