Poultry encyclopedia · NEXTEKCI School · Farm equipment
Curtains and tarpaulins for open-sided houses
In an open-sided house, the wind does the ventilating and the curtains control it. Properly fitted, without leaks, and adjusted several times a day, they keep birds cool by day and protect chicks from cold and draughts at night.
Key facts
- Dwarf wall
- About 0.50 m high, topped with fine-mesh wire netting
- Top of the curtain
- Overlaps the solid part by at least 15 cm
- Outer mini-curtain
- About 25 cm, at the top of the wall, under the eaves
- Up to 14 days
- Open from the top, no draught at chick level
- Faster air exchange
- Windward side opened about 4 times less than the leeward side
- Mini-tunnel for brooding
- Second inner curtain 1 m inside the outer curtain
What they are for
The typical open-sided house in Côte d’Ivoire has a low dwarf wall, wire netting up the full height of the sides, a roof with a wide overhang, and curtains (tarpaulins) that are opened and closed depending on the time of day and the weather. The curtains control the air: they remove heat, moisture and ammonia by day, and keep heat in at night and during brooding.
Fitting them properly
The dwarf wall is about 0.50 m high: it stops driving rain and predators without blocking the air. The top of the curtain overlaps the solid part by at least 15 cm so no air passes over it, and an outer mini-curtain of about 25 cm, fitted at the top of the wall under the eaves, blocks leaks even better.
Curtains are hemmed in triple thickness, closed tight at the bottom, held in a sleeve at both ends so no air passes round the sides, and must be able to open from the top.
Operating them
In the morning, check where the wind is coming from and open the leeward curtain first. To change the air faster, open the windward side about four times less than the leeward side; to slow the incoming air, do the opposite. In severe heat, for broilers over 28 days old, open both sides equally and as low as possible.
Up to 14 days, change the air by opening from the top, never with a draught at chick level. Record on the sheet who operates the curtains and at what times.
Brooding and the rainy season
In a poorly insulated house, a “mini-tunnel” helps during brooding: a false ceiling stretched from one edge of the roof to the other and a second inner curtain 1 m inside the outer one, opening only from the top. The heat stays near the chicks and the temperature varies much less between day and night.
In driving rain, lower the curtains on the windward side, then reopen to ventilate as soon as the rain stops. Keep spare tarpaulins and ropes: a curtain flapping in the wind at night panics the flock.
Maintenance and common mistakes
Repair any hole or tear as soon as it appears. Between flocks, wash the curtains on both sides, inside and out: they are often forgotten. Check ropes, pulleys and fixings before every chick arrival.
Frequent mistakes: curtains that only open from the bottom, creating a draught on the chicks; curtains closed all round in the hot hours; leaks above or at the sides; curtains left closed after the rain.
Choosing them
Choose a strong tarpaulin that stands up to sun and wind, light in colour to let some light through, and a rolling system that opens from the top as well as from the bottom. Plan for the full length of the house, plus spare tarpaulins.