TYPES OF POULTRY HOUSING SYSTEMS
Dr. Mukesh Kumar1, Dr. K.N. Singh2, Dr. Nimgaonkar Mayur Sudhirrao3,
- Professor Department of Veterinary Anatomy & Histology
- Professor Department of Veterinary Anatomy & Histology
- V.Sc Scholar Department of Veterinary Anatomy & Histology
C.V.Sc & A.H., A.N.D.U.A.T, Kumarganj, Ayodhya , U.P.(224229)
Email ID: nimgaonkarmayur@gmail.com MO. No.: 9137548061
Introduction:
Animal husbandry is always brought up while discussing agriculture because it is crucial to growing livestock and poultry in a systematic manner. Since agriculture in India is largely dependent on rainfall, and there has been a change in the pattern of rainfall recently, raising livestock has become crucial to offset it. Many marginal farmers are raising poultry in their backyards or for commercial purposes in order to have a certain income. Each and every farmer has a different economic situation, making it difficult for him to raise cattle or buffalo. Instead, it is simpler for him to keep chickens, which provide sustenance in the form of eggs and meat as well as a certain amount of income. There are various sorts of housing systems depending on the quantity of birds housed and how the birds are raised.
Different types of Housing Systems:
There are four housing schemes that chicken keepers often adhere to. The amount of land and the available funds heavily influence the sort of housing that is chosen.
i.Free-range or extensive system
ii. Semi-intensive system
iii. Folding unit system
iv. Intensive system
a. Battery system
b. Deep litter system
i.Free range system: also known as Backyard farming. In areas with enough of land, general farmers have utilised this technique for ages, making it the oldest of all. This arrangement gives the birds a lot of room, but not unlimited space, on the land where they can obtain a sizable amount of food in the form of plants, seeds, and insects, so long as they are safe from raptors and contagious diseases like parasite infestation. Due to the benefits of intense procedures, the system is currently practically absolute.
Semi-intensive system: This approach is used when there is a shortage of free spare space yet a requirement for providing the birds with 20 to 30 square yards of outdoor space per bird. To allow the birds to move to new ground, this space should, whenever possible, be divided into runs of 10-15 square yards per bird on either side of the house.
iii. Folding unit System: This housing system is a more recent innovation. The position of the movable folding unit’s birds, which are confined to a single tiny run, is changed every day to provide them with fresh ground. The birds also find a sizeable amount of their food from the herbage, which is healthier and tougher. Another benefit that comes from scraping and manuring the field is for the farmer. The drawbacks include the extra labour required to move the fold units regularly and the requirement to dish out food, water, and eggs to the birds. The foldable unit designed for 25 chickens is the easiest to handle. Each bird should have a floor space of one square foot in the house and 3 square feet in the run, for a total floor area of 4 square feet per bird for the entire unit, as with the intense method. A folding home that can accommodate 25 birds should be 5 feet wide and 20 feet long, with the house itself measuring 5 feet by 5 feet, or one-third of an Ibis fun. With wire netting sides and lop, the portion that is closest to the house is covered, leaving the remaining 10′ exposed.
- Intensive system:
This method, which is typically used in areas with little or expensive land, keeps the birds fully indoors with no access to the outside. This is only possible because the windows are removable, foldable, or slide down like train windows to let the ultraviolet rays reach the birds. This is done by allowing the direct sun rays to enter the house’s floor. according to the intense system. The most popular ways are deep litter and battery (cage system). - Battery system: This appliance is the inventor’s latest contribution to the commercial egg farmer. This is the most intensive type of poultry production and is useful to those with only small quantity of floor space at their disposal. Nowadays in large cities hardly a poultry lover can spare open lands for rearing birds. For all such people this system will prove worthy of keeping birds al minimum space.
In the battery system each hen is confined to a cage just large enough to permit very limited movement and allow her to stand and sit comfortably. The usual floor space is 14 X 16 inches and the height, 17 inches. The floor is of standard strong galvanized wire set at a slope from back to the front, so that the eggs as they are laid roll out of the cage to a receiving gutter Underneath is a tray for droppings. Both food and water receptacles are outside the cage. Many small cages can be assembled together; if necessary, It may be multistore. The whole structure should be of metal so that no parasites will be harboured and through disinfection can be carried out as often as required. Provided the batteries of cages are set up in the place which is well ventilated and lighted, is not too hot and is vermin proof and that the food meets all nutritional needs, this system has proved to be remarkably successful in tropical countries It may be that as it requires a minimum expenditure of energy from the bird, which spends its entire item in the shade. it lessens the load of excess body heat. The performance of each bird can be noted and culling easily carried out. Pullets, which are more often used than birds of over one year, should be placed in the cages at least one month before they are expected to lay. The feeding of birds in cages has to be carefully considered, as the birds are entirely dependent on the mash for maintenance and production. To supply vitamins A and D, cod liver oil, yeast, dried milk powder are useful/ and fish meal or other animal protein, and balanced minerals and some form of grit must be made available. As in each cage there will be only pullets so one can never expect fertilized eggs, hence the vegetative eggs will be there, which can be preserved for a longer time than fertilized eggs at ordinary room temperature but can never be used for hatching purposes.
Deep litter system: In this system the poultry birds are kept in large pens up to 250 birds each, an floor covered with litters like straw, saw dust or leaves up to depth of 8-12 inches. Deep litter resembles to dry compost. In other words, we can define deep litter, as the accumulation of the material used for litter with poultry manure until it reaches a depth of 8 to 12 inches. The build-up has to be carried out correctly to give desired results, which takes very little attention.
Conclusion: In relation to have sustainable side income for agriculture, animal husbandry plays important role. Depending upon the number of birds and availability of resources like land and labour there are main 4 types of housing systems. Out of which backyard poultry farming is very economic and easy method for the marginal and poor farmers while, with adequate budget the battery type of housing is best for layer birds and for broiler birds the deep litter housing system is best.
