CHICKEN EQUIPMENT

Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock Development and Marketing National Poultry Development Programme

Forchickensto be produdve, they need good housing.

Besides housing, housing equipment is important. A good house will contain; feeders, drinkers, nests, roosts or perches and litter.

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Chicken house plan for

15-20 chickens.

Feeders

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A gc:xxJ feeder should not tip over.

A gc:xxJfeeder should be able to feed all your chickenswith ease (i.e. thereshould be 8 cmsof space per chicken).

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A gc:xxJ feedershould be able to adjust to the size of the Kuku
{adjustablewith stones/timber, height of the hanging wirel

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A gc:xxJfeeder should
not allow any wastage. To prevent wastage, lips should measure 2 cm. A gc:xxJ feeder sfnJk:j keep chickensout otherwisetheywill sal a v.os~ the feed.

A gc:xxJ feedercan be made out of any material as long as

the above-mentioned principles have been met. (i.e. a piece of old tvre).

Advantages of a good feeder . . .

Thefeeddoesnotget dirty(spoiled)
There is no wastage of feed
Reduced risk of diseases

Drinkers
Drinking water is essential for chickens regardless of whether they are kept inside a house or are scavenging outside. In dry climates, such as the Coast and Western Province, chickens may consume rwice as much water than they do up-country in Central Province. Therelore, watch the water consumption carelully. Never allow chickens 10 run out 01 clean waler. Good, Iresh drinking waler keeps your chickens healthy and increases egg production.

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The simplest waterer is a tin can inverted on a soup or pie plate, or you can punch a hole about 2 cm from :he open end 01 the tin can. Fill the can with water and cover it with the plate. With one hand on the plate and one on the tin can, quickly invert bolh. The position 01 the punched hole and the vacuum in the tin can will regulate the vo.'Jter level in the plale.

A good drinker should be easy to clean and can be made out 01anything

A good drinker should be filled with fresh water daily. The height of a good drinker should be adjusted 10the size of the chickens (adjustablewith stones/timber)

Nests
To increase the numberof eggs produced and the number of
chicks hatched your chickens need a place to toy and hatch their eggs.

With clean eggs in a nest you will get an increased number

of chicks Your chicKens will be protected against rain and cold nights reduced risKof diseases. A comfortable nest should give your chickens enough room to hatch comfortably (approx. 35 cm deep and wide I Good nests should contain nesting material (chopped, dried grass, other dry soft material)

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That eggs will no longer be produced just anywhere in the open where they get dirty or eaten by birds or other animals. It will also mean that you will be able to collect more eggs.

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A comfortable nestshould be situated in a dark corner of the house (no direct sunlight)

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Your chickens will not be disturbed during laying thereby increasing the number of eggs.

A comfortable nestshould be raised 50 cm from the floor.

A nestshould be used only for laying and hatching (prevent

chickens from entering when not in use).

Roosts or perches
Chickens have a natural instinctfor sleeping high in trees, where they feel protected against danger.

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A nest should be available when your chicken starts laying

eggs (calculate the number of nests according to the number of adult hens]. A comfortable nest can be made out of all kinds of materials. Providing nests for laying hens helps ke.ep eggs clean and reduces breakage. Baskets, reinforced with sun-baked clay or cow d.mg, can be used for nests. Usually clay is applied to the outside of the basket. Nests should be placed on the darkest side of the house, preferably where the morning sun will not reach the chickens. line them with fresh litter and keep them clean. Provide one nest for every five hens. In hot climates. nests should be well-ventilated.

To make your chickens feel comfortable, your chicken house should have perches or roosts (sleeping sticks) to allow them to roost during the night. Perches prevent your chickens from sleeping in the nests, feeders or drinkers, thus preventing them from soiling these during the night. Perches help to reduce attacks Irom mites and other dudus (present in the litter).

Good perchesshould be placed high up in the chicken house, higher than your nests,to keep your chickens out of air currents(approximately 1 metre high).

Litter
litler is dry moisture-absorbing material which is spread on the floor Istraw, hay, shredded paper, wood shavings, sawdust, coffee husks, rice husks, etc. I

Good perches should be roundledland the diameter should olbN chickensto grip well with theirfeet.

litler absorbs chicKen droppings and waste wafer from your drinkers.

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Good perches should hove space forall your Kukus 120 cm

/bird). The perch should be 1 metre high.

litler reduces the riskof diseases, this is particularlyso for small chickswhich are susceptibleto cold, humidityand air currents.
litler makes the floor of your shed easy to clean and reduces the risKof disease.

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Old litter is an excellent manure for your fcxx;jcrops.

litter may be composed of chopped/dried grass, dried crushed maize cobs, sawdust, wood shavings, dried coffee or rice husks.

A good layer of litter should be at least 5 em thick Wet potches in the litter (leakage, waste water! should be removed immediately and replaced.

The litter should be-removed,(floor deanedl and replaced twice yearly.

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