How to Manage Your Poultry Farm During the Harmattan Season

During the Harmattan season in West Africa, the dry, dusty winds from the Sahara Desert create unique challenges for poultry farmers. Expect very low relative humidity (RH), dust haze, colder nights, and sometimes hot afternoons from roughly late November to March. To protect your flock and your profits, you need to adjust your farm management. This guide provides a complete checklist and expert tips for keeping your chickens healthy and productive, with a focus on specific strategies for a successful season. If you are just starting your journey, this guide works in tandem with our full resource on Harmattan poultry management in Nigeria.

What to do this week

To prepare your poultry for the Harmattan season, focus on controlling the environment. Ensure brooding temperatures are on target for young chicks and manage relative humidity to prevent dehydration. Use windbreaks and curtains to control air flow and reduce dust, and confirm your Newcastle disease (NDV) vaccination schedule is complete to protect your flock.

The Effects of Harmattan on Poultry and Housing

The Harmattan season brings a dusty haze, very low humidity, cold nights, and hot afternoons. These changes directly affect your birds’ environment. Harmattan poultry management means controlling these factors to prevent stress and disease. The main challenges are managing the extreme temperature swings between day and night and protecting your birds from the constant dust. This dust can carry pathogens, while the dry air can lead to dehydration and respiratory issues, and the cold nights can cause chilling, especially in young chicks. The combination of these stressors weakens the birds’ immune systems, making them highly susceptible to disease.

Physiological Impact on Birds

The extreme conditions of Harmattan have direct physiological effects on your birds. The temperature fluctuations and dry air can lead to oxidative stress, where an imbalance of free radicals damages cells, and respiratory alkalosis from panting to cool down during the day. These conditions can suppress the immune system, making birds more vulnerable to illness. In broiler chickens, this can lead to reduced feed efficiency and stunted growth. For layers, it can result in smaller eggs or a drop in egg production.

Housing and Structural Management

Your poultry house is your primary defense. Before Harmattan begins, conduct a thorough inspection. Check for and seal any cracks or holes in walls and roofs to prevent cold drafts and fine dust from entering. Ensure all windows and side nets have sturdy curtains or tarpaulin that can be easily raised and lowered. A concrete floor is ideal, but if you have an earthen floor, make sure it is compacted and dry before laying new litter to prevent moisture from seeping up.

For additional context on how much space you need, refer to our guide on how much space do chickens really need. The way you site your coop and manage wind exposure is also critical to success during this season, as detailed in our guide on the best place to put your chicken coop.

Understanding these environmental and physiological shifts is the first step. Harmattan management is not just about one or two fixes, but a holistic approach that covers housing, nutrition, and health. With this foundation, we can now focus on the most vulnerable of your flock: the young chicks.

Brooding Temperature and Humidity for Harmattan

Young chicks cannot regulate their own body temperature for the first few weeks of life, making them extremely sensitive to the cold nights of Harmattan. Providing the correct temperature and humidity is not just about comfort; it’s critical for their survival, growth, and future productivity. Our guide on bringing chicks home offers a complete checklist for preparing your brooding area. For further guidance on best practices, you can refer to the Ross Broiler Handbook, which provides detailed information on brooding temperatures and management.

Brooding Temperature Schedule

Your goal is to provide a consistent source of warmth. Use a thermometer at the chicks’ level to be sure. Watch your chicks’ behavior: if they are huddled together under the heat source, they are too cold. If they are spread far away from it, panting, they are too hot. Quiet, evenly spread chicks that are actively eating and drinking are comfortable.

Target 33–35∘C (91–95∘F) at chick level in week 1, reducing by about 2–3∘C weekly. Keep relative humidity around 60–70 for the first 3 days, then around 50–60.

Week of Age	Temperature Target (at chick level)	Relative Humidity (RH) Target
Week 1	33–35∘C (91–95∘F)	60–70
Week 2	31–33∘C (88–91∘F)	55–60
Week 3	28–30∘C (82–86∘F)	50–60
Week 4+	Taper down to ∼21∘C (70∘F)	∼50

Week 1 at a glance

Temp	RH	Minimum Ventilation	Chick Behavior Cues
33–35∘C (91–95∘F)	60–70	Small gap at top of curtains	Quiet, evenly spread, actively eating/drinking

Choosing and Managing Your Heat Source

For small to medium-scale farms, common heat sources include charcoal pots and gas brooders.

• Charcoal Stoves: These are affordable but require careful management to prevent fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Always place the pot inside a metal container with a wire mesh cover to prevent chicks from falling in. Ensure the brooding area is well-ventilated without being drafty. Use high-quality, long-burning charcoal that produces less smoke. Use CO detectors where possible and ensure combustion devices have adequate exhaust.
• Gas Brooders: These provide more consistent heat and are generally safer. Always check pipes and connections for leaks before use. The brooder should be hung at a height that covers a wide circle, allowing chicks to choose their comfort zone.
• Infrared Bulbs: Excellent for smaller batches of chicks. Use infrared heat sources safely and provide dark periods.

Mastering the brooding environment is crucial for giving your flock a strong, healthy start. Once they are past this delicate phase, the next challenge is managing the constant dust and maintaining proper ventilation to keep them healthy throughout the season. You can learn more about balancing heat and airflow in our guide on coop ventilation mistakes.

Ventilation Without Drafts and Dust Control

You need fresh air to remove harmful ammonia and carbon dioxide, but cold drafts can chill your birds and cause them to huddle, leading to suffocation or stunted growth. It’s a careful balance between air quality and temperature control. For an authoritative resource, refer to the FAO guide to poultry housing and ventilation.

Curtain Management and Windbreaks for Dust Control

• Windbreaks: Your first line of defense. Plant fast-growing trees or install fences made of mesh, bamboo, or tarpaulin on the windward side of your poultry house. A double-fencing system with a gap between them provides an even better windbreak.
• Curtain Management: Use curtains (tarpaulin or thick sacks) over side nets to precisely control airflow. During cold nights, ensure they are closed securely from the bottom up to block drafts at bird level. During hot afternoons, you can open them from the top down to let hot air escape.
• Minimum Ventilation: Even when the house is closed up for warmth, a small amount of air exchange is necessary. This prevents the buildup of ammonia from droppings, which can damage the birds’ respiratory systems and cause blindness. You can achieve this by leaving a small gap at the top of the curtains.

Dust Mitigation Strategies for Harmattan and Poultry

Harmattan dust is fine and invasive, posing a significant health risk.

• Cleanable Pre-filters/Mesh: Fit cleanable mesh or pre-filters on inlets to catch dust; if you moisten at the inlets, dry and clean daily to prevent mold. Avoid spraying water over litter to ‘settle dust’—overuse raises litter moisture and ammonia. If you trial sprinkling for dust suppression, use minimal doses and monitor NH3 and RH.
• Humidification: If you must add humidity, do it at inlets or with controlled foggers, not onto litter. Monitor both RH and ammonia levels. Frequent spraying or misting on the litter can increase ammonia if overused.
• Keep Equipment Covered: Keep all water tanks and feed troughs covered at all times to prevent contamination from dust.
• Farm Road Maintenance: Consider spraying water on access roads or paths around your farm to reduce the amount of dust that gets kicked up by vehicles or foot traffic.

Maintaining a clean, dust-free environment with balanced ventilation will significantly reduce the respiratory stress on your birds. For more on how to manage your floor to reduce dust, read our guide on the best flooring for a chicken coop. Additionally, proper biosecurity is key to keeping your flock safe during this season—learn more about how to keep rats out of a chicken coop to prevent pests from bringing in disease. Now, let’s explore how to optimize their diet and water intake to keep their bodies strong and resilient.

Feeding, Water, and Energy Management in the Dry Season

During Harmattan, birds’ metabolic needs change. They require more energy to stay warm and more water to stay hydrated. Adjusting their nutrition and water supply is key to maintaining growth rates and egg production. To get a handle on your feed costs and planning, use our chicken feed calculator and cost guide.

Adjusting Feed for Energy

• Higher Energy Diets: Birds burn more calories to maintain body temperature on cold Harmattan nights. Consult with a nutritionist about slightly increasing the energy content of your feed, often by adjusting the maize or fat concentration. This is particularly important for broilers to maintain their growth rate.
• Feeding Times: Birds often have reduced appetites during the hottest part of the afternoon. To compensate, make feed available early in the morning and later in the evening when it’s cooler and they are more likely to eat. For a deeper dive, check out our resource on the best feeding schedule for chickens.
• Nutritional Supplements: Consider adding antioxidants and prebiotics to the feed. Fermenting your feed can be a great way to boost gut health and help your birds handle stress, and you can learn more with our guide on fermenting chicken feed for better health. Under vet guidance, short-term Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can help mitigate stress responses. Prebiotics such as mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) can promote good gut health, improving nutrient absorption and strengthening immunity.

Ensuring Adequate Water Intake

• Cool, Clean Water: Provide constant access to clean, cool water. Poultry prefer water close to neutral: target pH ∼6.0–6.8 for routine drinking. If you use acidifiers to optimize chlorine or sanitize lines, do so short-term and monitor palatability—strong acidification (≈pH 3.5–4.5) is for line cleaning or targeted microbial control, not continuous use. For more on water quality, refer to the Poultry drinking water quality guide from the University of Georgia.
• Night-time Drinking: On very cold nights, the water in drinkers can become icy, discouraging birds from drinking. Consider using insulated drinkers or slightly warming the water to a lukewarm temperature to encourage intake overnight.
• Water Sanitation: The dry season often means less access to clean water. To prevent disease, consider a water sanitation program using a simple disinfectant like chlorine.

By keeping your flock well-fed and hydrated with a diet tailored to the season’s demands, you are building their internal defenses. Next, we’ll discuss how to proactively manage the specific health risks that come with Harmattan.

Health Risks During Harmattan and What to Do

The combination of dust, temperature fluctuations, and dry air creates a stressful environment where diseases can thrive. Proactive health management is essential to prevent costly outbreaks.

Respiratory Infections and Other Risks

The fine dust is abrasive and can irritate the entire respiratory tract of your birds, making them susceptible to secondary infections like Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD), caused by Mycoplasma gallisepticum. You should also be vigilant for diseases like Fowl Pox and Colibacillosis (E. coli), which can be spread through contaminated dust and water. Our guide on how to treat a chicken respiratory infection can help you identify and address symptoms early.

• Recognizing Signs: Watch for coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, and swollen sinuses. To learn more, read our article on what to do if your chicken is sneezing.
• Immediate Action: If you see these signs, immediately isolate the affected birds to a separate pen and contact a veterinary professional for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.

Newcastle Disease and Other Viral Risks During Harmattan

ND outbreaks often peak in the dry/cold months; complete vaccination before peak Harmattan and tighten biosecurity.

• Strict Vaccination Schedule: Ensure your vaccination program, especially for Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) and Infectious Bursal Disease (Gumboro), is completed before the peak season arrives. Do not skip boosters.
• Biosecurity is Key: Reinforce your biosecurity protocols. Place footbaths with disinfectant at all entrances. Limit visitors, and prevent wild birds and rodents from entering the poultry house. Never share equipment with other farms.

With these health threats in mind, your final line of defense is a well-managed poultry house floor. Proper litter management is essential for controlling ammonia and preventing the spread of diseases from the ground up.

Litter Management During Harmattan

The floor of your poultry house is a critical part of the environment. Litter management during Harmattan is a balancing act between controlling dust and preventing moisture buildup. For more tips on how to keep your coop from smelling, check out our detailed guide.

Keeping Litter in Perfect Condition

• Material: Use high-quality, absorbent wood shavings as litter material. Avoid sawdust, as it can be too fine and dusty. Rice husks are another good, locally available option.
• The Dryness Balance: Aim for litter moisture around 20–25 during the flock—friable, not dusty. Above ∼25%, ammonia and footpad issues rise.
• Caked Litter: Immediately fix any leaky drinkers or water spillage. Remove any wet or “caked” litter daily, as this is where coccidiosis oocysts and harmful bacteria multiply.
• Regular Raking: Rake or turn the litter every 2-3 days. This prevents it from compacting and releases trapped moisture and ammonia.

Managing Ammonia and Stocking Density

• Ammonia Control: Ammonia can damage the birds’ respiratory systems and cause blindness. Keep ammonia under ∼20 ppm. If you can smell NH3 sharply on entry, it’s already too high—increase minimum ventilation, fix leaks, and consider an acidifying litter amendment.
• Stocking Density: Avoid overcrowding. In open houses during Harmattan, target a conservative liveweight density (e.g., <25–30 kg/m$^2$) and ensure adequate feeder/drinker access. Overcrowding leads to faster litter contamination, increased competition, stress, and quicker spread of disease. Our guide on how big a chicken coop should be can help you plan your space effectively.

With these expert tips, you can transform your poultry management from reactive to proactive, ensuring your farm remains profitable and your birds stay healthy and happy. The final step is to put all these actions into practice.

GEO-Specific Adjustments (Nigeria/Ghana/West Africa)

Local weather conditions can change rapidly during Harmattan. Staying informed is crucial for making timely adjustments.

• Monitor Alerts: Check NiMet Harmattan dust-haze alerts for Nigeria and GMet Harmattan advisories for Ghana, and adjust heat/airflow that evening.
• Practical Application: If a severe dust haze is forecast, ensure your dust screens are clean and ready. If a particularly cold night is predicted, have an extra supply of charcoal or gas on hand to maintain brooder temperatures.

Harmattan Poultry Management Checklist (Printable)

Every Night:

• [ ] Close curtains securely to block all drafts.
• [ ] Verify brooder temperature and relative humidity (RH) are at target levels.
• [ ] Make sure your heat source is working safely and has enough fuel for the night.
• [ ] Check that chicks are spread out evenly and are quiet.

Every Morning:

• [ ] Rake the litter to keep it fresh.
• [ ] Clean and refill drinkers with cool, fresh water.
• [ ] Clean any dust filters or damp mesh on the air inlets.
• [ ] Check that water tanks are shaded and covered.

Every Afternoon:

• [ ] Increase airflow by slightly opening curtains, but avoid direct drafts on the birds.
• [ ] If it’s extremely hot, sprinkle water on the roof or use foggers to cool the house.
• [ ] Ensure feeders are full for evening feeding.

Every Week:

• [ ] Check and calibrate your temperature and humidity sensors.
• [ ] Review your vaccination and health schedule with your vet.
• [ ] Inspect the entire poultry house, including windbreaks, for any new cracks or damage.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Conclusion

Successfully managing your poultry through the Harmattan season comes down to a proactive, holistic approach. By carefully controlling the environment, from managing temperature and humidity in the brooding area to implementing effective dust and draft control, you can significantly reduce stress on your birds. Combining this with a focus on proper nutrition, hydration, and a strict biosecurity protocol will build a resilient flock. The effort you put in now will pay off in a healthier, more productive farm throughout the season. Remember to stay vigilant, monitor your birds’ behavior, and make timely adjustments to protect your investment.

Related Reading

• 17 Coop Ventilation Mistakes that Overheat Your Flock
• How to Keep a Chicken Coop From Smelling
• What’s the Best Flooring for a Chicken Coop?
• Chicken Feed Calculator and Cost Guide
• Fermenting Chicken Feed for Better Health
• How to Treat a Chicken Respiratory Infection
• Start Profitable Broiler Farming in Nigeria

Oladepo

Oladepo Babatunde is the founder of ChickenStarter.com. He is a backyard chicken keeper and educator who specializes in helping beginners raise healthy flocks, particularly in warm climates. His expertise comes from years of hands-on experience building coops, treating common chicken ailments, and solving flock management issues. His own happy hens are a testament to his methods, laying 25-30 eggs weekly.