Building and Fitting Out a Laying House for Household Poultry

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 84, Issue 3, 15 March 1952, Page 237

Building and Fitting Out a Laying House for Household Poultry

IN the February issue of the "Journal" the siting and planning of a laying house for a household poultry flock were described. This article by the Livestock Division deals in detail with some of the aspects of building a laying house and the fittings required. Attention to detail and care while building may well lengthen the life of a house and give added comfort to the birds, resulting in increased egg production.

THE laying house floor may be concrete, wood, or earth. Concrete may be considered a first choice because it is hygienic, easily cleaned, and permanent, and a concrete floor is easy to disinfect for disease-control purposes. It can be kept dry and is not cold for the birds if it is adequately covered in a suitable litter such as straw. Wooden floors raised well above ground level are satisfactory provided they are well constructed of seasoned timber. They can be both preserved and thoroughly disinfected by an annual dressing of creosote. Earth floors involve no or little cost and can be satisfactory if they are carefully looked after, particularly if well rammed in the beginning. This type of floor is not easy to disinfect and is more difficult to deal with when an outbreak of infectious disease occurs. Generally, earth floors are not recommended, because they are often neglected and ultimately become detrimental to the health of stock. Concrete Floors When a concrete floor is being laid several points have to be considered. First, the level of the floor inside the house should be 4 to 6in. above the level of the surrounding ground. This is important if the floor is to remain dry throughout a wet winter, particularly on heavy, water-retentive soils or where water may run down a slope toward the laying house. Second, it is desirable to build up a core of rubble, stones, or clinkers under the floor to prevent moisture rising to the surface of the floor from moist or wet ground . underneath. Third, a smooth finish to the surface of the floor to assist cleaning is essential. This may be obtained by finish-

ing off with a rich mixture of fine concrete and carefully grouting over the surface. Finally, it is wise in many instances to take precautions against rats burrowing under the floor, where once established they may be difficult to dislodge or may even cause breaking up of the floor. Protection may be given by dropping fine-mesh wire netting 14 to 18in. deep in a trench round the outside edges of the concrete, taking care to turn about 6 to Bin. of the netting outward at the bottom. This helps to prevent rats burrowing under the netting. Wooden Floors The essentials with a wooden floor are to ensure that the boards are tightly clamped together and to raise the floor at least a foot above ground level. The latter precaution ensures that plenty of air flows under the boarding, preventing dampness and ultimate rotting; also the space between the floor and the earth makes it possible to dislodge rats which may settle under the house. Wooden floors are dry and warm in properly ventilated houses. Building Material The material used for the walls of the laying house will depend largely on availability and the expense the householder is prepared to incur. Wood of varying grades is commonly used and is entirely satisfactory if preserved by the regular use of creosote or paint on the outside of the house. For the inside creosote should not be used, as it will darken the interior. Birds respond to lightness in a house and are more active where the walls are lime-washed than where they are creosoted.

Asbestos sheeting makes excellent walls for fowlhouses, being hygienic, lasting, and light in colour. Care must be taken, however, not to subject the sheeting to heavy knocks, as it tends to become brittle with age. An attractive laying house requiring the minimum of maintenance can be built with asbestos sheeting for the walls and corrugated asbestos sheeting for the roof. Corrugated-iron roofs have a long life and are highly satisfactory if sarking is placed underneath to prevent radiation of heat and cold. Corrugated asbestos is equally satisfactory and lasting. Roofing felt can be satisfactory if it is carefully laid and subsequently dressed at regular intervals with tar containing some pitch. Such a surface is often dusted

•over with sand. However, felt roofs, unless of the best quality and regularly maintained, have not a long life •and can cause endless trouble in wet, windy weather. Ventilation Good ventilation without draughts is an essential to any efficient poultry house. Birds require comfort but not coddling. Stuffiness can as easily be responsible for colds as can draughts. For this reason attention is drawn to the necessity of providing ventilation at the roof eave at the back of the house. This can be done by having a 3 to 4in. gap at the eave which may be baffled by an outside board or left ■open, according to the district and the winds experienced. Inside Fittings The essential inside fittings include perches, watering facilities, and nest boxes, and instructions for making these are given here. Perches Perches should be made of 3in. x -2in. dressed timber placed on edge with the two top edges bevelled to facilitate the birds gripping the wood when they are perching and to prevent injuries to the feet. Where dropping boards are used they should be about 2ft. from the floor (or 20in.

above the litter) and the perches placed 6 to Bin. above the dropping boards. If no dropping boards are used, the perches should be about 20in. above the top of the litter. The method of fitting a perch is important, as, if it is resting on a wooden bearer, there is every possibility of red mites collecting between the surfaces of the perch and the bearer. (Reference will be made to the control of red mite in a subsequent article.) Consequently, perches may be suspended from the roof on wires or placed on iron fittings rising from the floor, with distinct advantage to the birds. Where dropping boards are used the perches can be fitted to iron spikes. If a wooden bearer is used, the perch should not be made a permanent fixture, but should be a loose fitting in a slot or kept upright by a nail driven into the support or bearer on each side of the perch. For light-breed laying birds approximately 6 to 7in. of perching room is required for each bird, and for heavy breeds 8 to lOin. for each bird. Nest Boxes With small-unit poultry houses the fewer the fittings extending into the house the better. Consequently, a nest box built into the wall and projecting outside the house is recommended. The diagram of this type of nest on this page gives all the details required for construction. A multiplicity of nest boxes is unnecessary. One nest box 3ft. long (the size suggested for 12 to 15 birds) is as satisfactory as three nest boxes each Ift. wide. Nesting space Ift.. wide usually is sufficient for 4 to 5 birds. If three nest boxes are fixed inside the house, they should be placed 20 to 24in. above the floor and should each be 12in. wide, 14in. high, and 16in. deep, with a 6in. lip at the front of the nest to retain the nesting litter. One nest 36in. long, 14in. high, and 16in. deep may be used instead of the three compartments. When nests are placed inside the house it is desirable to make them removable from the wall for cleaning purposes, preferably using the wall of the house as the back of the nest box. Also, the bottoms of the nest boxes may be made of fine-mesh (fin.) wire netting instead of wood. This facilitates the cleaning out of the boxes, which should contain an ample supply of clean nesting material such as straw. A wire-netting bottom will

also help to reduce the number of cracked or broken eggs, and lessen the chances of flea infestation. Drinking Equipment It is very important that the litter in a laying house should be kept dry. Where water troughs are placed inside a house there is always the danger of water being spilt on to the litter, and extra labour is required for taking the trough outside for emptying and scrubbing out before being refilled. Therefore, it is recommended that this fitting also be built into the wall, with the trough in a box projecting outside the house. A diagram giving details of this type of trough is given on this page. Attention is drawn to the slatted floor upon which the trough rests. This arrangement permits any water spilt by the birds to fall outside the house. The box containing the trough should be at least 8 to 12in. from the floor level 'to prevent litter being scratched into the box and trough and falling through the slats to make a mess outside the house. A galvanisedmetal trough 12 to 14in. long, 4in. deep, and 4 to 6in. wide will be suitable for a small flock of layers.

Reminders for April With the new-season pullets well. settled and in lay the litter in the house should be built up to a ... depth of 4 to 6in. A good bed of dry litter must be established before winter wet weather comes. ’ Litter should not be changed during winter unless it is absolutely essential. Pullets in lay need standard laying mash No. I (not No. 2), which contains 10 per cent, of meat meal. Unless ample supplies of good greenfeed are available, the new pullets should be receiving a regular supply of fish oil containing vitamin- A. Details of the feeding of fish oil to laying pullets may be obtained from the Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 2298, Wellington, or any office of the Department on application.