How to insulate a chicken coop for the winter

In order for poultry to gain weight and bring in sufficient eggs, requires not only for proper and timely feeding, but also for creating optimal conditions for maintenance. If this is not observed, then all the costs of buying the young and forage will be in vain. In the event that it is planned not only summer but also winter growing of chickens, the accommodation for their accommodation must be insulated.

How to insulate the chicken house for the winter, if it was not done during its construction? This process of the is simple , but it is better to provide it in advance and hold it together with the erection of the structure.

Such measures will not only help keep the heat inside the chicken coop in winter, but will also help maintain coolness, preventing overheating on hot summer days.

Materials and space for the construction of the of the chicken coop

In order for the coop to function properly, and not the started to collapse in the next year, first you need to choose a suitable place for its erection. This process does not require long and complex - calculations, it's just necessary to install the poultry house on a hill or at least on a flat part of the yard, but not in the lowland. The reason is simple - in this place is always high humidity due to the accumulation of water during rains and melting snow, the morning fog is longer and thicker.

It is also recommended to build a chicken house at a distance from residential buildings in order to protect owners from enough unpleasant smells during the summer period when the windows of the in the house are often open.

• The most popular material for building a hen house is wood, because is - environmentally friendly material , and this is necessary so that the products obtained from the bird are useful to humans. In addition, the tree has its natural warmth, unlike all other building materials. Therefore, most often for the construction of purchased bars and boards.
• But the floors in the henhouse are often made concrete, as they will last longer, and they will be easier to make regular sanitary care after them. In addition, in order to raise the walls above the with the , you need to arrange a shallow foundation - this will help to protect the structure from deformations, distortions with the appearance of slots, and this is also very important for maintaining the necessary temperature inside the room.
• In addition to the boards for walling, for construction will require wooden bars for the construction of a frame and a yard for walking, as well as to build a foundation under the roof.
• For the courtyard, will still need and a mesh netting, from which not only the fence is made, but also the so-called roof, which does not allow the bird to leave the border of the defined by for on its territory. It is possible to do otherwise - instead of a mesh roof over the henhouse and on , makes a total wig. So even better - a place of walking will receive at least some protection from the rain.

• . And, of course, you will need to purchase a - insulation. This can be foam or mineral wool, as well as one of the modern materials. And for the insulation of concrete floors it is best to use expanded clay of a fairly large fraction.
• If the site already houses farm buildings with capital walls, and next to one of them there is enough space for an extension, you can significantly save on materials and time for work. Here it can be noted, that a capital ready wall is easier to insulate than newly erected, because, that it no longer shrinks and does not deform.
• Another is an important point in the choice of roofing material, as the roof construction designed for it will largely depend on the type of coating. In any case, , and for the roof will require a thermal insulation material.

Building parameters

When calculates for the area of ​​the constructed hen house, it is necessary to immediately determine where the heater will be located.

If the insulation is located outside or inside the walls, the usable area is calculated based on the adopted optimal ratio - 1 sq. M.meter for five birds. In the event that it is planned to fix it from the inside, the total area of ​​the building should be increased by the thickness of the insulation.

The foundation must be wider than the walls by 120 ÷ 150 mm, the wall must be in the middle of the width of the foundation. Concrete reinforced foundation will not only help to keep the insulation of the building, but also protect it:

• From damaging the wooden elements of the building, which can occur under the influence of humidity emanating from the ground. Concrete foundation nt zd will prolong the functionality of the building.
• From the possible penetration of the inside the of the chicken coop of various animals that can easily make a dig under the wooden foundation of the - structure it can be fox, rats and other predators. Given this possibility, the foundation can be raised above the ground surface by 250 ÷ 300 mm.

There are other options that help keep the bottom of the coop from "visiting" unwanted guests. For example, you can raise its floor above the ground by 200 ÷ 250 mm, by arranging the columnar foundation. Another way to protect can serve as metal sheets, which sheathe the lower part of the structure, drowning them in the ground for 300 ÷ 350 mm.

Construction and warming of the house

Beginning with the ku ku ku ku ku ku ku ku ku of the clerk, first mark the area for the foundation or foundation of the building. The place is limited with the help of hammered pegs and a strung twine .Inside this markup, the foundation nt for I will be installed and the courtyard is placed and a courtyard is located. Under the installation of the fencing of the courtyard, you can also make a foundation by combining it with the base of the coop.

Foundation

• Construction of the foundation begins with the digging of the trench. Since the chicken coop is not an heavy building, the is suitable for the strip foundation or columnar. The second loses in the sense that the floor of the chicken coop will require more intensive warming, as there will be free space under the house, and in the cold time there will be a wind, cooling the room for the bird.

The width of the trench must be 100 ÷ 150 mm larger than the intended width of the foundation, the depth of the - is approximately 400 ÷ 450 mm.

• A cushion of 70 ÷ 100 mm of sand and the same - from of the gravel are necessarily laid on the bottom of the trench. The material is very carefully compacted.
• Further, formwork is installed in the prepared trench. It should have the height to which it is planned to lift the walls of the coop from the ground. In this case, the upper edge of the formwork can serve as a kind of beacon for leveling the alignment of the .
• In the formwork, a dense polyethylene film is laid and fastened to it using brackets, which waterproofs the concrete structure from ground and atmospheric moisture.
• The reinforcement structure is then installed in the prepared trench. It is not necessary to be too zealous - it is enough of two or three bars of the armature diameter of 8 ÷ 10 mm, as no heavy loads are supposed.
• Concrete solution is prepared( cement + sand in the usual ratio - 1 : 3).You can also use to gravel fine fraction. The solution is poured into the formwork, leveled and left to ripen. In the early days, it is desirable to moisten it with water, so that the surface does not crack when hardening.
• After complete drying of the foundation and strength set, a waterproofing material is applied over it. It will also retain the wooden structural elements and thermal insulation material from the capillary penetration of dampness, and means , will extend their functionality.

Chicken coop floor

The space, framed by the foundation, intended for the very structure of the house, must be cleaned from the top layer of the soil. Instead, heaps of expanded clay, which will be an excellent insulation for the floor. Then on top of this heater there is a reinforcing mesh laid, a concrete screed not thick less than 20 mm is poured. The concrete is leveled by the rule and left for drying and hardening. Has sometimes the reason , almost inconspicuous slope into one from the parties - this will facilitate cleaning in the henhouse - water will be allocated to one place

Each of the owners prefers to equip each courtyard with-Its. Some believe that the soil should not be covered with a concrete screed, since the bird should be walking in natural conditions. The bird likes to dig the ground, searching for worms, small pebbles or plant seeds. There is an opinion that such conditions help to grow chickens faster, and make them more enduring.

Other owners consider that the is better to make the yard also concrete, for those reasons, the makes the easier to clean and it will last a longer period. On this floor periodically change the litter of chips, dry grass or straw.

Construction of frame

Frame begin to erect, laying the strapping from the bar along the entire perimeter of the future henhouse. The is taken by the measuring approximately 100 × 150 mm. It is fixed to the foundation with anchor bolts. Between each other at the corners of the bar the strapping is fastened to the with metal corners.

It is necessary to take into account the shape of the roof. Usually for outbuildings choose single-deck variant nt cr owley. In order for the not to make additional add-ons later, it is better to immediately make the front wall frame above the rear, and the lateral to fit under them, thereby forming the angle of the ramp. The rigidity of the will be provided by the lateral beam to the side walls.

Having decided the issue with the height of the house and the angle of the roof slope, you can proceed to erection the frame.

• To begin with, a vertical bar is raised at the corners, which is also fastened to the lower strapping by massive corners, capable of holding this post in an ideally vertical position.
• Further, the angular vertical posts are connected on top of the strapping, also made of a bar of the same section. Then, taking into account the width of the mats or the insulation roll, marking is done, and intermediate bars of the crate are installed on it. It is also best to fasten them to the harness with the help of special metal corners.
• When making a skeleton, it is necessary to remember that in the premises of the henhouse there should be not only a front door for a person, but also a small window for natural light, as well as a small poultry door leading to the yard for walking. Therefore, for these elements, you need to additionally fix the bars that will decorate the corresponding openings of the .
• After making the casing with the ten, you must immediately put the rafters on them for the future roof. Between the rafters should be a distance equal to the width of the insulation used.

Roofing

• . On laid and fixed rafters lay film waterproofing, which keeps the insulation from getting wet and from condensation collecting under the roof due to temperature changes. The waterproofing is fastened with brackets using the construction stapler. Its role may well be performed by a usual thick polyethylene film ( at least 200 microns thick).Stripes are laid overlap , not less than 200 mm, and between them they need to be sealed with waterproof tape to create a sealed canvas.
• film is top crate for roofing. The distance between the rails and their direction will depend on the type and length of the sheets of roofing material. If it is intended to be used for soft roofing, will have to fix plywood sheets on the crate.
• After the preparation of the foundation, the roofing is laid, according to the appropriate technology.

When a high-grade roof is installed above the building, can be used to conduct work on the final installation of walls and their thermal insulation.

Walls of a chicken coop

Before starting the installation of plywood or boards on the cage with , it is necessary to determine whether the insulant is to be placed from the inside or outside. It is more effective to lay the insulation from the outside of the building, since it will immediately hold the cold and prevent its penetration into the thickness of the wall.

• If it is decided to lay the insulation from the outside, then the plywood on the frame is fixed from inside the coop, not forgetting to leave openings for for doors and windows.
• On the outer side between the bars of the frame is installed a thermal insulation material. Most often, mineral wool or polystyrene foam is used to insulate the chicken coop. Applying the latter, it will be necessary to fill the gap between the bars of the frame and the sheets of foam plastic with a mounting foam, thus blocking the " bridges cold".

Mineral cotton wool also has certain elasticity, which allows it to close tightly all the crevices formed. Usually the step of the in this case is done on 40 ÷ 50 m m m less than the width of the roll or mat - this will allow the heater to be put in place with the maximum density.

There are other types of thermal insulation materials, for example, polyurethane foam. However, they will not be able to insulate their farm buildings independently, since its spraying requires special equipment and a master who can work with it. This process will cost quite a lot, but it is not that will take such warming up for for a long time and is the most reliable will protect the walls, as the foam penetrates into larger and smaller slots.

• . If traditional mineral wool is used for thermal insulation, should be covered with vapor-proof and windproof .It is also fixed with staples to skeleton bars.

• . On top of the vapor barrier, wood bars are stuffed onto the frame bars, they will create the necessary ventilation distance between the vapor barrier and the decorative skin.

• siding. Most often, the walls are covered with well-fitted boards. However, if there is a desire that the hen house fit into the overall design of the site, it can be lined with vinyl lining( siding).

Insulation of the ceiling

After warming and lining the walls of the coop, you can go to the ceiling of the room.

• If the house is built in a cold region, it is recommended to install roof beams in addition to the rafter system and sew a wooden ceiling, from above, and which will be insulated.
• Carry out this process with in the following way:
• On the frame with ten, next to the rafters, the beams of the joists are laid.
• Above the beams, you can fix sheets of plywood or moisture resistant gypsum board.
• Next, the between mineral beams is laid mineral wool.
• The insulation is then tightened with the vapor barrier .
• On top it fixed boards, gypsum board or plywood. The choice of this material depends on the preferences of the owner of the house.

Additional insulation of poultry house

Concrete floor - reliable and durable, but even with a claydite pillow, it does not fully provide the necessary microclimate for the birds in the winter. Therefore, the room requires additional insulation.

• If possible, the infra-red film can be laid on the floor screed, which is then closed by the self-leveling filler with a cement compound. Such a floor can be switched on if necessary, but it can work the whole winter period, keeping the room temperature right, which must be at least 10 degrees Celsius.
• Another one, perhaps the most inexpensive and common way to insulate the concrete cover is the installation of specially prepared for this particular room removable floors. These are the boards, tight connected between each other and fixed on the lags. Such floors are convenient because for the summer period they can carry to the street, so that the is washed with and treated with disinfectants.
• On top of the wooden flooring for the winter period, you must additionally lay hay or straw, a layer of 100 ÷ 150 mm - this will also insulate the floor surface.

• Many poultry farmers engaged in breeding chickens year-round, set for the winter period in the henhouse electric oil heaters or convectors. For this purpose, the areas covered with heat-resistant materials are prepared on the walls. Another option is the placement under the flow of infrared emitters.

• In addition, if external insulation of walls is not enough, they are additionally trimmed with a heater from the inside. However, do not forget that the area of ​​the chicken coop because of this somewhat decrease. For fixing on walls is suitable as dense mineral wool, and foam or penoflex .Too thick insulation should not be taken, especially if the material will be fixed on the plywood.

The best option is a pre-arranged crate from rails having a thickness of a heater. They are screwed on the walls in those places where plywood was fixed to the frame beams. Between the slats is installed a heater, which is closed with a thin board or plywood.

Video: practical recommendations for the construction and arrangement of the chicken coop

Windows and doors

• The entrance door to the coop should be tightly inserted into the door frame and be well insulated , otherwise it will become a conductor of cold into the room.
• Windows do not open, as they are not necessary for airing, but for daylight entering the coop. It is necessary to save electricity, because birds necessarily require daylight or electric light for at least 8 ÷ 10 hours a day.
• The small door for birds' walking should also be tightly closed, but completely for the winter its can not be padded, as in not very cold days the chickens are let out for a walk.

To get the desired result from poultry breeding, it is necessary to create the most comfortable conditions for of its content. One of the main conditions is the maintenance of the optimal temperature in the premises where chickens reside, both in summer and in winter cold. The timely measures for the thermal insulation of walls, floor and roof, which will protect the inhabitants of the coop from very low temperaturesand too high temperatures.

Video: advice of an experienced owner of the arrangement of the chicken coop