Methods & Construction

Modern layer houses use advanced equipment to accommodate a huge number of egg- laying hens within a single structure. The layer cages are assembled on the structure's concrete floor, up to 8 tiers high, one on top of the other. This arrangement makes it possible to house up to 70,000 layers in a structure just 1,000 square meters in area. Larger structures will be able to house correspondingly larger numbers.
When fully occupied this structure must be force-ventilated, requiring advanced ventilation systems. This may be implemented in stages, however. Those wishing to do so may first erect a structure with mesh walls and curtains, with only 3 or 4 tiers of cages assembled, so that the house functions at 40-50% of its full capacity.
The house structure is about 6 meters in height, so equipment up to a height of 5 meters can be assembled inside it, allowing extra space for ventilation.
The walls of the poultry house in its final configuration are comprised of insulated panels, and the roof is also insulated on the topside of the interior ceiling's metal sheeting. Air vents and cooling systems are integrated into the longitudinal walls. A ridge vent is installed in the apex of the roof to integrate the roof ventilation into the complete ventilation system.
Because of the large number of birds, houses are equipped with particularly large bulk feed bins and a sufficient reserve of drinking water stored on a water tower that equals the height of tiers.
Among other automatic systems operating in the house, manure collection is also performed on conveyor belts. Right from the beginning, a concrete trough for the manure conveyer and elevator constitutes an inseparable part of the structure.