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What are the requirements of the extensive system?
1. Land: the land must be large, well-drained with trees for shade.
An external fence is required to restrict chicken from straying. 100 birds require 0.4 of hectare.
2. Runs (partitioned areas): the land should be partitioned to allow rotation. This reduces diseases and parasites.
3. House: the house is constructed to provide shelter and an area for laying nests. It should be easy to move form one run to another.
Advantages
These include:
Cannibalism and egg eating are reduced because the birds are not crowded and are free within the run.
No need to provide grit as birds picks it from the soil.
Less feed is used as birds pick insect and grass.
Manure is evenly spread to the runs, this helps vegetation to regenerate.
Birds are of good body size and stamina.
Disadvantages
These include:
A lot of land is needed which may not be available if you intend to keep a large number of birds;
Birds can be stolen or eaten by predators;
Eggs get lost in the runs;
Eggs get dirty.
2. Intensive Systems
In this system, the flocks are kept inside the house entirely with no access to the land outside. There are two types of intensive systems: the deep litter and battery system.
A. Deep Litter Systems
In this system, birds are kept in large pens and on floors covered with litters like straws or saw dust up to a depth of 8-12 inches. This system is suitable for producing fertile eggs when cocks and hens are kept together and for raising chicks and broilers, see Figure 2.4 below.
Figure 2.4: A deep litter housing system.
Poultry Keeping & Management
Page 19
Requirements for deep litter systems
1. Site: the site should be located in a well drained area;
2. House: the roof should be leak proof, made of aluminium sheets, corrugated iron sheets or asbestos. A grass-thatched roof is not good as it harbours pest and require frequent replacement.
3. Ventilation: the wall on the leeward side should be open from 60-90cm above the ground and covered with wire mesh. Good ventilation is important so as to reduce heat, humidity and harmful gases.
4. Floor: the floor is covered with litter, such as, saw dust, wood shaving, crushed maize cobs, and coffee and rice husks, chopped dry grass, etc. The litter should be turned regularly and more added as it becomes contaminated with droppings. Turning or stirring the litter encourages the multiplication of micro-organisms. These breaks down the hen’s dropping and eventually convert the litter into a mass of fine, dry, friable material which is normally odourless and comparatively hygienic. Turning is done either with the help of a fold, or by throwing grains regularly on the litter. As the chicken scratch for the grains, they turn the litter. When introducing new litter mix with a little of the old so as to introduce bacteria which help the litter to decompose. The depth of the litter should be kept between 15-30cm.
5. Feeders and waterers: these should be clean and well distributed to avoid overcrowding of birds and contamination of the feed and water.
6. Roosts: you should provide timber frames on which the bird perch for rest. You should allow 22.5cm – 30cm per bird and 1-1.2m high. The roosts should be moveable in order to avoid dampness caused by the accumulation of droppings in one spot.
7. Nests: are laying boxes: these should be large enough to make the birds comfortable. They should be built in a dark place in order to discourage egg eating and cannibalism. The floor of the nest should be covered with soft dry grass or wood shavings in order to prevent egg breakages.
There are two types of nests: the individual nests and the communal nests:
The individual nest accommodates one bird at a time. It measures 25-30cm wide, 30-35cm high & 30-36cm deep
The communal nest accommodates many birds at a time. Its door is 20x20cm.
Advantages of Deep Litter System
Many birds can be kept in a small area (high stocking rates);
Labour requirement is low as one person can care for many birds;
The system can be used to rear breeding stock;
Birds are safe from predators and thieves;
There is fast accumulation of manure;
Less loss of eggs as in free range;
Ammonia produced by decomposing organic
