Notes for the Poultry Farmer

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 69, Issue 2, 15 August 1944, Page 166

Notes for the Poultry Farmer

-By-

F. C. BOBBY,

Superintendent of Poultry Husbandry, Wellington.

Brooder-Houses YV’HILE successful rearing depends in large measure on good, management and efficient brooding equipment, much ,in the way of success will depend upon sound : housing. Two conditions which are . disastrous in x chick-rearing are : draughts .- and dampness. ... .. A ... well-constructed brooder-house can . eliminate -. .. these two undesirable conditions. In addition the house: can be made to con-

serve warmth in late winter and early spring, and yet give ample ventilation when the warmer weather comes.

As in' the ‘ case ' of laying-houses, brooder-houses ' should face north, in order to catch the maximum of sunlight. They are usually built on the lean-to principle of roof, and may have the greater height either in the front or back wall. The former type is the more common, but the latter is employed more successfully, particularly. in the South Island or in other cold districts.

In most cases brooder-houses are divided into sections or pens, the number of which will obviously vary according to the number of chicks to be reared annually. The size of each pen will vary according to the size of unit of chicks selected. It is strongly recommended that this should not exceed 250 chicks. Bigger units can be handled successfully but .on .an average, where a bigger unit is adopted, the tendency is ; for increased mortality and .less evenly grown chicks. The larger' the unit the greater the competition among the chickens. This leads to the less robust birds suffering an unwanted check.- - Accordingly, Figs. 1,2, and 3 show a front elevation, a side - elevation, • and a plan of a typical brooder-house, containing pens of 200-chick capacity. The floorspace allowed (12ft. x 16ft.) is sufficient for the birds up to an age of 6 to 8 weeks, at which age they are ready for transferring to the growinghouses. Should it be desired to perch the birds in these brooder-pens, perches may be fixed at the back of the pens and the chickens taught to perch, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

the top of the wall at the back of the house, as illustrated in Fig. ; 5. In

cold districts there is an advantage in having this opening controllable, since it may be desirable to close it 'during cold weather and while the Chicks are under a fortnight old. Later, as the weather becomes warmer and the - chicks older, the inlet may again be opened.

As shown in Fig. 1,3 ft. of wirenetting is put into the front of the house. This allows ample fresh air and sunlight during ' favourable weather, but will need screening or covering at night or during inclement weather when the chicks are very young. ' There are many methods of protecting the front and so conserving warmth when required. Some poultry-farmers. use only sacking hung up on nails at such times as it is required. Others fix a light wooden frame covered with calico, these, shutters being either hinged at the. top and swung back towards the roof when not required or just fitted in. with buttons between the studs

ESSENTIALS OF A BROODERHOUSE. The Floor Either wooden or concrete floors are' suitable for chick-rearing. The former are warm and dry if kept above ground level, but they must be constructed of sound, dry timber, to prevent cracks in joints following any warping. They are reasonably easy to clean, while any disease germs may be destroyed by creosoting at least once annually, before each rearing season.' Concrete .floors are' commonly used, and in order ! to get a dry floor they should be raised well above ground-level— by first: putting down • a hard core of rubble, stones, or other, coarse material. This ■ prevents. moisture from the ground striking upwards during wet weather, particularly in the instance of ; heavy soils. Dampness in litter of chicken-houses' is one of the most common causes of outbreaks of caecal coccidiosis, and is • therefore something. that. must be avoided. It is essential to finish a concrete floor with a smooth surface, in order to facilitate cleaning. Ventilation As in laying-houses, good ventilation may be achieved by an inlet at

holding the wire-netting > and completely removed when not needed. Fig. 6 illustrates a more complicated method of protecting the front, but one which allows of full control of ventilation during all kinds of weather. These shutters are made of light timber, covered with calico. Fig. 7 shows a brooder-house to which this type of shutter has been fitted. Furthermore, the brooder-house illustrated is a good example of a lean-to house with a lower front and higher back wall. Apart from the necessary ventilation described above, every endeavour should be made to avoid draughts from cracks and other openings associated with poor materials or construction.

Outside Runs Except when it is intended to raise chicks intensively it is customary to provide each brooder-pen with an outside run into which the young chicks may go when they are a week to 10 days old. These runs are usually grass-covered and divided one from another by fine-mesh netting. It will be seen, however, in Fig. 7 that the runs in this instance are divided by wooden divisions topped with wire. The wood at the bottom of the dividing fence has the effect of affording protection to, young chickens from strong ground winds; also in hot sunny weather these safne boards throw some shade in the pen, which is appreciated by the chickens. (To be continued. article, “Growing-houses.”)

IllllllilltllllllllllillllillllitllllllltlllltllllltitlllllHllllllilllltliH JUST PUBLISHED THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF POULTRY FEEDING (Bulletin 198) This publication contains information of value to all interested in the production of eggs. Price 6d. per copy. (Post Free), On Sale at the Department of Agriculture, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. mumtimmimißißimiiißißimiiißimiißiitimiiiHiimmßiiimH

Permanent Pittings

Generally, no permanent fittings are necessary other than the shutters just described. Sometimes a permanent and automatic watering system is installed, but movable water fountains are more commonly used. Again, it is particularly difficult to construct a ' dry-mash hopper which is suitable for young chicks at a week old, and also for the same birds six weeks later. In consequence, it is not usual to construct any permanent hoppers when building a brooderhouse. '' 1 :