A belt drive that has a transmission element that transmits a drive force to a drive element, which then sets a belt roller into rotational motion. The transmission element is a shaft and the drive element is an angular gear which has an input that is connected to the transmission element and an output that transmits the rotational motion from the gear to the belt roller. The belt drive is particularly suited for use in a belt system that is used in multi-tier poultry facilities. This belt system according to the invention includes a common drive motor that provides the drive force and a plurality of belt drives, one belt drive for each tier. One or more drive shafts transmit the drive force from the drive motor to each of the belt drives.