Huff, K. B.

Ricketts, R. L.

Winner, E. B.

English

University of Missouri: MOspace

Missouri Multi-UnitPoultry HousesE. B. Winner, R. L. Ricketts and K. B. HuffUNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI COLLEGE OF AGRICULTUREAGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICECIRCULAR 549 Columbia, Missouri AUGUST. 1947Archival version--See extension.missouri.eduFig. 2.—A section of the interior of the 24' by 52' house showing a com­munity nest, watering equipment and droppings pits.Other Circulars You Will Need In BuildingFor details on building droppings pits, nests, feeders and other poultry equipment, see Circular 531 “Homemade Poul­try Equipment.”Thin-section concrete floors are fully described in Circular 532 “Poultry House Remodeling.”Complete plans for installing an Automatic Waterer are found in Circular 545 “Automatic Poultry Waterer Saves Labor.”Missouri Multi-Unit HousesE. B. Winner, R. L. Ricketts, K. B. HuffGive your laying flock comfortable quarters and they will repay you with greater profits. If your present poultry house cannot be remodeled into good quarters, a new laying house may be the best answer to your problem.How large a house to build will depend on the size flock you expect to keep. To produce a sizable cash return, a flock of 300 hens or more is needed. By using labor saving methods, you can care for 300 lay­ers with but little more effort than is used for a smaller flock.Each laying house shown is de­signed to house 300 layers of the heavy breeds, or 400 light-breed hens. Enough room is provided to give 4 sq. ft. of floor space for each heavy-breed hen, and 3 sq. ft. each for lighter breeds such as leghorns.The 24'x52' house divided into 2 pens is well suited to an all-pullet flock. Good sized pens will house more hens, and reduce the labor re­quired per hen.The 2O'x68' house is divided into 3 pens. If your flock is two-thirds pullets and one-third old hens, this house will meet your needs.Each house plan includes a feed room. A flock of 300 good layers will eat about 10 tons of feed a year. With the feed near by, you will save much time at this daily chore.Since hens drink about 2 lbs. of water to each pound of feed con­sumed, an automatic waterer not only will save you time and workbut will give your hens water at all times.With the multi-unit house, you can build a unit at a time until you have enough room for 300 layers. If you want to house a still larger flock, this type house can be further ex­panded.Locating Poultry Houses and YardsThe sketch (Figure 3) shows some good principles of fitting the poultry building and yards in with the other homestead buildings and lets. You can adapt the principles set forth in this plan to almost any farmstead.Note that all buildings are located around a service court which is not used for livestock. This service court is separated from the yard only by a hedge or other plantings. You can reach all buildings and lots from this service court. Often it is best to have the barns, lots and other outbuildings on one side of the house and the poultry house and yards on the other. A direct con­nection between the service court and the poultry-house feed room will allow you to bring in feed by truck or wagon.Space all buildings at least So feet apart for fire protection. Other­wise, for efficiency keep the build­ings as close together as safety will allow. Always provide at least one fenced yard for the birds. From % to % acre per 300 birds is about right. If possible, provide two4 Missouri Agricultural Extension Serviceareas so the poultry and garden can be rotated.If practicable, place the brooder house on the opposite side of the farm home from the laying house.Some Facts About the HousesUse good quality concrete. For the foundation, use 1 part cement, 2% parts sand and 4 parts gravel with a maximum of 6^ gallons of water per sack of cement when ordi­nary damp sand is used. If bank run gravel is used, a mix of 1:5 is about right. For the floor, use a mix of 1:214:3 with a maximum of 5% gallons of water per sack of cement. When using bank run gravel, a 1:4 mix works well.Among the materials that make satisfactory poultry houses are lum­ber, concrete or cinder block, and rock. Where concrete or cinder block, or rock is used, make the foot­ing 16" wide. Cinder block is good material for constructing the wall, but will need to be water proofed. Vertical siding is desirable when lumber is used.Open-front ventilation works par­ticularly well in houses 20 to 24 feet in depth. Do not close this space with windows or glass cloth. Use muslin or burlap for covering when cold, but keep entirely open when­ever the weather will permit. Use 1-inch wire netting on the open front. Put the wire on a l"x4" re­Fig. 3.—A good arrangement of poultry houses, yards and other buildings.Circular 549 5movable frame for at least one 4- foot section of the open front in each pen. Then you can remove this section easily when cleaning so that manure and litter can be thrown directly from the house into a spreader.Windows on the front and back, as well as in the ends of the house, provide needed light. Remove win­dows in the summer to allow plenty of ventilation. In the back of the house, locate the windows near the plate. This provides better light, and windows at this height can often be used as openings for throwing manure directly into a spreader when cleaning the droppings pits. On the end windows, locate the bot­tom of the window 4 feet above the floor.The straw loft provides insulation in winter and summer, and aids in ventilation. Use one inch netting to support the straw. Nail the wire to the lower side of the ceiling joists. Put in about 15 inches of loose straw. This will settle to about 10 to 12 inches. Below the joists in the back, pack straw between the raft­ers for insulation. If built so rats and sparrows cannot get into the loft, the straw will not need to be changed oftener than once in 10 to 15 years.' Air from below will slowly move up through the straw loft. Therefore, provide louvers or a small door in each end of the gable so that air in the loft can escape. Nail 1-inch mesh poultry netting on inside of this opening to keep spar­rows out.Thin-section concrete 1% inchesthick is fine for a poultry house floor. To secure a dry floor, pour the concrete on a good solid fill brought well above the surrounding ground level. For complete informa­tion on thin-section floors, see E-532, “Poultry House Remodeling.”Put the foundation down below the frost line. Also, bring it up high enough to allow for a good fill on which to pour the thin-section floor.A feed room and automatic water- er are real labor savers. Don’t over­look them in building your house. If you do not now have water under pressure, but hope to have in a year or two, put your water system in as you pour the floor. It will then be ready for use when you get your water pressure system. With a farm pond above the farmstead, you can pipe water to the laying house. Al­though not automatic, a cistern at the laying house will provide water for your flock.The partitions prevent cross drafts. Ordinarily, they may be solid. But to save cost wire netting can be used. If wire is used, cover with burlap or light canvas in win­ter to stop drafts.Doors in front are alternate possi­bilities in these houses. You can put a door in the front of each pen in place of a window at one end of the open front. This is desirable where a long house is built to handle a large flock.Double doors at the ends so that a manure spreader can be driven through the house is another pos­sibility. Then sections of cross par­tition would need to be movable. If6 Missouri Agricultural Extension Servicethis is done, make the concrete floor 4 inches thick where the spreader is driven through.Nests may be either community or individual type. Build the type you prefer. Many producers using the community nest report less trouble with cracked and dirty eggs.Put droppings pits in your house. They save labor and add to sanita­tion. Those shown in Circular 531 “Homemade Poultry Equipment” are 4y> feet by 5 feet to a section. With little effort you can alter these sizes to fit the house you are build­ing.PLANS FOR THE 24' BY 52' HOUSEPlans for constructing the 24' by 52' house are given in Figures 4, 5, and 6.Figure 4.—Cross section of 24' by 52' house.Bill of Materials—24' by 52' HouseSillsLumber12 - 2" x 4" x 12' 1 - 2" x 4" x 8'PlatesStuds, front and rear8 - 2" x 4" x 12'1 - 2" x 4" x 8'13 - 2" x 4" x 14' 1 - 2" x 4" x 6'Open front, and back and front window framing13 - 2" x 4" x 12'2 - 2" x 4" x 14'4 - 2" x 4" x 10'Studding and framework for ends 14 - 2" x 4" x 12'8 - 2" x 4" x 10'Girders 2 - 2" x 8" x 12'2 - 2" x 8" x 101 - 2" x 8" x 8'Circular 549 7Figure 6.—Front view of the 24' by 52' house.8 Missouri Agricultural Extension ServicePost supports 4 - 4" x 4" x 10' Rafters 27 - 2" x 4" x 12'27 - 2" x 4" x 10' 27 - 2" x 4" x 8'False rafter trim 2 - 1" x 4" x 12' 2 - 1" x 4" x 10' 2 - 1" x 4" x 8'Joists 27 - 1" x 4" x 10'27 - 1" x 4" x 12'Vertical joist sup­ports 14 - 1" x 4" x 12'Studding, sill and plate for center partition4 - 2" x 4" x 12'4 - 2" x 4" x 14' Studding, sill and platefor feed room 3 - 2" x 4" x 14' 2 - 2" x 4" x 12' 2 - 2" x 4" x 8'Braces 8 - 2" x 4" x 6'Car siding 1500 board feetSheathing for roof2800 linear feet (1" x 4" - 7" o.c. for wood shingles) or 1155 linear feet (1" x 4" - 18" o.c. for metal roof)Shingles 16 squares (and nails) Windows20 - 8" x 10" - 6 light barn sash Trim for windowsand open front 20 - 1" x 4" x 14'Frames for open front wire for 2-4' sec­tions (removable) 2 - 1" x 4" x 12'Frames for wire on rear windows 4 - 1" x 2" x 10'Hardware80 linear feet 1" mesh poultry netting 2' wide for open front and windows1248 square feet 1" mesh poultry net­ting to support straw loft38 - %" x 6" bolts (fasten sill to foun­dation—space 4')5 door latches5 pr. 6" strap hinges—large doors5 lbs. poultry netting staples10 lbs. 20d common nails40 lbs. 16d common nails10 lbs. lOd common nails100 lbs. 8d common nailsFoundation and Floor18 cu. yds. of concrete, requiring108 sacks cement11 yds. sand)15 yds. rock) or 22 yds. of gravel16 yds. gravel or rock fill under floor.Droppings PitsRoosts 8 - 2" x 2" x 12'10 - 2" x 2" x 10'Sides of roost frame 4 - 1" x 4" x 10' 4 - 1" x 4" x 12'Front and back of roost frame 4 - 2" x 4" x 10'4 - 2" x 4" x 8'Front and exposed sides of roosts 2 - 1" x 12" x 10' 2 - 1" x 12" x 8' 1 — 1" x 12" x 12'196 sq. ft. No. 12% gauge 1" x 2" welded wire for under roosts.Community Nests (Two 8' length double deck)Legs 8 - 2" x 2" x 4'Front 4 - 1" x 6" x 10'Front Doors 4 - 1" x 8" x 8'Front and back 8 - 1" x 2" x 8'Back 4 - 1" x 4" x 10'Ends 8 - 1" x 4" x 2'8 — 1" x 2" x 2'Ends of Top 2 - 1" x 6" x 10'Top framework 6 - 2" x 2" x 8'Top 14 - 1" x 6" x 8'Perches 2 - 1" x 4" x 8'Supports for hardware cloth making bottom of nests 2 - 1" x 2" x 12'4 pr. 3" strap hinges2' x 32' %" Hardware cloth—bottom of nests1' x 32' 1" Mesh poultry netting—back of nests1 lb. staples4 lbs. No. 6 box nails8 pcs. canvas or sacking 1' x 2'—to cover ends.Other EquipmentMaterial for automatic waterers, feed­ers, and hay racks.Circular 549 9PLANS FOR THE 20' BY 68' HOUSEPlans for constructing the 20' by 68' house are given in Figures 7, 8, and 9.Figure 7.—Cross section of 20' by 68' house.Bill of Material for 20' by 68' Poultry HouseLumberand Fram-SillsPlatesStudding ingJoistsRaftersFalse Rafters (trim)PostsGirder Roof Support22 - 2" x 4" x 10' 2 - 2" x 4" x 8'12 - 2" x 4" x 10'2 - 2" x 4" x 8'56 - 2" x 4" x 14'35 - 1" x 4" x 16'18 - 1" x 4" x 12'35 - 1" x 4" x 10'35 - 1" x 4" x 14'2 - 1" x 4" x 10'2 - 1" x 4" x 14'6 - 4" x 4" x 8'6 - 2" x 6" x 10'1 - 2" x 6" x 8' Siding—1160 bd. ft. car siding Partition—460 bd. ft. ship lap.Inside doors 6 - 1" x 4" x 14'Roof sheathing—1270 lin. ft. 1" x 4" spaced 18" on centers for metal roof.Roof—16% squares.Windows *23 - 8" x 10"—6 light barn sash1 - 2" x 6" x 8'—window sills5 - 2" x 6" x 10'350 lin. ft. 1" x 4" window, door, and open front casings.Hardware96 ft. 1" mesh poultry netting 24" wide —windows and open front1360 sq. ft. 1" mesh poultry netting— straw loft20 ft. 1" mesh poultry netting 28" wide—inside doors2 pr. 4" strap hinges—ventilation doors (gable)2 pr. 6" strap hinges—outside doors3 pr. 4" strap hinges—inside doors5 door latches35 - %" x 8" bolts (to fasten sills to foundation)60 lbs. 16d common nails100 lbs. 8d common nails'^^£^£^7^ (Z/fac/fes? £>&€&-----Figure 9.—Front view of the 20' by 68' house.Circular 549 1145 lbs. 6d common nails7 lbs. 8d case nails3 lbs. poultry netting staplesRoofing nails for type of roofing selectedFoundation and Floor20 cubic yards requiring120 sacks cement17 cu. yds. rock) or 23 cu. yds. bank13 cu. yds. sand) run gravelFill material—17 cu. yds. gravel or rockDroppings Pits24 - 2" x 2" x 10'6 - 2" x 4" x 8'12 - 1" x 4" x 12'6 - 1" x 12" x 12'60 linear ft. 1" x 2" welded wire 4' wideNests (72 individual type)4 - 2" x 4" x 12'1 - 2" x 4" x 6'16 - 1" x 4" x 12'1 - 1" x 4" x 6'10 - 1" x 12" x 12'1 - 1" x 12" x 6'7 - 1" x 8" x 12'1 - 1" x 8" x 6'72' - %" hardware cloth for bottoms of nests.Other EquipmentMaterial for automatic waterers, feed­ers, and hay racks.University of Missouri College of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture Cooperating J. W. Burch, Director, Agricultural Extension ServiceDistributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8, and June 30, 1914University Libraries  University of Missouri  Digitization Information Page   Local identifier   EC550-1947  Source information      Format   Book      Content type   Text with images      Source ID        Notes     Capture information      Date captured  4/23/2024     Scanner manufacturer Fujitsu     Scanner model  fi-7460      Scanning system software ScandAll Pro v. 2.1.5 Premium     Optical resolution  600 dpi     Color settings     8 bit grayscale      File types   tiff     Notes     Derivatives - Access copy      Compression   Tiff: LZW compression     Editing software  Adobe Photoshop      Resolution   600 dpi     Color    grayscale     File types   tiff     Notes   Images cropped, straightened, brightened. 

Missouri multi-unit poultry houses

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Missouri multi-unit poultry houses

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