Page 88 - Agriculture_Form_Three

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

Similarly, moveable poultry coops are small poultry houses with side doors that open
to the run. The moveable coop has a bottomless floor to allow birds to be exposed
to fresh air and sunlight, having extra exercise and getting natural feeds. It can be
moved as needed either by hand (with the aid of skids incorporated into the design)
or by a cart or tractor. The coops are moved and placed around to new areas of grass
depending on how much manure is produced and the size of the coop. The moveable
coop is more suitable for birds reared for meat than eggs. If it is intended to raise
birds for eggs, laying nests have to be built in the coop. Depending on climate of the
area, careful detail to insulation is needed in both extreme hot and cold conditions.
Figure 4.15 shows an example of moveable poultry coop.

Figure 4.15: Moveable poultry coop

Source: https://cdn.goodao.net/easypetgarden/Hbb004097617d44bc8cae2ca4abfde9f9h.jpg
It is important to note that there are also non-moveable coops. A non-moveable
coop is suitable if you have limited space, large operation or limited time for
management. Non-moveable coops are fixed and they tend to use strong materials.
A larger coop can be built to accommodate harsh weather conditions, more birds and
ensure convenience of husbandry operations. The size of the coop can be increased
and facilities can also be added, for example, electricity can be supplied. Equally
important, if there is a desire to rear chickens in semi-intensive housing, cleanliness
should be ensured and new pasture should be planted as the old ones wear out. Proper
ventilation and insulation must be provided. However, larger houses sometimes
mean more openings for potential threat from predators. Therefore, farmers have to
take this factor into consideration when designing the coop.

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