Purdue University Mimeo AE-24
Agricultural Extension Service January, 1953 (5C)
AN ALL-PURPOSE POULTRY HOUSE
A. C. Dale and J. W. Sicer
The all-purpose poultry house may be used for a laying house, for broilers or for
brooding chicks. Well designed structurally, it is also economical because it makes
use of as small framing members as possible. It also provides for adequate insulation
in the places where it is most effective.
The main feature of the 28-foot unit is the clear span of the light roof frame or
truss. This makes it possible to use a manure loader and spreader to remove the litter
with a minimum of labor. In addition, it may be easily adapted to a machinery storage
building, a dairy barn or to other farm uses.
By using the 28-foot unit in conjunction with one 12-foot shed, you will have a
building with a front which is higher than the shed. The front should be on the south
to obtain more sunlight and better ventilation. With the insulation placed on the
bottom of the truss, the foul air which usually exists near the ceiling may flow out
the opening near the eave. This is the main purpose of the open front which may be
enclosed by frames installed above the series of four windows. These frames may be
covered with fabric, muslin or celoglass, for use in moderate climate or covered with
rigid insulation board for colder climates.
A large amount of fresh air is required under summer conditions. High temperatures in the summer are often more harmful to layers than low temperatures in the
winter. By opening the entire front of the 28-foot or 40-foot house to the southern
and southwesterly breezes, which prevail in the summer, you will secure more ventilation.
The large, hinged double doors at each end of the house can provide additional ventilation. Face the house south or southeast, preferably south. The temperature in the
building with an open front may be 10° to 15° lower than without such ventilation and
this will probably result in slightly higher egg production.
LOCATION
Several requirements must be kept in mind in selecting a building site. These
are: (l) The building site should be ^ell drained, (2) have a good approach for large
size trucks, (3) allow for possible expansion, and (4) not crowd other buildings. With
a building of this size, it will be impractical to turn the birds out to pasture.
CONSTRUCTION
Many well designed buildings may become structurally defective if they are not
properly built. For example, a new laying house on one of the large poultry producing
farms in Indiana had no nuts on the foundation anchor bolts which extended through the
sill from the foundation. The poultryman thought the only purpose of the anchor bolts
was to prevent the building from sliding off the foundation in windstorms, and did not
realize that farm buildings which are not securely anchored are often completely destroyed by being lifted off the foundation.
Another fault in building poultry houses is the improper tying of rafters. This
poultry house was designed to prevent such mistakes in construction. It can be constructed in 28, 40 and 52-foot widths. The 28-foot portion is the basic unit to which additional 12-foot sheds may be added to secure the additional widths.