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FACTSHEET 2:
KUROILER HOUSING AND
EQUIPMENT:

ITEM
General
housing
requirements

DESCRIPTION

Comfortable: The proper house for your Kuroiler birds should provide them with a
comfortable environment to protect them from the prevailing weather (rain, wind,
sunshine, temperature etc)
Space: the house should provide adequate space for the flock to be kept in the house.
The recommended stocking density for a Kuroiler laying stock is two to three (2-3)
square feet per bird.
Ventilation: the house should be open sided to all for natural
ventilation however it is important to install some adjustable
curtains (e.g from used feed bags or heavy duty polythene) which
can be fastened to the side walls and adjusted accordingly when
it gets too cold, rainy, windy or too warm especially when the
birds are still young. Proper ventilation is important for removing
excessive heat and moisture; providing oxygen while removing
harmful gases, reducing dust and improving physical air quality .
Shape: most Kuroiler houses are usually rectangular and their walls are not higher than
three (3) feet.

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What are the

key housing
units needed
for optimal
Kuroiler
production

Walls: the walls can be made of three (3) feet of; stone or wood or iron-sheet or bricks
(stone and iron sheets materials are not good for brooding as they change temperature
very first). The rest of the wall (12ft) should be wire mesh of appropriate gauge to keep
out natural birds and thieves depending on your location.
Roof: this should ideally be of reflecting iron sheets, but grass or papyrus mat
combined with a heavy duty polythene to exclude rainfall can do just fine
Floor: This should ideally be of a concrete floor (you can do this cheaply with a thinner
layer of concrete than a usual domestic house). It should be smoothened but with a
rough-cast, this makes it easier to clean and disinfect while the risk of workers sliding
over in accidents is minimized
Clearance: To avoid the risk of rodents accessing the chicken house, smoothen the
outer walls of the chicken house and clear all vegetation upto 3-5 meters from the
flock house.
It is ideal that every commercial Kuroiler farmer has at least 6 units of housing on their
farm including the following
i.
Brooding house: This is the initial Kuroiler house unit where the chicks are cared
for from day 1 till 2 months. The house should have appropriate light installed
(back-up with solar to ensure constant light even when the grid or generator
fails). The house should also be designed to retain heat; therefore relatively taller
walls than the growing house. The rectangular corners should be protected with
curved iron-sheets (smooth type) to ensure chicks dont pile out in the corner to
suffocate and die in case they temperature falls (see brooding factsheet for
additional guidance).
ii.

Growing house: The growing house should provide 2-3 ft per bird and should
have appropriate ventilation and relatively lower walls compared to the
brooding house. It is important that these houses are kept separate to ensure
that there is no cross-contamination between different house units. Farmers
with multiple growing houses should also keep these separate to minimize cross
contamination risks (see growers
factsheet for additional guidance)
iii. Store house: This should be a
separate housing unit from the brooding
and growing house. The store house is
used to store feed, equipment and other
farm inputs etc. This is better if well
organized with a clear registry system of
available items in store. It is helpful too
as you may have to store the bulk of
feeds during the low price harvest
season to beat the price fluctuations
especially of maize bran. The store house should also have sufficient protection
for rodents, stray animals, wild-birds and visitors. It should also have wood
pallets to ensure the feed is not stored on the ground as it goes bad easily that
way.

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iv.

Slaughter house: If you intend to slaughter the birds on the farm, have a
separate and hygienic room dedicated for this purpose and meeting the required
food preparation standards.

v.

Office unit: As a commercial farmer keep your office unit away from the farm as
some farmers may simply want information but not enter the farm. It is also
important to restrict the number of visitors to your farm as more visitors mean
more likelihood of getting affected by diseases.

Some people improvise by using their homes as the office and turning a section of
the growing house into a brooder. This is alright as long as over time the farmer can
improvise to ensure proper housing structures as described above.

Housing
dimensions for
500 Kuroiler
layers (2 ft per
bird).

What is the
orientation of
the Kuroiler
house

An east to west orientation of the Kuroiler house is recommended to ensure that the
chickens receive the best available light and temperature possible.

What are the key

You will need appropriate number of feeds, waterers, roosts and layer boxes depending on

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production
equipment you
must have

the number of Kuroiler chickens you intend to keep. More on these requirements can be
found in brooding, growers and layers factsheets accordingly.
Contact us:
Youth Environment and Social Enterprises (YESE) LTD
Plot 247, Gayaza Road, Kyanja. P.O. Box 4264 Kampala, District.
Office: +256414693967 Mob: +256752-582-723/+256703-818-061.
Email: info@yeseug.com or yese311@gmail.com
Web: www.yeseug.com. Blog: www.yese311.wordpress.com.