Scavenging Chickens Training Handbook – Housing

Housing

Village chickens need to be housed at night.

• Do not allow them to roost in trees
• Count them and inspect them for ailments often
• Collect eggs from one place
• Give them supplementary feed just outside the house at dusk

What kind of a house should I build?

You should plan carefully where you will build the house. It must be a strong house to protect your poultry:

• From the weather
• From predators
• From thieves
• It must allow in plenty of light and air movement
• If it is off the ground this will allow it to be cool and unlikely to flood
• The roof should have a good overhang

Where should I build my poultry house?

• In a safe place
• It should be built in a shady, dry area
• On flat, raised ground to keep the floor dry
• Close to your own house to prevent stealing
• Put metal cones around each stilt or leg to prevent rats from climbing up

What size will my house be and what materials should I use?

• This will depend on the size of your flock
• A small house may be sufficient
• For 10 to 15 adult birds it will be 2 large paces (metres) by 2 metres
• It should be tall enough to allow you to enter comfortably (1.8 metres high)
• It is better to make it large so that you can expand your flock size
• It should have space for nest boxes. These can be a basket woven from coconut or bamboo leaves or made from stones or timber
• Nest boxes should be off the floor
• Put in dried grass and dry leaves as nesting material
• Change the nesting material regularly
• One nest box for 3-4 hens
• Use as many local materials as possible
• The floor can be made of split bamboo strips 2 cm apart
• The floor should be easy to keep clean
• Put in wooden perches – about 4-5 birds/metre and about 0.5 metres apart
• You can collect the manure from under them and use it on your garden
• There should be a simple drinker for holding clean, freshwater
• It can be made from bamboo or an inverted can or bottle

There are several kinds of simple nest boxes

Next section: Furnishing the House

Furnishing the House

• The feeder should be at a height that will allow all chickens to eat but not to scratch in it
• It can also be made from local materials
• You must allow your chickens to adjust to their new home by keeping them in with feed and water for a few days then let them out for a few hours at a time so that after a week they will know that it is their home at night
• Place rocks in your chicks’ drinking water so they don’t fall in and get wet