How to plan a poultry house build or expansion: matching systems and writing a URS/RFQ

What should be decided before choosing equipment?

• Production type: broilers, layers (cage-free or other systems), breeders or pullets.
• Capacity: birds per house and per site, cycles per year, future expansion.
• Site: climate design conditions (hottest and coldest periods), power and water supply, access, distance to other farms.
• Rules: planning permits, environmental and welfare requirements, which differ by country and region.
• Budget range: use the farm cost calculator for an estimate range, not a fixed price.

How do you match each house system to the requirement?

System	Key questions for the URS
Structure and insulation	Span, length, insulation values, roof and wall panels, wind and snow loads, cleanability.
Ventilation	Minimum, transitional and tunnel modes; air volume and air speed at local design conditions; inlets and fan count.
Cooling	Evaporative pads or fogging; pad area; water supply and quality; control logic.
Heating	Fuel type, capacity for the coldest design day, distribution for brooding.
Lighting	Light intensity and uniformity, dimming, programmes required by the production type and rules.
Feeding	Line count, pan or trough space per bird, silo capacity, weighing.
Drinking	Nipple or drinker count per bird, pressure regulation, filtration, water metering.
Controls and power	Controller, sensors, alarms, remote access, generator and automatic transfer.

What is the difference between a URS and an RFQ?

The URS states what the house must do: capacity, conditions to hold, rules to meet and how performance will be accepted. The RFQ is the request sent to suppliers: it attaches the URS, sets a common price breakdown, asks for exclusions in writing and defines the deadline and format. With both, proposals become comparable instead of being different packages with different assumptions.

How should you plan an expansion of an existing farm?

1. Audit the existing houses: what works, what limits results, what must be replaced.
2. Check site capacity: power, water, feed delivery, manure handling, biosecurity zoning.
3. Decide whether new houses must match the controls and parts already on site.
4. Plan construction so existing flocks stay protected: separate access, cleaning and timing.

URS / RFQ checklist

• Production type, bird numbers, cycles and target market
• Site plan, climate design conditions, power and water data
• Required systems with performance requirements (not brand names)
• Applicable permits, welfare and environmental rules
• Price breakdown template: structure, equipment, installation, commissioning, training, spare parts
• Exclusions, delivery terms, timeline and payment milestones
• Acceptance tests at commissioning and warranty conditions
• Supplier references and documentation required