Types of chicken houses Chicken houses are basically divided into two types, namely open chicken houses (ordinary chicken houses) and closed chicken houses.

(1) Open chicken house: The common form is a windowed chicken house with walls on all sides, large windows on the south wall, and small windows on the north wall. There may or may not be a playground on the south side. All or most of these chicken houses rely on natural ventilation and natural light, and the temperature and humidity in the house basically change with the seasons. Due to the limited natural ventilation and lighting, ventilation and lighting equipment are often added to such chicken houses in production management to supplement the lack of ventilation and lighting under natural conditions.

(2) Closed chicken coop: also known as windowless chicken coop. The top cover of this kind of chicken house is well insulated from the four walls; there are no windows on all sides, and the environment in the house is adjusted manually or by instrument control. Artificial ventilation and light are used in the chicken house, and the temperature, humidity and air composition in the house are controlled by changing the amount of ventilation.

Structural requirements for each part of the chicken house

(1) Foundation and ground: The foundation should be deep and solid. The ground is required to be higher than the outside of the house, moisture-proof, flat, and easy to clean and disinfect.

(2) Wall: good heat insulation performance, can defend against external wind and rain. It is mostly built with bricks or stones, the outside of the wall is plastered with cement, and the inside of the wall is covered with cement or white lime to prevent moisture and facilitate erosion.

(3) Roof: In addition to the single-slope roof for small chicken houses with a small flat span, double-slope roofs are generally used.

(4) Doors and windows: The door is generally located on the south side of the south-facing chicken house. The size of the door is generally 2 meters high and 1 meter wide for a single door; about 2 meters high and 1.6 meters wide for two doors.

The windows of the open chicken house should be set on the front and rear walls, and the front windows should be wide and lower from the ground to facilitate lighting. The ratio of window to ground area is 110-18. The rear window should be small, about 2/3 of the front window area, and it can be higher from the ground to facilitate ventilation in summer. There are no windows in the airtight chicken house, only emergency windows and ventilation holes.

(5) The span, length and height of the chicken house: The span of the chicken house depends on the form of the roof of the chicken house, the type of chicken house and the feeding method. The general span is: 6-10 meters for open chicken houses and 12-15 meters for closed chicken houses.

The length of the chicken house generally depends on the span of the chicken house and the degree of mechanization of management. A chicken house with a span of 6 to 10 meters is generally 30 to 60 meters in length; a chicken house with a larger span, such as 12 meters, is generally 70 to 80 meters in length. Chicken houses with a higher degree of mechanization can be longer, but generally it should not exceed 100 meters, otherwise the production and installation of mechanical equipment will be more difficult, and the materials will not be easy to solve.

The height of the chicken house should be determined according to the feeding method, manure cleaning method, span and climatic conditions. In areas with small spans, dry farming and not too hot areas, the chicken coop does not need to be too high. Generally, the height of the eaves of the chicken coop is 2.0 to 2.5 meters; if the span is large, and it is multi-layered cages, the height of the chicken coop is about 3 meters or more. The height of the chicken cage on the first floor is 1-1.5 meters from the roof; if it is a high-bed closed chicken house, the height is generally 4.5-5 meters (1.8-2 meters higher than the average chicken house) due to the lower part of the manure pit.

(6) Operation room and walkway: The operation room is where the breeder operates and stores tools. If the length of the chicken house does not exceed 40 meters, the operation room can be located at one end of the chicken house. If the length of the chicken house exceeds 40 meters, it should be located in the middle of the chicken house.