Technology of floor-rearing of young poultry and egg production

Requirements for poultry houses and microclimate parameters

The method of keeping layers and rearing replacement pullets is chosen taking into account the capacity of the farm. On large-scale commercial farms with a population of several tens of thousands of layers, it is advisable to use cage equipment. In lower-capacity farms, floor-based rearing of young stock and keeping layers in windowless poultry houses or facilities with mesh solariums are justified.

For floor-based rearing of replacement pullets from day-old age until transfer to the layer flock, chicken houses are built with a width of 12–18 m and a length of 72 m or more. The length of the building is made a multiple of 6 m due to the spacing of the support pillars, and the internal height of the rooms should be at least 2.5 m. The buildings are equipped with central heating or heat generators, and electric or gas hover brooders are used for local heating of chicks up to 60 days of age.

• Specific power of electric lamps — 4 W/m²
• Illuminance at floor level — 15 lux
• Relative humidity — 60–70%
• Fresh air supply — from 0.75 to 9.5 m³/h per 1 kg of live weight

In windowless poultry houses, electric lighting is designed with uniform light distribution over the entire floor area. When using poultry houses with windows along the facades, solariums with solid surfacing and mesh fencing are arranged. The performance of the ventilation system is calculated taking into account the age of the birds, the season, and the climatic zone of the farm.

Technology of facility preparation and young stock rearing

The poultry house is prepared for the arrival of the batch of chicks in advance. The floor is thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and covered with litter material to a depth of 5–15 cm. As litter, chopped straw 2–2.5 cm long, wood shavings, sphagnum peat, or finely crushed corn cobs are used. A few days before the birds are introduced, the general heating is turned on to warm up the chicken house.

1. Disinfect the facility, spread the litter, and warm up the chicken house using general heating a few days before receiving the birds.
2. Divide the room into sections with a capacity of no more than 2,500 heads and install screens around the brooders at a distance of 40–60 cm.
3. Place tray feeders and vacuum drinkers in the brooder zone for the first 7–10 days of rearing (based on up to 500 chicks per one brooder).
4. Remove the screens as the chicks grow and turn on the mechanized chain or cable-disk feed distributors and automatic drinkers.
5. At the age of 120–140 days, catch the pullets under low light conditions using mesh screens and transfer them to the layer poultry house.

The stocking density of day-old young stock when rearing pullets until transfer to the commercial flock is 10.5–11 heads per 1 m² of floor. If chicks are placed in the poultry house without sex separation, followed by separating the cockerels at 30 days of age, the initial stocking density is doubled.

By the 30–40th day of rearing, local heating is stopped, the brooders are raised, and the target temperature of 18 °C is maintained only by the general heating system. After transferring the replacement pullets to the layer age group, the room is completely cleared, the litter and manure are removed, and the poultry house is disinfected before receiving a new batch.

Floor-based housing for laying hens is most often organized using deep litter, and in southern regions, on slatted or wire mesh floors. To reduce capital investment, poultry houses are built from lightweight structures, brick, or coquina stone. The maximum capacity of such a facility is 10,000 heads, and the interior must be divided by mesh partitions into sections — no more than 1,500 birds in each.

• Maximum capacity of the poultry house — 10,000 heads
• Size of an individual section — up to 1,500 heads
• Minimum floor illuminance — 15 lx
• Consumption of hydrated lime — 0.5 kg/m²
• Depth of the litter layer — from 12–15 cm
• Stocking density of pullets — 5–5.5 heads/m²

To maintain hygiene, roosts are usually combined with manure pits covered on top with slats. The manure falls through the gaps and is removed daily by a scraper system or accumulates in the pits until the end of the layer production cycle. Before spreading the litter, hydrated lime is applied to the clean floor at a rate of 0.5 kg per 1 m². Straw, peat, wood shavings, sawdust, husks, or crushed corn cobs are used as litter material.

Equipment configuration is selected according to the farm's technological scheme. In the KKP-5 set, feed is supplied from an external hopper (loaded by a ZSK-10 feed loader) into a dispenser, and then distributed by a chain-and-disc conveyor to circular hopper feeders and cup drinkers. The "Industrial I" (for 5,000 hens) and "Industrial 1" (for 10,000 hens) systems are equipped with cable-and-belt feed dispensers and long trough feeders, while the PKS-6 and PKS-10 sets use oscillating-type dispensers. All nest lines are equipped with conveyors that deliver rolled-out eggs directly to the service area.

Stocking density, microclimate, and work schedule

Pullets are transferred to the poultry house at a stocking density of 5–5.5 heads per 1 m² of floor area. When planning the poultry house rotation, a five-month period of keeping pullets before transferring them to the adult flock is taken into account, as well as a mandatory sanitary preventive break of at least one month. Air purity and the standard temperature regime are ensured by the operation of the ventilation system and heating equipment.

Production processes in the poultry house are subject to a strict daily routine. To maintain stable productivity of the flock, the following maintenance procedure is observed:

1. Daily, a thorough inspection of the livestock is carried out with culling and removal of weak individuals.
2. In accordance with the schedule, feed distribution, egg collection via egg-collection conveyors, and manure removal are carried out.
3. Upon expiration of the established period of use, all remaining livestock are sent for slaughter.
4. The premises are completely cleared of litter and manure, after which a comprehensive sanitary treatment is performed.