Poultry Curtains

Economies of scale are cost advantages reaped by a Farmer, when production is done at a large scale. Economies of scale can be achieved by increasing production and lowering costs. Therefore, having a ‘poultry curtain’ is the correct panacea.

Winter is with us, and it could be very cold than anticipated! Poultry curtains help maintain in-house temperatures, this helps chickens to use less energy for food conversions which results in increased weights .

Winter brooding- cold conditions are a challenge to birds, especially when they are young due to their large surface area to lose heat. Provision of clean, optimum and consistent heat creates a comfortable environment for the chicks to thrive..

The challenges emanates from the ground reaching freezing points, the same goes for the floor where the chicks are in close contact  .The ability of chicks to maintain their normal body temperature is dependent on largely the floor temperature and ambient temperature.

Therefore, adequate floor and insulation, heating up the brooding area for 48hours prior to the placement of the chicks is critical in order to raise the temperature of the brooder.

Power outages can cause problems during this time. It disrupts heating patterns as well as lighting programmes. Heating and lighting systems that use electricity must be backed up using other power sources such as charcoal burners, gas generators, as well as solar or electricity rechargeable lighting.

Some small scale chicken producers sometimes put young chicks outside in the sun during the day, hoping that they will feel warmer than when they remain indoors .This might cause chilling because in winter, temperatures can remain very low despite presents of sunlight. What is important is to make sure that the chicks are provided with proper warmth and heating during day and night…

By: L. Siziba