Most of the heat in a poultry house comes through the roof and the birds themselves. Start there before you buy a fan.
Halaal Farms Ghana team25 June 2026 · 11 min read
Before anybody buys a fan, look at the house. A lot of poultry sheds were built to keep rain out, keep thieves out and keep the birds in. Cooling can be forgotten in that list, and a shed that is good at the first three can be poor at the fourth.
A fan moves air that is already in the house. If the house traps heat under a hot roof and blocks the breeze at the sides, the fan is pushing warm air around a closed box. That costs power, and it does not solve the problem. So the job is to let the heat out and let fresh air in, and then decide whether a fan is still needed on top of that.
Walk through the house at the hottest part of the afternoon and note three things: where the sun hits the roof, where the air is still, and where the birds gather. Those three observations will tell you more than any chart.
Air moves from the side it comes in to the side it goes out. To cool a house, you need the breeze to pass across the birds, not just through the walls. That means the openings matter more than the number of fans.
Look at the prevailing wind on your site, which is usually the direction the breeze blows on most afternoons. Set the long side of the house, where the most openings are, to face it where you can. If the site is fixed and the wind comes from the wrong side, add openings on the windward side and make sure the leeward side can release the warm air.
Watch out for drafts at roost height. Birds that sit in a strong draught at night will huddle, drop their feathers and get chilled, especially after heat. Air that moves across the house at bird level is good. Air that blows straight onto a corner of birds is not.
On a hot day, the roof is usually the biggest source of heat in the house. A metal sheet in full sun can get very hot, and that heat radiates down onto the birds and the litter for hours after the sun has moved on. Anything that keeps that heat out of the house is a real saving.
A second roof sheet, set above the first with an air gap between them, is one of the most useful fixes. The air gap lets heat escape before it reaches the house. Light-coloured roof paint helps as well, since a pale surface reflects more sunlight than a dark one. Paint wears off in the sun and rain, so repaint it on a schedule rather than waiting for it to fail.
Ceilings and insulation also help where the roof is metal and the house is hot. A simple ceiling of some kind, even a basic one, keeps the heat in the roof space and off the birds. It has to be ventilated too, or the heat just builds up above it.
Trees and shade help as well, especially on the west side of the house, but the roof and the openings are the parts you control most directly, so start there.
Birds make heat. Every bird in the house gives off warmth as it eats, grows and moves about, and that warmth adds to the heat coming through the roof. A house packed tight will run hotter than the same house with more space, even with good openings and a good roof.
That is a real trade-off. You want the birds to fill the house for the money, but a house that is too full in hot weather will struggle, and the birds that suffer first are the ones at the back and the middle of the flock. In hot spells, it can be better to leave a little more room, or to plan the batch so that the hottest weeks do not coincide with the heaviest birds.
Litter is the other side of this. Wet litter gives off moisture and ammonia, and the moisture adds humidity that makes the heat feel worse. Keep the drinkers level and the spills fixed, and turn or top up the litter where it has gone wet. Our guide on litter and footpad health explains how to keep the floor dry without wasting bedding.
Cooling is not only about the structure. The hours you choose for feeding and the water you give the birds matter too.
Birds eat less in the heat, and they eat most when the house is cooler. So move as much of the feeding as you can into the cooler hours, early in the morning and later in the evening. A bird that eats in the cool of the night is generating less heat in the afternoon than one that eats at midday. Our note on feed phases covers how to match the feed to the bird's stage, which helps when you are adjusting the timing.
Water needs fresh, cool-ish supply, which means the tank and the pipes should be shaded and covered. Warm water tastes worse and birds drink less of it, which can slow their growth in the heat. Keep the drinkers topped up through the afternoon, and check that the water is not too warm to drink. A drinker that has sat in the sun all day is not doing the birds any favours.
Light is worth a quick look too. Long bright light in a hot house keeps birds active when they should be resting. Follow the lighting plan you are using, and do not add hours in the middle of a heat wave.
There are a few low-cost things farms try in hot weather. Some work, and some cause new problems:
Be careful with anything that adds water inside the house. Wet litter and wet floors lead to footpad problems and to more humidity, so anything that wets the house should be watched every day and stopped when it is not needed.
| Measure | Cost to set up | Works best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open side walls and a clear wind path | Low | The breeze moves across the house most afternoons | Rain blowing in, and drafts at roost height at night |
| Ridge vent or open roof gap | Low to medium | Hot air builds up under the roof | Leaks, and gaps that let in wild birds |
| Second roof sheet with an air gap | Medium | The roof gets full sun for much of the day | Materials cost, and a gap that is blocked |
| Light-coloured roof paint | Low | The roof is bare metal or dark | Fading, so repaint on a schedule |
| Roof sprinkling | Low, mainly the water | The hottest hours of a hot spell | Wet litter and wet floors |
| Fans | Higher, mainly the power | Power is steady and the house is already open | Power cuts, and the electricity bill; check your current tariff |
| Feeding in the cooler hours | Low | The day is hot and the birds eat less | Needs a consistent routine, and the house must still be checked at night |
Read the table as a list of priorities. The cheap structural measures come first. Fans come last, because they are the most expensive to run and do the least good in a house that is closed and hot.
Many farms are tempted to put in fans first because the set-up looks simple. The catch is power. A fan that is off during a cut does nothing, and a house that depends on it will heat up quickly when the lights go out. Our guide on brooding through power cuts covers the planning you need if the power is not reliable.
If you do use fans, plan the openings first, so the fans have air to move. Check the power tariff and what the fans will cost to run for the number of hours you need them in a hot spell. Do not guess the bill. Ask your supplier for the current rate and work out the figure from your own fan ratings and running hours.
In a house with good openings and a good roof, a fan is a helpful extra. In a sealed house, it is an expensive way to stir hot air.
A cooling plan is only as good as the checks behind it. On the hottest afternoon of the year, go into the house and look at the birds, not just the thermometer. Are they spread out, or are they packed into the coolest corner? Are they panting with their wings held out? Are they drinking, and is the water cool enough to drink? Are they standing in wet litter?
Write those observations down. A simple daily note on the house, with the openings, the water and the birds, will show you which measure is working and which is not. Over a season, that note tells you what to change before next year's heat arrives.
If birds are in real distress in the heat, do not wait for the house to cool on its own. Our guide on heat-stress first aid for layers covers what to do straight away, and when to call a vet explains which signs should not wait.
Often not, or not all the time. Good openings and a good roof carry most of the load. A fan can be a useful extra in the worst weeks, but check the power cost and the power supply first.
Not directly, but water running down the walls and into the litter can wet the floor. Keep the water on the roof only, watch the litter every day, and stop sprinkling once the hottest hours have passed.
It depends on the house. Shade cloth held above the roof with an air gap can cut heat well and cost less. Placed directly on the roof it can trap heat. A second roof sheet with an air gap is the more permanent fix.
Watch the birds rather than trusting a single reading. Panting, wings held away from the body, crowding in one corner and drinking heavily are all signs. If the birds show these in the house, act on the openings, the water and the density straight away.
A cooler house starts with the right layout, the right number of birds and the right batch timing. When you are ready to order, send the order form on the site or call 024 915 1503. We confirm the price, the hatch date and the delivery cost before you pay, and you can pay by cash, mobile money or bank transfer.
If your hot-season batches are clashing with the rainy season or with power cuts, read our guide on raising broilers in the heat vs the harmattan before you pick the hatch date. For the chicks, the broiler day-old chicks page sets out the breeds we supply.
Walk the house this afternoon, while the sun is still on the roof. The notes you make in the next hour will tell you more about cooling than any fan catalogue.
Written by the Halaal Farms Ghana team. We hatch and import day-old chicks at Opeikuma, Kasoa, and deliver to all 16 regions. This article is general guidance for farmers. For diagnosis and treatment of sick birds, speak to a vet or your district veterinary office.
A weekly weighing routine for broiler farmers: how to pick an honest sample, the weights to compare against from day 7 to day 42, the average and uniformity sums, and what to do when the flock is behind.
Feed cost per kilo of broiler depends on how much feed each kilo takes and what you pay for it. These ten habits lower both without starving the birds or buying additives.
Heat kills the heaviest broilers in the last days before sale. This guide explains why, shows the signs in order, and sets out the house, stocking, water and feeding changes that prevent it, plus an afternoon emergency plan.
