Poultry Housing Guide: Setting Up for Broilers vs Layers
Once you've decided whether to raise broilers or layers, the next step is building the right type of house for your chickens. Proper housing helps reduce disease, supports growth or egg production, and protects your investment. But since broilers and layers have different lifecycles and purposes, their housing needs are also different.
Broiler Housing Requirements
Broilers grow quickly and are usually raised for 6 to 8 weeks before slaughter. Because of this short period, their housing is simpler and cheaper to build. A common system is deep litter, where birds live on the floor covered with sawdust, wood shavings, or rice husks.
* Space needed: Broilers need about 1 square foot (0.1 square meter) per bird. For example, a 10x20 foot (3x6 meter) house can hold around 200 broilers.
* Ventilation: Broilers generate a lot of heat and moisture. Proper air movement through windows or ventilation holes is necessary to avoid heat stress and diseases like respiratory infections.
* Lighting: Broilers often grow faster under continuous light. Many farmers use 23 to 24 hours of light per day for the first few weeks to encourage feeding.
* Temperature: Young broiler chicks need 32 to 35°C during the first week, reduced weekly until it reaches around 22 to 24°C.
Because broilers are raised in batches, their housing can be cleaned and reused every cycle. The floors must be cleaned, disinfected, and refilled with fresh litter.
Layer Housing Requirements
Layers start laying eggs around 18 to 20 weeks of age and continue for about 1.5 to 2 years. This means their housing must support long-term health, egg laying, and comfort.
* Space needed: Layers require more space—typically 1.5 to 2 square feet (0.15 to 0.18 square meters) per bird in cages, or about 3 to 4 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb5QG8sJP20xMjnTVu3z/461
Once you've decided whether to raise broilers or layers, the next step is building the right type of house for your chickens. Proper housing helps reduce disease, supports growth or egg production, and protects your investment. But since broilers and layers have different lifecycles and purposes, their housing needs are also different.
Broiler Housing Requirements
Broilers grow quickly and are usually raised for 6 to 8 weeks before slaughter. Because of this short period, their housing is simpler and cheaper to build. A common system is deep litter, where birds live on the floor covered with sawdust, wood shavings, or rice husks.
* Space needed: Broilers need about 1 square foot (0.1 square meter) per bird. For example, a 10x20 foot (3x6 meter) house can hold around 200 broilers.
* Ventilation: Broilers generate a lot of heat and moisture. Proper air movement through windows or ventilation holes is necessary to avoid heat stress and diseases like respiratory infections.
* Lighting: Broilers often grow faster under continuous light. Many farmers use 23 to 24 hours of light per day for the first few weeks to encourage feeding.
* Temperature: Young broiler chicks need 32 to 35°C during the first week, reduced weekly until it reaches around 22 to 24°C.
Because broilers are raised in batches, their housing can be cleaned and reused every cycle. The floors must be cleaned, disinfected, and refilled with fresh litter.
Layer Housing Requirements
Layers start laying eggs around 18 to 20 weeks of age and continue for about 1.5 to 2 years. This means their housing must support long-term health, egg laying, and comfort.
* Space needed: Layers require more space—typically 1.5 to 2 square feet (0.15 to 0.18 square meters) per bird in cages, or about 3 to 4 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb5QG8sJP20xMjnTVu3z/461
Poultry Housing Guide: Setting Up for Broilers vs Layers
Once you've decided whether to raise broilers or layers, the next step is building the right type of house for your chickens. Proper housing helps reduce disease, supports growth or egg production, and protects your investment. But since broilers and layers have different lifecycles and purposes, their housing needs are also different.
Broiler Housing Requirements
Broilers grow quickly and are usually raised for 6 to 8 weeks before slaughter. Because of this short period, their housing is simpler and cheaper to build. A common system is deep litter, where birds live on the floor covered with sawdust, wood shavings, or rice husks.
* Space needed: Broilers need about 1 square foot (0.1 square meter) per bird. For example, a 10x20 foot (3x6 meter) house can hold around 200 broilers.
* Ventilation: Broilers generate a lot of heat and moisture. Proper air movement through windows or ventilation holes is necessary to avoid heat stress and diseases like respiratory infections.
* Lighting: Broilers often grow faster under continuous light. Many farmers use 23 to 24 hours of light per day for the first few weeks to encourage feeding.
* Temperature: Young broiler chicks need 32 to 35°C during the first week, reduced weekly until it reaches around 22 to 24°C.
Because broilers are raised in batches, their housing can be cleaned and reused every cycle. The floors must be cleaned, disinfected, and refilled with fresh litter.
Layer Housing Requirements
Layers start laying eggs around 18 to 20 weeks of age and continue for about 1.5 to 2 years. This means their housing must support long-term health, egg laying, and comfort.
* Space needed: Layers require more space—typically 1.5 to 2 square feet (0.15 to 0.18 square meters) per bird in cages, or about 3 to 4 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb5QG8sJP20xMjnTVu3z/461
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