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Charles Goan, Professor, Animal Science

ew Poultry Facilitiesite Selection Factors

forNS

Agricultural Extension ServiceThe University of Tennessee

Farmers considering building poultry facilities ontheir farms must give considerable thought to thelocation of the new structures. Today, poultry farmersmust be aware of concerns related to (1) environmentalissues like water quality, odors and flies, litterapplications on fields and high soil phosphorouslevels; (2) nearby neighbors and public areas likechurches, parks and businesses; and (3) laws andregulations that affect farming operations.

Future poultry farmers must place greater

emphasis on farmstead planning than has been donein the past. Considerations in site selection forbuildings must include utilities, roads, topography,prevailing winds, existing buildings, neighbors,public areas, setbacks, and state and federalgovernment laws and regulations.

Neighbors The location of nearby homesshould be the number one consideration whenevaluating potential locations for poultry facilities.Good neighbors can quickly become enemies if thebuilding site is too close to nearby homes. Somepoultry companies require prospective poultry

farmers to discuss building plans with their neighborsbefore construction starts. Even if discussions withneighbors are not required, this practice isrecommended. Reaction from neighbors may forcealternate sites to be chosen.

Setbacks How far should poultry houses be setback from residences, property lines, public areas,public roads, streams, wells, sinkholes and flood plains?

Currently, Tennesseedoes not have anylaws or regulationsthat govern setbacksfor agriculturalbuilding sites.However, mostpoultry industrycompanies have self-imposed setback guidelines thatneed to be considered. These guidelines will help

reduce problems associated with odors, dust, feathers,noise and water quality.

TopographyWhether the site is level, gentlyrolling or hilly will determine the amount of gradework that must be done to get a level area for thebuildings. Grade work can add substantially to thetotal construction cost. Avoid low-lying areas nearstreams with flooding potential. Preferably, thetopography will allow the long axis of the poultryhouse to be located in an east-west direction. Thishelps to minimize the amount of direct sunlight thatwould enter through the sidewalls of the houses.

Storm WaterAdequate drainage for stormwater control must be considered because of the largeamount of roof area. Storm water runoff should notbe allowed to create erosion problems around thehouses. Grass-covered water run-off ditches will helpreduce potential erosion problems. The immediatearea outside the buildings must have sufficient slopeto keep runoff water out of the buildings.

Prevailing WindPrevailing wind directionmust be considered when wind currents flow fromthe chicken house toward any residence. Odors from

poultry houses must be given adequate time anddistance to dissipate before reaching a residence.The distance from the poultry house location to anyresidence would need to be greater if prevailingwinds were toward the residence. Since poultrycompanies require mechanical ventilation in allpoultry houses; locating the poultry house to takeadvantage of prevailing wind direction for naturalventilation is no longer important.

Residences other than poultry farm owner 500

Property lines 100

Schools, churches, parks, public areas 1500

Incorporated city limits 1500

Public roadways 150

Streams 100

Private wells 100

Public wells 500

Flood plains, sinkholes, wetlands 100

Suggested setback guidelines that will help to minimize

nuisance and water-quality problems :

SP 592

Minimum setback

(feet)

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Wind Shed Wind shed is a term which describeswind flow pattern on the downside of an existingbuilding (Figure 1). To help minimize complaints byneighbors, strong consideration must be given to keepnearby homes out of the windshed area.

Utilities Some questions about utilities must beanswered to help determine building site location. Iselectricity readily available or will the local electric

utility run new lines at a reasonable cost? Is wateravailable from wells or a municipal water system orboth? It is important to have a backup water system.Is the quality and quantity of the well water suitablefor a poultry operation? Is propane and/or natural gasavailable at competitive prices?

RoadsThe condition of public roads must beadequate to allow feed trucks, chick- deliveryvehicles and live-haul trucks access to the buildingsduring all times of the year. Are there any weightlimits or bridges that would restrict access to thefarm? How much will it cost to construct an access

road from the public road to the buildings? Can theheavily loaded trucks travel easily on the access roadin all types of weather?

Future ExpansionDoes the potential buildingsite allow the possibility for further expansion? Oftena poultry farmer will start with two houses and wantto build an additional two houses at a later time.

Other BuildingsThe building site needs tohave adequate land area available for otherbuildings, such as dead-bird composting and litterstorage. These buildings should be out of publicview if possible. The buildings need to be locatedclose enough to the production facilities tominimize travel time, but far enough away to reducepossible disease transmission. A distance of about100 feet is a reasonable compromise.

Litter Utilization Is there sufficient landavailable on the farm to properly utilize the litter asfertilizer, or will some of the litter be moved offsite?Approximately 300 tons of litter will be produced eachyear on a 50,000-bird capacity broiler farm. A nutrientmanagement plan will help determine if adequate landarea is available for litter utilization. If not, plans mustbe made to remove excess litter offsite.

SummaryProper siting of new poultry facilities is

extremely important. Problems can result if facilities

are built in unfavorable locations. The best time tohandle potential problems is BEFORE they occur.Proper planning will help prevent environmentalproblems from occurring, and will save time, moneyand headaches in the long run.

The Agricultural Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race,religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability or veteran status and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICSThe University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

and county governments cooperating in furtherance of Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914.Agricultural Extension Service, Charles L. Norman, Dean

SP592-1M-11/01 E12-4415-00-005-02

WindshedArea

Manure Storage

FarmResidence

Prevailing Wind

ExhaustFans

Figure 1. Consider size of the windshed area.Figure 1.Consider size of the windshed area.