Poultry House “Sunporch”

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 94, Issue 2, 15 February 1957, Page 150

Poultry House “Sunporch”

By

W. L. JOURDAIN,

Poultry Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Hamilton

VARIATIONS in types of houses provided for poultry and the fittings used are all designed for one of three reasons:— I. Labour saving and, as a result, money saving. 2. Increased production and profit. 3. Comfort of the stock.

IN the Waikato and Bay of Plenty districts a new variation called the poultry house “sunporch” has been developed which is labour saving and provides for the comfort of the stock. This is a very popular variation and one which is easy to put in any established house or include in any new one with the exception of a round house; The sunporch is of most benefit in a multi-pen house and not so much in individual houses without divisions.

The more fresh air birds get the better, but in some localities where there is a lot of driving rain coming in the front of the house there are limitations. However, with this sunporch variation the problem is completely solved no matter what the climate, because the birds can be shut off from the sunporch portion when rain strikes the front.

A sunporch is made by an additional wire-netting wall being put along the front of the house about 4ft. to 6ft. from the front wall. Of course, when a new house is being built this can be included in the plan with very little extra cost, the addition being a foundation along the front of the house, 2 wire-netting doors, and a wire-net-ting wall for each pen or division involved.

Whatever the extra cost it is well worth while and the labour and time saved in management more than covers it. The advantages of the extension can be seen readily from the illustrations. No matter what the climate, both the front of the house and the sunporch wall should be wire netting from floor to roof.

There are variations of the arrangements illustrated, but they do not make any vital difference to the working of the sunporch.