What Do Chickens Want?

In this first article of a three-part series on the basic principles of planning, constructing and maintaining poultry housing, independent poultry consultant Jan Grobbelaar discusses the environmental requirements, and temperature management in particular, to which poultry houses must adhere in order to offer chickens a safe and comfortable shelter.

- Jan Grobbelaar

A commercial poultry house is a structure or building that is constructed in such a way, and with the use of the correct materials, to ensure that the environmental conditions and safety of the chickens inside are favourable for them to be most productive.

Commercial poultry houses come in different shapes and sizes, and can be constructed with various types of building materials. The size and shape of the house will depend on the production type and system that the poultry producer chooses (broilers, pullets or layers). The size of the house will also be determined by the number of chickens reared or kept for production.

The first element a prospective producer should consider is the chickens’ environmental requirements.

The environmental conditions important for chickens to reach optimal productivity will differ between production systems, and include the following aspects: temperature, ventilation, floor space and litter.

IDEAL TEMPERATURES

Chickens are warm-blooded (homeothermic), and have the ability to maintain a relative constant body temperature through homeostasis.

However, this mechanism is only efficient if the ambient temperature is between 18°C and 28°C, as chickens do not adjust well to extremes.

Their internal body temperatures show more variability than that of mammals, and this is why chickens have no absolute body temperature. Adult chickens’ body temperatures range between 40,6°C and 41,7°C, while newly hatched chicks have body temperatures of about 39°C.

This temperature increases daily until it reaches a stable level at about three weeks of age. The body temperature is regulated by a part of the brain called the hypophyse. This part of the brain is comparable to a thermostat.