High rise housing is the arrangement of cages for laying hens in such a way that manure is dropped through an open space between and beneath the cages, with room for storage and handling of manure underneath the house. The high rise house therefore requires infrequent manure handling with relatively simple equipment, ventilation demands are also somewhat simpler than in battery cage. That is for houses of the same size, fewer birds can be accommodated in a high rise house.

In general, for cost minimization high rise housing should be as long as possible so that the feeders,bins fill systems, and central egg collection equipment are spread out over as many hens as possible. Long houses optimize equipment to bird ratios, where shorter houses tend to be economical.

Manure handling for poultry high rise housing

A particular philosophy of how to handle manure has shaped the high rise housing concept. Many poultry men prefer not to handle manure daily or every few days but rather prefer to deal with manure from their hens in a given house once per year during molt or when flocks are changed out. With the high rise concept and concentrate on unloading the manure pit and moving this material to the land or alternate storage in a very short period of time.

For this infrequent manure handling concept to work, it is important in daily production management to make sure manure is not being wet by leaking water systems and that air movement in the manure is dried and kept in a suitable condition for removal and spreading.

If pit manure does not have adequate air flow for drying, serious fly problem may develop, since moist manure is an ideal fly breeding site. In an open sided house, the manure pit should be protected by curtains from being wet by blowing rains.

 Poultry facility management

The poultry High poultry High rise layer house with deep pit storage is generally

regarded as one of the most labor efficient for manure management. Its success however is very dependent on good drainage, prevention of water spillage onto the manure, and good air circulation over the manure mass.

Drainage

Manure management

Manure is usually removed from the high rise house once per year. However, with proper moisture control, have occurred as infrequently as once in seven years. This clean out should be planned well in advance to allow time for arrangements to be made for equipment operators, land accessibility and cropping schedules.