Proposed Expansion of the Existing Chicken Layer Facility on the Remainder of the farm Witfontein 199 in the Brandfort District

The chicken layer facility will comprise of four (4) layer houses of 105m x 8.2m (861m² each). Each house will be populated with 40 000 chickens. A total of 160 000-layer hens will therefore be kept in the facility. The layer houses will be semi automated, with an automated feeding system. Site layout plans can be found in Appendix A. The facility will also consist of 1X control room (3m x 3m). A sorting and pack station with staff facilities will also form part of the development measuring 25m x 10m (250m²). The complete chicken facility will have a footprint of 115m x 150m (17250m²). Outside this area you will find the roads and truck turning areas for the facility. The planned facility including the footprint for the roads and truck turning areas will come to 250m x 400m (100 000m²).

The affected farm portion is currently zoned for Agriculture, which accommodates the proposed development. The farm already has an approved operational chicken layer facility consisting of 6 Layer houses etc. The chicken layer facility will consist of the following infrastructure:

* 4 chicken layer houses with its own control room measuring 105m x 8.2m (861m² each) totalling to 3444m²;
* Pack room and staff facilities: 250m²;
* Four Feed bins, one next to each of the layer houses;
* Twenty x 10 000 Liters water tanks on an area measuring 40m x 10m (400m²);
* Five Thousand Liter Septic Tank;
* Please note that the development will have no Manure Stockpiling area as manure will be removed directly from the chicken layers houses directly of the farm on a weekly basis;
* A Small Pedestrian Security gate near the Packaging room;
* Double Gates in front of each layer house. Only used when delivering new hens to the site. The truck stops outside and trollies with hens go into biosecurity area to the layer houses where they will be kept;
* Fenced in Area in which all the structures will be housed;
* Possible water storage units to capture rainfall from the roofs of the buildings;
* Additional storage facilities for chemicals, control room and washroom in the pack room;
* Biosecurity access control entrance.

Conveyor Belts transports the manure from the layer house over the perimeter fence onto the truck from where the manure is removed directly from the farm. The animal feed is delivered on the same principal directly into the feed silos situated next to the chicken layer houses. No vehicles allowed inside the fenced off bio secure area of the facility.

Mortalities will be removed daily and kept in a freezer from where it will be taken to the adjacent lion farm to be used in feeding the lions. These chickens will not be utilized for human consumption. The floor of the layer houses will be cemented, which is impervious to water. This ensures that the house can be adequately cleaned and disinfected after each cycle. During the washing process of the facility, all waste water will be collected in a septic tank and removed from the farm.
Province(s): Free State