MODULE 9.

Maintaining poultry house and

facilities
CORE COMPETENCIES

1. MAINTAIN POULTRY ENVIRONMENT

2. BROOD AND GROW CHICKS
3. PERFORM PRE-LAY AND LAY ACTIVITIES
4. TRIM BEAK
 ELECTIVE:
1. BREED CHICKEN
 Animal Production
(Poultry Chicken) NC II
1. Maintain poultry environment
2. Brood and grow chicks
3. Perform pre-lay and lay
activities
4. Trim beak
5. ELECTIVE:
6. Breed Chicken
Introduction:
 Thisunit covers the knowledge, skills
and attitudes required to perform pre-
lay and lay activities. It comprises of
performing preparatory activities,
transfer layers in laying house,
employing lighting program, apply
feeding program, perform harvesting
and post-laying activities.
 WELCOME
Maintain Poultry Environment
Animal Production (Poultry-Chicken) NC II
A person who has achieved this Qualification is
competent to be:
• Poultry farmer
• Poultry farm worker
• Poultry farm assistant
• Poultry farm caretaker
• Poultry service crew
• Broiler raiser
• Layer raiser
• Poultry breeder
• Flock man
 Terminologies
• Poultry – collective term for birds used either for breeding, egg
production, meat production and recreation
• Chicken – is scientifically known as Gallus gallus/Gallus domesticus
• Broiler – commercial meat type chicken usually raised up to six weeks of
age
• Layer – chicken for egg production purposes
• Brooder – area used for raising young fowl that provides sufficient light
and protection
• Brooding – management practices where chicks are given extra
supplemental heat and proper care & management
 Cont.Terminologies
• Disease – any disturbance in the normal function of an animal
• Downtime – rest period/dormant period (14 days or 2 weeks)
• Immunization – prevention of diseases by providing appropriate vaccines
to animals
• Incubation – refers to the development of the birds from the fertilized
eggs to fully formed chicks
• Cannibalism – is the negative behavior of chicken especially to layers
• Culling – the removal of undesirable or unproductive animals in
the herd
Cont. Terminologies

 Pewee egg – the first egg or the smallest size of egg

• Pullet – a young bird ready to lay egg
• Ration – total amount of feeds taken in by an animal during a 24 hour
period
• Rooster – matured male chicken used for breeding
• Hen – is a female chicken intended for breeding
• Vaccination – preventive measure to lessen the effects of disease
• Waterer – equipment used in providing water to animals
 Cage housing – system of poultry housing where chickens
could be kept alone, by two or in big groups in cage
• Nutrients – food elements or substance found in the feeds
such as protein, carbohydrates, fats & others
• Ration- are feed allowance to the birds within a period of 24
hours
• Debeaking – the process of trimming the beak of the chicks
• Chlorine – incorporated in water system to control infection
in digestive system
 Advantage of poultry raising
• High feed efficiency
• Fast return of investment
• Spreading income throughout
the year
• High return compared to
feed costs
• Low land requirements
Poultry – chicken management
Factors to success in raising poultry

• Proper feeding
• Good management practices
• Proper sanitation
General classes of chicken
• Mediterranean – leghorn, Minorca & Andalusian
• American – Plymouth rock, Rhode Island Red &
New Hampshire
• English – Cornish & Australorp
• Asiatic - Brahman
Layers- are group of chicken intended
for egg production
Maintain Poultry
Environment
General types of chicken enterprise

•Egg production - layers Broiler production – meat type

Maintain poultry
environment

1. Conduct
preparation
activities
2. Maintain poultry
house and
facilities
3. Maintain farm
area
4. Perform
completion
activities
 Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE)
 The last line of defense for protecting
workers
 The second line of defense should
involve intervention along the path, that
is adjustment of the work procedure
itself
 Face/Mouth mask
 Hand Gloves
 Laboratory Gown/Coat
 Safety Shoes/Boots
 Head Cap
 Poultry Farming Equipment and their
Uses
 Poultry farming is very lucrative aspect of
agriculture under livestock farming.

Machinery and equipment can be used to help

producers care for and manage their livestock.
Automated feeding and watering systems,
incubators, egg candlers, tractors, computers,
and many other types of machinery and
equipment can be used by the producer to
improve efficiency and quality of products.

Automated Feeding System

 Poultry house preparation

 Wet cleaning
• Spray the floor surface with water under low pressure to
loosen up the adhering dirt and dried manure
• Scrape and brush the top of the flooring to remove the
dirt and manure
• Rinse with water under high pressure ensuring that all
are visibly clean
• Thoroughly clean all equipment with soap and water
 Poultry house preparation

Disinfection – the reduction or elimination of

pathogenic organisms in or on materials so that they no
longer pose a hazard.
•It is performed two times (first and second) and in
between there will be rest period
Poultry house preparation
 Repairand maintenance – properly fix all
equipment and repair house flooring, sidings
and dividers after cleaning.
Incubator Egg Candler
 Water Equipment

Pan and jar type – this type of

waterer is circular in nature, having
two compartments.
 Example: jar for filling water
and pan for delivering water
Water basin made of
plastic/wood/GI with grill
– basins of different diameters are
available (10”, 12’, 14” and 16’
diameter).
A separate grill is available
to prevent the entry of birds inside
the water
 •Bell type automatic waterer

• These are made of high-impact plastic in a

bell shape usually suspended from separate
pipeline for the purpose.
• These type of waters has control over the
water flow and maintains the required water
level always
• There will be a continuous flow of water so as
to ensure water available for the birds
throughout the day.
• Height at which the water is available can be
easily adjusted by simple clamp mechanisms
and rate of flow water is adjustable by a valve
(spring-mounted). Plastic drinkers will be
brightly colored (red, blue) and hence are
expected to attract layers, especially chicks
to water
• No. of bell-drinkers=1.3*
(circumference÷drinker space)
 Nipple Drinker
- It can be used both in deep-litter and
in cage system.
- When used in deep-litter system, it is
attached with cup under the nipple to
prevent wetting of litter material.
- These drinkers look like a nipple and
water drops comes out when they are
pressed.
- They can be used for all types and
classes of birds, but most commonly
used in laying cages.
- One nipple drinkers in each cage
housing 3 layers is sufficient.
 Manual drinker
- In case of chicks during first week of
brooding, manual drinkers are popularly
used.
- They also referred as “fountain drinkers”
because water comes out of the holes like
that in case of a fountain.
- The main advantage of manual drinkers is
the ease of giving vitamins and other
probiotics/medicines vaccines through
water.
- Manual drinkers with stand mad of high-
impact plastic in bright colors (red or blue)
are available.
- Arrangement of drinkers at an equal
distance of 0.6m between any two feeders
and feeder and a drinker.
Feeding Equipment

 Feeders are equipment used in

feeding poultry birds. The food
is deposited in the feeder and
the birds feed from it. The
amount of feeders provided for
a poultry farm should be
according to the amount of birds
available. It is important that
you always keep the feeders
clean to ensure the health
safety of the birds.
Cage Sample
 Orientation

 The house should be

oriented in an east-west
direction to provide
adequate protection
against direct sunlight,
strong wind and high
temperature.
 Housing Environment
• Well drained land. Not subjected to
flooding
• Near a source of clean water
• Availability of electricity
• Availability of transportation
• Far away from noisy places and other
poultry farm (at least 1 km)
• Near to processing plant and market
place
 Types of Housing
Controlled Environment
 A controlled environment house is one in
which inside conditions are maintained as
near as possible to the bird’s optimum
requirement.
 Air is removed form the house by exhaust fans
and fresh air is brought in through intake
openings.
 Artificial light, rather than natural daylight, is
used to illuminate the interior. Most of the
structural make up is similar to that of the
house with open sides.
 Insulation is a must both the sides and the top
to give protection during hot and cold
weather.
Types of Housing
Open Sided Housing
 Long and narrow types of
house, which are open on all
sides, are preferred because
they provide better ventilation
and lighting.
 These houses are open to the
extent that at least one-half of
the front and back of the house
are open.
 The front, rear and sometimes
the end walls are of wire
netting.
 Roofing
• The roof of the poultry
house may be thatched,
tiled, asbestos or
concrete one depending
upon the cost
involvement
• Different types of roofs
are Shed, Gable, half-
monitor, full-monitor
(Monitor), Flat concrete,
Gambrel, Gothic etc.
• Gable type is mostly
preferred in tropical
countries like India and
Philippines.
 Types of Flooring
1. Elevated Floor
• Slotted Flooring
• Slot-Litter Flooring

2. Unelevated Floor
• Litter Type
• Cage Type
 Elevated Floor

1. Slatted Flooring – the slots are

made of bamboo, wood or
rattan. The width of slots
materials shall be 25-50 mm and
the space between slats shall be
25 mm.
 Elevated Floor
2. Slot-Litter Flooring – the
house constructed with slots
approximately two-third of
the area and litter covers
the one-third of the area.
 Unelevated Floor

1. Litter Type – the flooring

utilizes the most commonly
available materials such as rice
hulls, rice straws, wood
shavings and saw dusts. The
thickness of the litter material
shall be 50-100 mm over the
cemented floor.
 Unelevated Floor

2. Cage Type – Wire or

battery types of cages
are commonly used in
laying birds.
 Maintain poultry environment
 In order to have a successful venture in raising poultry
practice :
1. Proper sanitation-
Cleaning inside and outside the poultry house should always be clean.
All fixtures, materials and cages must be thoroughly cleaned and
disinfected. Tall trees near the poultry house are very dangerous to
our birds. Brooders and cages must always be disinfected and be
sorted, recycled and practice the 3Rs. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
Tall grasses must be cut and those that are no longer usable must be
discarded.
Apply 7’S :SWEEPING, SORTING, SYSTEMATIZING, STANDARDIZING,
SELF-DESCIPLINE, SAFETY AND SAVE EARTH.
THANK YOU!!!