General simple layout and specifications of a broiler poultry house.

1. Blue print and specifications fora broiler poultry
shed(2500birds)
Dr N. Deepak,
M.V.Sc

2. 200ft
500ft
Blue print for a farm with 2500 birds

3. Specifications for construction of a
Broiler farm
• House Orientation (Direction):
The poultry house
should be located in such a way that long axis is in
east-west direction. This will prevent the direct
sunshine over the birds.
• Size :
Each broiler require one square foot of floor
space under deep-litter system of rearing. So the
size of the house depends on the number of birds
to be reared.

4. • Length
• The length of the house can be of any extent.
• The number of birds reared and availability of
the land determines the length of poultry
house.
• If the width of the shed is more than 25 feet,
ridge ventilation at the middle line of the roof
top with proper overhang is a must.
• Hot air and obnoxious gases which are lighter
than air move upward and escape through ridge
ventilation.

5. • Height
The height of the sides from foundation to
the roof line should be 6 to 7 feet height, and at
the centre 10 to 12 feet.
• Foundation
Good foundation is essential to
prevent seepage of water into the poultry sheds.
The foundation of the house should of concrete
with 1 to 1.5 feet below the surface and 1 to 1.5
feet above the ground level.

6. • Doors
The door must be open outside in case of
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.
• Side walls
The side wall should be of 2-2.5 feet height,
This side wall protects the bird during rainy days or
chill climate and also provides sufficient ventilation.
In case of cage houses, no side wall is needed.

7. • Roof
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.
• Overhang
The overhang of the roof should not be less than 3.5 feet in
order to prevent the entry of rain water into the shed.
• Lighting
Light should be provided at 7-8 feet above the ground level and
must be hanged from ceiling.
If incandescent bulbs are used, the interval between two bulbs is
10 feet. In case of fluorescent lights (tube lights) the interval is 15 feet.

8. Foot bath
• Footbaths should be on a solid surface close
to the point of entry to the site and building to
be entered.
Commonly used disinfectants used in a foot
bath:
• Glutaraldehyde + Formaldehyde disinfectants,
• Glutaraldehyde + quaternary ammonium salts,
• Iodophores.

9. Foot Bathat the Entrancein a BroilerShed

10. DRINKERS
• The most commonly used systems are the Bell
drinker and the Nipple drinker, although troughs
are also used. .
• Bell drinkers : supply open water, and need
regular maintenance to avoid pollution and spilling.
• A minimum of 8-9 drinkers per 1000 birds should
be provided.
• Maximum distance between bird and drinker
should be 2m. For the first 3-4 days, additional
mini-drinkers should be provided.

11. • Nipple drinkers: Especially the so-called high-
pressure nipple systems that do not need drip cups,
are getting more and more popular.
• They require lower maintenance, give better
water quality and result in dry litter due to
decreased water spilling.
• Under normal conditions, 1 nipple per 12 birds
should be available.
• In warm conditions or when birds have grown to
high body weights, 1 nipple per 8-10 birds should
be installed.
• Maximum distance between drinker lines should
be 4m.

12. Feederers
• In all cases, feeder heights must be adjustable to reach
the shoulder height of the growing bird.
• Feeder space allowance per bird:
• Feeder plate: 70-100 birds per plate
• Troughs: 4 cm feeder space per bird (2 cm trough).
• Pan feeders: (Ø 33 cm) 75-100 birds per pan
Pan feeders are becoming more popular, as they
provide fresher and cleaner feed, and can prevent spilling
more effectively.
Pan feeders are easy for height adjustment, catching
of chickens and cleaning the house.

13. PARAPET WALL
Parapet walls are
useful in making
partitions in a
poultry house, and
they should be of
a minimum 0f 1.5
to 2 feet height in a
broiler farm.

14. Chain Links and Netting In Broiler
Farm for fencing