Page 86 - Agriculture_Form_Three

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

This housing system is most preferred for small-scale organic production of poultry
meat and eggs. With this system, housing costs and capital investment are low.
However, it is challenging due to the following: eggs can be lost when laid inside
the dense grasses unless special nests are provided, losses due to predatory animals
can be high, wild birds may bring diseases unless proper care is taken, and scientific

management practices may not be easily adopted.
Semi-intensive poultry housing system

In this system, birds are partly reared in houses and partly in fenced area. When it is
practised in a permanent area, there should be a poultry house(s) followed by a run.
At night, birds are confined to houses and during the day, they are given access to
runs. The houses should be stationary and runs have to be fenced with wire mesh or

any other suitable fencing materials that are locally available. The stationary houses
can be constructed using locally available materials with water-proof roof and half
or full solid walls depending on the climatic conditions of the area. These houses
should have solid floors made up of concrete or rammed earth. The houses should
also be furnished with water and feed troughs as well as perches and laying nests.
If breeding of the poultry will be done in the farm, houses should also have special
pens to facilitate natural incubation and brooding.

The runs have to be planted or provided with suitable forage so as to supply birds
with green forage. Fencing of the runs may also be designed in a way that it allows
rotational runs especially when forage is grown in situ. The living space in the house
depends on type of poultry and environmental conditions, details which can easily
be obtained from your teacher, local extension workers or other poultry experts.
However, the stocking density of 4 - 5 birds per square metre in a house can be
used. This system of housing can accommodate an average rate of 750 birds per
hectare. With this housing system, scientific management operations can be applied
to a certain extent and there is more economical use of land compared to free range

or extensive system. However, there is high cost for fencing and need for routine
cleaning and removal of litter materials from run. Figure 4.13 shows an example of
a poultry house followed by run.

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