Poultry Farming and Chicken houses

Chicken Houses use a winch, usually a big gear winch to operate an automatic curtain winching system. Winching systems for poultry houses make the task of rolling the curtains up and down very easy. Curtains for poultry houses are used to keep the temperature at a level, which suits the chickens - whether they are layers, days old or broilers. The curtains are also used when the whether is bad - when it is very windy and cold the curtains are raised - and when it is hot they are dropped. A layer house will have larger curtain openings - the layer curtains should drop almost down to the ground - this allows air to flow over the litter and keeps it dry. In a layer house the chickens will need to be even cooler than in a broiler house - especially if the hens are in layer cages - they are crammed close together and find it difficult to cool down - if you chickens start to pant like a dog - your temperature is too high - if the chickens stop eating than check the water supply and the temperature. Another factor is the relative humidity of the house - if it is too high the chickens will also go off their food.

The curtains allow the easy flow of air through the house and are the first step in regulating temperature. Further measures such as fans. On hot and humid days there are several things you can do to maintain temperature and humidity - but the easiest and cheapest is an automatic winching system. Chicken Shack can put up a new chicken house and curtains, or install curtains on an existing poultry house. If you have a broiler house or layer house with old curtains we can use what is salvageable and add what is needed. Curtains are used to regulate temperature in the structure - the house sides where the chicken curtains are should not face the sun - if the sun shines into your chicken house then the chickens will cramp up on one side - away from the direct sunlight - chickens do not like sun directly on them. This means that as the sun moves through the house, all the drinkers, feeders or nipple lines that are in the sun will not be used by the chickens - causing a drop in the amount of food and water that the chickens and hens take on - and in turn affecting your production rates - so make sure you ask the people who are erecting the steel structure which way a chicken house should face? If your chickens are in battery cages - you will need to be extra vigilant - the chickens cannot move out of the sun, and because they are so close together they will overheat! Make sure you have a Min/Max poultry thermometer and a Wet/Dry chicken thermometer in your poultry house - hang the thermometers at the same height as the chickens - that is where the temperature is important - in a layer house with cages the hottest part of the house is near the roof - so the thermometers should hang near rhe chickens closest to the roof. If your temperatures are still too high, even if your curtains for a poultry house are al the way down - you will need to buy a poultry fan to assit with cooling.