🩺Poultry Housing Management - Deep Litter, Cage System, Brooding and Feeding

Proper housing management is the foundation of a productive poultry enterprise. The design, orientation, and type of housing directly impact bird health, growth rate, egg production, and overall profitability.

• Open-sided poultry houses are very popular in our country. Open-sided houses are preferred in India’s tropical climate because they allow natural ventilation and reduce the cost of environmental control systems.

• In hotter parts of the country, the long axis of the house should run from East to West and the sides should face north-south to prevent direct sunshine falling in to the house. This orientation ensures that the broad side walls face north and south, minimising direct sunlight penetration and keeping the interior cooler.
• In colder parts of the country houses facing south or south-east to get maximum sunlight. In cold regions, maximising solar heat gain is important for maintaining comfortable temperatures inside the poultry house.
• Feeder (Feed Hopper:) It is a specially designed trough or utensil where feed for chicken is kept. Feeders must be designed to minimise feed wastage while allowing easy access for all birds.

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Types

Understanding the different types of poultry houses helps in selecting the right housing for each stage of the bird’s life:

• Chick/Brooder House: Used to brood and egg type chick from day-old-chick to 5–6 weeks age. The brooder house provides supplemental heat and protection for young, vulnerable chicks.
• Grower House: Grow birds which age between 9 to 18 weeks. During this phase, birds are transitioning from chicks to mature birds and need adequate space for proper skeletal and muscular development.
• Brooder cum Grower House: Birds are reared from 0 to 18 weeks. This combined housing eliminates the stress of shifting birds between separate houses.
• Layer House: A house in which layer chickens of 18 to 72 weeks age birds reared. Layer houses are equipped with nesting boxes, feeders, and waterers designed for egg-laying hens.
• Laying Nest - A box or cage where the chickens lay eggs. Providing clean, comfortable laying nests encourages hens to lay eggs in designated spots, reducing dirty and broken eggs.
• Broiler House: Broilers are reared up to 6 weeks of age. Broiler houses are designed for rapid turnover and are cleaned and disinfected between batches.
• Breeder House: Both male and female birds reared with appropriate ratio of breeding purpose. The typical male-to-female ratio in a breeder house is 1:8 to 1:10 to ensure adequate fertilisation.
• Environmentally controlled (EC) house:
  • In which, entire environment is manipulated in such a way that is optimum for the birds growth. EC houses use fans, cooling pads, heaters, and automated controls to maintain ideal conditions year-round.
  • The optium temperature for broiler is 24°C and layer is 13-20°C. The optium relative humidity for both broiler and layer is 60%. Note that broilers require a higher optimum temperature (24°C) than layers (13-20°C), not lower. This is because broilers are fast-growing and generate significant metabolic heat.

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Poultry Housing System

I. Extensive system

• Also called Free Range System. In this system, birds have the freedom to roam outdoors, which allows them to exhibit natural behaviours such as foraging, dust bathing, and perching.
• Birds are allowed free range, such that it can wander at will, over the allotted paddock or field and are not controlled by fences.
• Stocking density rage 250 birds per ha.
• They received their bulk quantity of feed from the land in the form of herbage, seeds, insects etc. besides in small quantity by hand feeding.
• It is preferred for organic production. Organic poultry certification often requires free-range access, making this system essential for farmers targeting the organic market.
• A small housing is provided for night shelter.

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II. Semi-intensive system

• The birds are provided with a night shelter surrounded by open but fence runs for the day. This system is usually adopted for duck rearing. The semi-intensive system offers a balance between the freedom of the extensive system and the control of the intensive system.
• Birds are provided with a pen and run. Pen is an enclosed house and run is an enclosed grass area with fence.
• The stocking density rate on an average for adult birds is 500-750 per hectare.
• 3 to 4 sq.ft / bird in the pen.

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III. Intensive system

• Birds are rearing in cages/slats.
• Therefore birds are totally confined with arrangements for feeding, watering, nesting etc. inside the house itself. The intensive system allows maximum control over the bird’s environment, nutrition, and health.
• This system is most widely practiced in India and around the world.
• Intensive system is sub-divided in four types:

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Deep litter system

• In this system birds are kept inside the house all time.
• Litter material is of organic in nature capable of absorbing moisture and releasing moisture to the atmosphere and also to serve as a bedding material for the birds. The litter provides insulation, absorbs droppings, and allows birds to perform natural scratching behaviour.
  • Coirpith
  • Paddy husk
  • Ground Nut
  • Saw dust
  • Wood shavings
  • Straw chopping
  • Paper straw chopping
  • Sugarcane baggase
• Birds are kept suitable later materials of about 5 to 12 inch depth.
• The major disadvantage of this system is if the management is bad, liberation and accumulation of ammonia, wet litter problem dirty eggs, disease problems may result. Ammonia build-up from decomposing droppings can cause respiratory problems, eye irritation, and reduced productivity. Maintaining proper litter moisture (20-25%) is critical.
• As per TNAU/NABARD Norms, the floor space required for a bird in deep litter system: 2 sq.ft. per bird.

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Slatted floor system

• In this system, iron rods or wood reaper are used as floor which are placed 2-3 feet above the ground level to facilitate fall of droppings through slats. The raised slatted floor keeps the birds separated from their droppings, improving hygiene and reducing the incidence of diseases like coccidiosis that are spread through faecal matter.

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Slat cum litter system

• 60% floor space cover with rods rest with litter. This hybrid system combines the benefits of both slatted floors (cleanliness) and deep litter (bird comfort and natural behaviour).
• In this system less floor space per bird is needed when compared to solid floor system.
• Higher initial cost than conventional solid floors is the major disadvantage of this system.

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Cage system

• AKA Battery Cage System or Californian Cage System. The cage system is the most space-efficient housing method and allows precise management of individual birds.
• Present in world 75 % commercial layers reared in cage system. The dominance of the cage system in commercial egg production is due to its advantages in hygiene, feed efficiency, and egg cleanliness.
• In cage system — cage layers fatigue may occur (it is system in which lameness occur in birds, it may be due to Ca and P deficiency but exact reason in not known). Cage layer fatigue is a condition where hens develop weak, fragile bones due to the combination of restricted movement and the high calcium demands of continuous egg production.
• In broilers case, incidence of breast blisters more especially when broilers weight above 1.5 kg.
• Birds are kept under total confinement with minimum space feed and water provided from outside.
• Eggs laid will get rolled out by the inclined floor bottom. The inclined cage floor ensures that eggs gently roll to a collection tray in front, keeping them clean and reducing breakage.
• Very limited movement is allowed by the birds to sit and stand properly.
• Minimum area is required/bird:
  • Single: 1 per sq.ft
  • Multiple: 0.75 sq.ft
  • Colony: 0.5 sq.ft
• Generally the cage floor space is 14x16 inches and height of 17 inches is allowed in battery system.

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Incubation of Eggs

Incubation is the process by which an egg of oviparous (egg-laying) animals develops an embryo within the egg. It provides the controlled environment of temperature, humidity, and ventilation needed for the embryo to develop fully.

• Incubation period for chicken eggs is 21 days. This is a critical value to remember: 21 days from the start of incubation to hatching.
• A machine which provides all these is called an incubator. Modern commercial incubators can hold thousands of eggs and precisely control temperature, humidity, and turning to maximise hatch rates.
• Hatching: Process of breaking out of an eggshell after completion of incubation. The chick uses a specialised structure called the egg tooth (a small, hard projection on the tip of the upper beak) to pip through the shell.

Principles of Incubation

Five major functions are involved in incubation and hatching of poultry eggs:

1. Temperature

• Embryo starts developing when the temperature exceeds the Physiological Zero.
• Physiological zero is the temperature below which embryonic growth is arrested and above which it is reinitiated. For chicken eggs, physiological zero is about 75°F (24°C).
• The optimum temperature for chicken egg in the setter (first 18 days) ranges from 99.50 to 99.75°F (37.5 - 37.8°C).
• In the hatcher (last 3 days) the temperature is 98.5°F (36.9°C).

2. Humidity

• Humidity for the first 18 days (in setter): 55-60%.
• For the last 3 days (in hatcher): 65-70%.
• Higher humidity during hatching period is given to avoid dehydration of chicks and to soften the shell membranes for easier pipping.

3. Ventilation

• The oxygen content of the air in the setter remains at about 21%.
• For every 1% drop in oxygen there is a 5% reduction in hatchability.
• The tolerance level of CO2 for the first 4 days in the setter is 0.3%.
• CO2 levels above 0.5% reduce hatchability and are completely lethal at 5.0%.

4. Position of Eggs

• Artificially incubating eggs should be held with their large ends up.
• Under normal circumstances, eggs are set with large end up for the first 18 days (in setter) and in horizontal position for the last 3 days (in hatcher).

5. Turning of Eggs

• Eggs should be turned at least 8 times a day (manual turning).
• In large commercial incubators, eggs are turned automatically each hour i.e. 24 times a day.
• Most eggs are turned to a position of 45° from vertical, and then reversed in the opposite direction to 45° from vertical.
• Rotation less than 45° is not adequate to achieve high hatchability.
• Turning is not required in the Hatcher (last 3 days).

Incubation Conditions Summary

Natural vs Artificial Incubation

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Brooding of Chick

Brooding is one of the most critical phases in poultry management. Proper brooding ensures high chick survival, uniform growth, and strong immune development.

• Day-old chick: Hatched out chick is called as day-old-chick up to 24 hours.
• Brooding: This is a process of rearing the young chickens from day-old chicks to 5–6 weeks of age during which, heat is to be provided to keep them warm. A newly hatched chick does not develop the thermoregulatory mechanism fully and takes about two weeks to develop this mechanism and homeostasis. Therefore, chicks cannot maintain their own body temperature during the first few weeks, so external heat is essential for their survival.
• Brood: A group of chicks of same age raised in one batch is called as a brood.
• Brooder: Basically, this is a device for providing artificial heat. Also, brooder house.

• Hover: An apparatus used for keeping chicken warm. It is a heat source and placed inside brooder. The hover typically consists of a heating element (infrared lamp, gas heater, or electric heater) with a canopy that traps warm air around the chicks. These reflectors are called Hovers.
• Maintain temperature of 90 to 95 °F for the first week and then reduce 5°F every week. This gradual reduction in temperature (called step-down brooding) allows the chicks to acclimatise and develop their own thermoregulatory ability.
• 24 hours lighting should be adopted during 0 - 5–6 weeks of age (brooding period). Continuous lighting during the brooding period encourages chicks to eat and drink frequently, promoting early growth.

Natural Brooding

• It is done with the help of broody hens after hatching, up to 3 to 4 weeks of age.
• A broody hen can take care of 10-15 chicks depending on the season.
• Suitable only for small-scale and backyard poultry farming.

Artificial Brooding

In artificial brooding, large numbers of baby chicks are reared in the absence of a broody hen. Equipment used for brooding are called brooders. A brooder comprises three elements:

1. Heating source
2. Reflectors (Hovers)
3. Brooder guard / Chick guard

Types of Brooders:

Brooder Guard (Chick Guard):

• Brooder Diameter: 5 feet
• Brooder Height: 1.5 feet
• Materials: cardboard sheet, GI sheet, wire mesh, or mat (depending on season)
• During summer season, brooding guard is used for 5-6 days. In winter season it is used for 2-3 weeks.

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Layer Management

The laying period starts from the point of lay (around 18 weeks) and continues to about 72 weeks of age (one year of production).

Phases of Layer Management

Space Requirements for Layers

Nest Types

• Provide nest box for every 5 layers about a week before the first egg is laid.

Lighting Programme for Layers

• Provide 16 hours of light during laying period. Light stimulates the pituitary gland to release hormones that trigger ovulation.
• Never decrease light duration during the laying period — this can cause a sudden drop in egg production.
• Increasing day length stimulates early maturity and egg production.

Feeding During Laying

• The average feed consumption during laying period ranges from 100-110 grams per day.
• Layer feed should contain adequate calcium (3.5-4%) for strong eggshell formation.
• Collect eggs at least 5 times a day in deep-litter system and twice a day in cage system.

Deworming for Layers

• Deworming should be done regularly at an interval of 6-8 weeks depending on the worm load, especially when reared under deep-litter system.

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Broiler Management

Broiler is defined as the tender meated chicken of either sex which grows from 35 to 40 gms of initial weight to 2 kg or more in 6 weeks of age by consuming around 4 kg of feed.

Broiler Space and Feeding Requirements

Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR)

• Feed conversion ratio in broiler chicken: 1.5 to 1.9. This means a broiler needs only 1.5 to 1.9 kg of feed to gain 1 kg of body weight, making it one of the most feed-efficient livestock species.
• Poultry has the LOWEST FCR (best feed efficiency) among livestock; broiler FCR = 1.5–1.8. Lower FCR = better feed efficiency. Poultry converts feed to meat more efficiently than cattle, sheep, or pigs.

Rearing of Broilers

• All in all out system: Farm will have only one batch of broilers. The All-in-All-out system means all birds are placed and removed at the same time, allowing thorough cleaning and disinfection between batches. This is the best system for disease prevention.
• Multiple batch system
  • Consist more than 1 batch of broilers with batch interval 1 to 4 weeks.
  • The ideal system in India at present is having 5 to 6 batch of broilers at any time and birds will market daily from 40 - 54 of age. This system provides a continuous supply of birds to the market and steady income for the farmer.

Grower Management

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Nutrition

• Poultry being simple stomached species, cannot synthesise most of the nutrients required for them and so the nutrients become dietary essentials chicken has to be fed adequate quantities of balanced diet for its growth, livability and to exhibit its genetic potential to the full extent. Since poultry are monogastric (single-stomached) animals, they depend entirely on their feed for essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.
• Excess energy is stored as body fat. In layers, excessive body fat can reduce egg production and cause health problems; in broilers, some fat deposition is desirable for meat quality.
• Poultry feed is composed of
  • 60-65% Energy giving materials. Cereal grains like maize, wheat, and sorghum are the primary energy sources.
  • 30-35% of Protein source (Both animal and vegetable protein). Soybean meal, fish meal, groundnut cake, and sunflower meal are commonly used protein sources.
  • 2-8% Minerals source (Calcium supplements). Shell grit, limestone, and dicalcium phosphate are common calcium and phosphorus supplements essential for bone development and eggshell formation.
  • Cannibalism is seen in poultry due to NaCl deficiency. Cannibalism (feather pecking and flesh eating) can be triggered by a deficiency of salt (NaCl) in the diet, along with other management factors like overcrowding and poor lighting.

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Care

Culling

• Removal of unwanted bird from the flock is known as culling. Culling is a routine management practice that improves the overall productivity and health of the flock by removing non-productive or diseased birds.
• E.g. old non-laying birds, sick birds and masculine hens are removed.

Criteria for culling layers:

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Debeaking

• It is recommended to debeak the layer birds to control feather pecking and cannibalism, bullying. It is carried out by means of electrocautery. Debeaking (also called beak trimming) uses a heated blade or infrared device to remove a portion of the beak, preventing birds from causing injury to flock mates.
• It is important to remove only one third of the upper beak taking care to avoiding tongue. Removing too much of the beak can cause chronic pain and difficulty eating.
• It is usually practiced at the age of 7–10 days (or as early as day 1 in hatcheries) (1st debeaking) and repeated at the age of 8–12 weeks (2nd debeaking).
• Debeaking should never be done with a penknife — always use proper electrocautery equipment.

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Deworming

• It is the process of removing worms from digestive tract of the birds. Internal parasites (helminths) can cause weight loss, reduced egg production, and increased susceptibility to other diseases.
• It is practiced at intervals of 45 days in layer birds and also before RDVK vaccination.
• Chemical used piprazine compound. Piperazine is an effective and widely used anthelmintic (deworming agent) that paralyses the roundworms, allowing them to be expelled from the digestive tract.
• Deworming is done against tapeworms only on absolute necessity.

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Delicing

• Removal of external parasites like ticks, mites and fleas which suck the blood from the bird. External parasites cause irritation, blood loss, anaemia, and reduced productivity. Regular delicing using approved insecticidal dusts or sprays is an important aspect of flock health management.

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Moulting

• The process of shading old feathers and growth of new feather in their place moulting normally occurs once in a year. Moulting is a natural process during which the hen stops laying eggs and redirects her energy towards replacing old, worn-out feathers with new ones. Forced moulting (induced by feed withdrawal or lighting changes) is sometimes practiced in commercial operations to rejuvenate the reproductive system and extend the productive life of the flock.

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Important Vices (Bad Habits) of Poultry

1. Cannibalism

• Cannibalism is a condition in which birds of a flock attack their pen mate and eat its flesh, which may impose deep wounds and heavy mortality.
• Vent pecking is common in laying birds. Once birds adopt this vice, it spreads rapidly through the flock.

Reasons:

• Overcrowding in the poultry house
• Haemorrhages in external genitalia due to laying of large eggs by new hens
• Protein deficiency or excess of corn in the diet
• Deficiency of arginine and methionine
• Loss of feathers or haemorrhage from parasitic infestation
• NaCl (salt) deficiency in the diet

Prevention: Debeaking from day-old chicks; isolate birds involved in cannibalism; ensure adequate protein, salt, and amino acids in diet.

2. Egg Eating

• Birds develop the tendency to eat their own eggs.
• Prevention: Isolate the affected birds, increase lime stone and protein in diet, use roll-away cages, debeaking, provide darkness in laying area, reduce egg collection interval.

3. Egg Hiding

• A maternal instinct of jungle fowl; sometimes develops in domestic fowl with freedom of movement.

4. Pica

• Birds start eating materials not fit for consumption (feathers, litter material, threads).
• Caused by phosphorus deficiency, parasitic infestation, or new litter material.

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Biosecurity

Biosecurity refers to all measures taken to prevent the introduction and spread of disease agents (pathogens) on a poultry farm. It is a critical exam topic and the most cost-effective disease prevention strategy.

Key Biosecurity Practices

• Footbaths with disinfectant at every farm entry point — must be regularly replenished.
• All-in-All-out (AIAO) production system — all birds enter and leave the house at the same time; prevents pathogen carry-over between batches.
• Downtime between batches: minimum 2–3 weeks for cleaning, disinfection, and drying before introducing a new flock.
• Visitor control and restricted access — only essential personnel allowed; maintain a visitor log.
• Dead bird disposal: composting or incineration — never leave dead birds in or near the house.
• Rodent and wild bird control — rodents carry Salmonella; wild birds carry HPAI (H5N1); seal gaps in walls and roofs.
• Quarantine of new birds for 2–3 weeks before introducing them to an existing flock.

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Litter Management

Proper litter management is essential in the deep litter system to prevent ammonia build-up, wet litter disease, and coccidiosis.

• Ideal litter moisture: 20–25%. Below 20% = too dry (dusty, respiratory issues); above 25% = too wet (ammonia, coccidiosis, footpad dermatitis).
• Turn and stir litter regularly; remove caked and wet areas immediately.
• Replace litter completely between flocks (part of the AIAO downtime protocol).
• Common litter materials in India:
  • Rice husk (paddy husk) — most common in India; good absorbency, readily available.
  • Wood shavings — excellent absorbency.
  • Chopped straw — economical but lower absorbency.
  • Sawdust, sugarcane bagasse, coirpith.

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Broiler Lighting Program

Broilers require a distinct lighting program from layers. The goal is to stimulate feed intake while preventing leg problems caused by rapid growth in continuous bright light.

• Purpose of 23L:1D in week 1: Encourages newly placed chicks to find feed and water quickly, reducing early mortality.
• Step-down to 18L:6D: Provides a dark period to allow rest, reduces incidence of sudden death syndrome and skeletal leg problems associated with excessively fast growth under 24-hour bright light.
• Some integrators use dimmed continuous light (low lux, ~5 lux) as an alternative — birds rest without a fully dark period.

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Vaccination Schedule for Layers

Management Schedule for Layers

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References & Sources

1

G.C. Banerjee: A Textbook of Animal HusbandryBook

2

Wikipedia — Animal HusbandryWeb

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Summary Cheat Sheet