Chicken coop with own hands

To designing and building a chicken coop to hold correctly, it is necessary to know the basic requirements that this building must comply. Otherwise, due to unreasonable construction or due to other unfavorable conditions for domestic animals, breeding a bird not will bring desired results and will turn only to losses and frustration.

• The safety of occupants from penetration of small and large predators should be ensured, which like to eat fresh eggs, and even chicken meat.
• In the premises of the henhouse it is necessary to achieve the absence of drafts, which can lead to the death of the bird, since chickens can also catch cold and catch a hard-to-treat "sore".
• Not to do without in the house and without reliable thermal insulation, especially if it is planned to keep chickens year-round, and not just in the "country" season.
• Mandatory condition - organization efficient ventilation of the chicken coop, since the lack of fresh air intake also acts on poultry is extremely harmful.
• It is very important and properly arranged lighting of the room, since the house should be lighted certain number of hours per day, otherwise the chickens will be badly carried.

The project of the future construction of the house is started after compulsory thinking over all these requirements listed above.

Designing a chicken coop

• The first thing to define when drafting - is the area of ​​a plot that can be allocated for construction, taking into account not only the poultry house itself, but its integral part - pad for paddock walking.

must be taken into account. The place for construction should not be in the lowland, as the premise will become wet, will not dry out quickly, because in such places the atmospheric moisture always concentrates, the morning mist lasts longer. It is best to place the house on a small hill .

• Next, it is necessary to roughly calculate the size of the chicken coop, based on the that for every five laying hens, for their normal coexistence and development, the must have an of at least 3 m², for example, the room can be with a size of 1500 × 2000 mm.

If it is planned to have only 2 ÷ 3 birds , then they will need a platform size, at least in 1 m².

structure. Such dimensions are necessary in order for chickens to be able to move freely, and for this, needs to have a certain space. It is necessary to know that the more mobile the way of life of chickens is, the higher will be their egg-laying.

• A fenced playground is also arranged with the considering the of the number of birds planned for breeding. So, for five hens, usually 6 ÷ 7 m² of space should be provided.

The paddock and the exit to of for the poultry should be located, if possible , on the south side of the house. It should be provided for the protection of this from covered winds. Above the enclosure enclosed by a mesh-netting, the is sure to be installed a canopy, which will be a good protection against the hot sun and heavy rain.

• If the plot is flat, it is recommended for the hen house to create a small elevation with the help of a mound of layers of sand and rubble of the middle fraction. To protect the chicken house from rodents, a layer of clay interspersed with the broken glass is placed on top of the arranged mound.

• Immediately one must consider how to properly arrange the natural lighting of the coop. The most optimal option will be a door with glazing installed on the southeast side of the - structure, from this direction the sun is the longest during the day.
• The ceiling in the chicken coop is raised to a height of 2000 ÷ 2200 mm for the largest volume of airspace in the room.
• If the window is installed separately from the door, then it is lifted to a height of 1100 ÷ 1200 mm from the floor, and its size must be at least 500 × 500 mm.
• In summer it is convenient to get eggs from jacks of , they are attached outside the house, and holes are cut in the wall to enter the chickens. Roof extension for socket d d must be opened - then it will not be necessary to enter inside of the house to pick up the masonry.

The socket for masonry should be at least 400 × 400 mm in size.

Video: the basic parameters taken into account in the construction of the of the chicken coop

The foundation for the chicken coop

• When constructing the frame structure of the house, you can do without the concrete foundation - will have to make an artificial embankment using the technology mentioned above from sand, gravel and clay, as the chicken coop will notan extremely massive construction.

. But in this case, it is necessary to raise the structure above the embankment by at least 300 mm, and the space beneath it must be tightened with a fine-mesh net-rabitsa. It will protect the poultry house from the penetration of small predators.

The lower frame frame needs to be firmly attached to the surface of clay mixed with glass, sprinkling on its from the outside with fine gravel. On top of the clay surface, on the height of the skeleton bar of 100 mm, it is good to make a mound of fine-grained expanded clay, which the rodents generally always bypass.

• If the construction will be erected of brick or concrete, then without the a reliable foundation is indispensable.

The is suitable for this structure any kind of foundation, whether it's tape, monolithic or columnar construction.

. If a column foundation is to be secured, then the space under the construction should be secured in the same way as described above, or instead of metal mesh, metal sheets can be used that penetrate into the ground for 300 ÷ 400 mm.

It should be noted that all these types of foundation are suitable for wooden buildings. But under the wooden base, in this case, it is necessary to make a flooring of waterproofing material, which is used most often as a roofing material.

The floor of the chicken coop

• If the chicken coop is installed on a low band foundation, then most often the floors in the do are made with adobe or earthen. For the flooring of adobe floors, use a mixture of fatty clay and finely of the stained straw .This solution is laid in several layers of , ramming each of them and waiting for drying.
• Also floors can be arranged with a concrete screed or laid out of planks. Which would kind of floors nor was selected, it should be flat.
• To protect the coating from various effects, it is desirable to cover it with linens of ruberoid with bends on the wall on the 150 ÷ ​​200 mm. Between themselves, the canvases must be hermetically glued with bituminous mastic, in a hot way. Thus, the reliable waterproofing coating is obtained, which will not absorb the waste products of the bird.
• If the chicken coop is to be used year-round, then before making the top waterproofing coating, the floor should be insulated by laying mineral wool or polystyrene between the fixed to the base of the log.
• Piles of 10 mm thick are spread on the logs, and only then the sheets of roofing material are laid.

• sawdust. On top of the finished, waterproof floor, a temporary layer of sand, sawdust, hay or straw is laid. The last mentioned materials for flooring should be used in extreme cases, for lack of the first two. Straw and hay dry out badly, because of which moisture accumulates in these layers, which leads to decay and a very dangerous microflora - bacteria and fungi. This is extremely harmful for birds - this situation can lead to the beginning of their mass mortality.

If the straw or hay after all is forced to apply, then it is necessary to lay them not too thick and change to clean material once every two, as a last resort - for three days.

• The optimal version of the flooring for experienced poultry breeders still consider sawdust, which is a natural material, having , in addition, in the its has a pronounced antiseptic content. Sawdust can be purchased at the nearest sawmill, if agreed in advance.

• . The is not bad. and litter of sand are suitable, but it is quite expensive, because the payment is made not only for the material itself, but also for its delivery.

Video: Advice from experienced poultry breeders on the choice of bedding for of the chicken coop

Chicken coop walls

• The most warm walls for the house are made of wood. They are built from logs or logs .Make and a skeleton structure in which the cage with the ten consists of wooden beams.

The latter variant is lined with a lining, a planed board or a thick 10 mm plywood, in two layers of - outside and inside the building.

Between them, a thermal insulation material - is installed in the frame. This can be mineral wool or polystyrene.

The frame bar must have a section size of 100 × 100 or 100 × 50 mm, the thickness of the walls is arranged on the larger side of the bar. Accordingly, the insulation must have the same thickness.

. Before the exterior paneling, the windproof vapor barrier material is fixed to the frame.

On top of the installed insulation from the inside of the house, can also be fastened to the vapor barrier - there too it will not be superfluous. And already on top is fixed a wooden lining or other natural sheathing.

• Walls can be erected and made of brick or stone. Such structures are more durable and are reliable , but this material is very cold and has the ability to absorb moisture.

Such a chicken coop will have to be well heated in winter time, that will cause big energy costs. In addition, and the process of erecting walls from this material will be more time-consuming for the and longer, and besides this - it requires special masonry skills.

• Another one excellent material for the erection of walls is saman. From a mixture of clay and cut straw, bricks are made of themselves, from which the walls are subsequently raised. The adobe walls will make the house of a warm and as comfortable as possible for hens. The only difficulty in erecting such a chicken coop is leveling the surfaces.

Whatever walls are erected, it is very important for to take measures for their disinfection from the appearance of fungus, bacteria and various insect pests. For this purpose, the walls are covered from the inside with antiseptic compounds. The most famous of them and the most commonly used - is to all a familiar lime.

Ceiling and roof

For a chicken house, the is best suited for the double-skinned roof, which forms a sufficient volumetric attic space for mounting on the hedger .

The rafter structure of the roof frame of bars is being built, the size of the of which the in the cross section depends on the size of the structure to be closed.

• If the roof is arranged in a very small house, then with further installation you can do without attic overlap, and the insulation to be fixed directly under the roofing material. In a small room, the space under the roof should be better to increase the air space of the chicken coop.

- The rafters are attached to the ridge beam, which is laid on the gable sides of the structure, and the second side they are fixed on the built by the side walls.

- The fronts set the degree of the roof slope, so their crate is installed first.

- When the rafters are fixed to two roof slopes, on the attic side, plywood liners are fastened on them, which will form the basis for laying the insulation.

- Between the rafters the insulation mats are laid, then they are covered with a windproof film , which is fastened to the rafters with brackets using a stapler.

Further, work is carried out depending on what material for the roof is selected.

- If soft roofing is selected, a layer of plywood is fixed on top of the film. On the plywood foundation it will be easy to lay and fix the elements of this material.

- After laying a soft roof over the roof slopes, a ridge joint is covered.

- Provided that slate, metal roofing or corrugated board is chosen for the roof, then its sheets are fastened overlapping on one wave immediately onto the rafter system.

• If it is decided to arrange an attic ceiling and decorate an additional room, for example, to store a stock of sawdust or feed, then first the side beams are fixed to the joists.

- On the side of the room, plywood sheets are screwed onto the beams.

- Then, from the attic side, there is a heater between the floor joists.

- On top of it is laid vapor barrier, and on it fixed plywood.

- After the attic floor is completely ready, you can start assembling the truss system, and then - and the installation of roofing material.

Having erected and insulated the walls and roof, it is necessary to proceed with the arrangement of ventilation.

Ventilation of the chicken coop

In any construction where domestic animals are kept, it is impossible to do without good ventilation, because to all animals for normal life, the needs fresh air intake, which will replace the accumulated stale smell. Especially the ventilation system is necessary in the summer, at high temperatures of air on the street.

• Ventilation system can be natural. It is a few holes located on opposite walls. One of them is located in the lower part of the wall, at a height of 150 ÷ ​​200 mm from the floor, and the other - at the same distance from the ceiling, on the wall opposite. On each of the ventilation holes are installed doors in the form of valves, which will help manually adjust the intensity of airflow.

This ventilation operates on the principle of natural air circulation in the room behind the account of fresh air intake from the street.

• Another option is forced ventilation. It is arranged in the same way as the natural one, but an electric fan is installed in the upper vent hole, working on the hood. The ventilation window in which the fan is installed must also have a door so that in winter it can be completely closed and opened only as needed.

Internal arrangement of the chicken coop

• One of the most important elements of the arrangement of the henhouse are the roosts, on which chickens spend most of their life. It is not right to think that the bird sleeps in the nests of the or on the floor, since almost all the nights and even part of the day the chickens sit exactly on the sestah.

- Nasse st pr is a bar having a size in section of 50 × 60 mm and a length that is equal to the width of the coop. Such roosts should be made as at least two. The corners of the bar must be rounded so that the bird can not injure their paws.

- Nesting is fixed horizontally to the on the walls, at a height of 500 mm from the floor. In this case, you need to measure the distance from the wall to the first pole, it should be 250 mm, and between the first and second roost - 350 mm.

- It is recommended to set the roosts on the same level, otherwise there will be constant fights for the "upper floors" in the hen-house. In addition, the birds sitting on top will contaminate their with the litter of those who are sitting from the bottom.

- For each bird living in the hen house, it is necessary to remove 250 mm poles. Based on the of the planned livestock of birds, the required number of "seats" is calculated, that is, the length and the number of roosts.

• The second necessary "interior element" for the hen house, in which layers are to be kept, is the device of sockets, from calculation one socket for 5 ÷ 6 layers.

- Sockets should be located in secluded corners of the room, where the light gets to the least. Therefore the most optimal variant of will be drawer attachment for jacks from sn to the outside of the coop. Remains to make holes in the walls, through which chickens will enter them. The sockets need to be very well insulated.

Layer Socket Size - sockets should be 300 × 300 mm in width and height and 400 mm - in depth, or, if space permits, 400 × 400 × 400 mm. Boxes for masonry are filled with sawdust, straw or hay.

layers. If jacks of the are installed inside the coop, they are raised above the floor by 400 ÷ 500 mm and placed under the window so that the light never hits the inside the boxes.

- They can be installed in two tiers, as they have a roof on top, and layers can not interfere with each other.

- If the jacks of the are raised too high, then a crossbar must be installed along them, and a wooden ladder is leaning against it so that the chickens can climb up to the masonry sites.

• Another important element is the door for the exit of chickens to the paddock in the enclosure.

- If the chicken coop is raised to a sufficiently high altitude from the ground, a ladder is installed and secured to the opening of the outlet.

chicken walkway - In case the opening is not very close to the ground level, the door itself can serve as a descent for the birds, if the makes the its opening from above, so that it falls back onto the ground in the form of a ramp.

- The also needs to be equipped with an mesh door installed inside the chicken coop. Laz can be used as an additional vent, leaving the main door open and closing it only with a mesh.

Lighting in the chicken coop

How the lighting in the henhouse is organized depends largely on the performance of the layers. In case of lack of light that egg-laying of birds will drop, and in addition to , in the dark room they decrease activity, they move little and become sluggish, that can lead to their death.

Therefore, as mentioned above, the window must necessarily be located on the south or south-east side of the building. The standard area of ​​the window should be at least 1/12 of the floor area.

The windows must always open - for providing ventilation of the room, but it is very important to supply all window openings with with a grid of 10-20 mm. A window that has such protection is allowed to be left open for the night in summer, as it can not be penetrated by into the interior of the by small predators.

In order for laying hens to have a high egg production, it is necessary to provide them with lighting for 16 ÷ 18 hours a day, which can not be done in the winter and autumn period. Therefore, , without artificial lighting is indispensable.

For illumination of 3 m² of a chicken house it is necessary to install a lamp, a must-have protected by a plafond, having a glow of 30 ÷ 40 W.Artificial lighting should be guided by on on sisters, feeders and drinkers, but should not light of the socket for masonry.

To save on electricity, and do not think about when to turn the lights on and off, special connection boxes with outlets equipped with timer are purchased.

This wall socket connects all the lighting of the coop, and the timer sets the time when the light should turn on and off. Thus, it will be possible to accurately establish a "light day" for birds. For example, a timer can be programmed with an calculation of , that the light will turn on at 6 am, and turn off after two hours, that is, at 8 am, when there will be enough natural light. Then, for example, the lighting will turn on again at 17 pm and will work up to 21 hours. With the help of this device, a constant lighting schedule is set in the henhouse. As the seasonal change in daylight hours, the timer is easy to reprogram.

The block with a timer is recommended, for safety, to be installed in a room adjacent to the chicken house.

Heating in the chicken coop

In the case when the building is well insulated, it can be operated year-round, if, of course, create a comfortable temperature microclimate for the bird. The normal temperature for chickens is 15 degrees of heat, and in winter it is necessary for them to heat the room, at least to 10 degrees.

Therefore, in the year-round henhouse without heating appliances simply can not do. It is necessary not only to create the right temperature in the room, but also to keep the humidity comfortable for birds, since its excess of can lead to illnesses and death of chickens. Therefore, poultry farmers with years of experience in growing chickens are advised to use electric convectors for heating in a house.

- Due to the properties of these devices, they are the most able to fulfill the requirements for creating the necessary microclimate in the henhouse.

- The efficiency of these devices is much higher than that of oil heaters, for account created in the convectors of good air circulation.

- Convection heaters air-dry fairly well, is approximately as well as wood-burning stoves, but they are safe, and deliver much less hassle.

- These heaters consume less electricity when compared to other types of heating devices, because they heat up to the set temperature, they turn off, and then, as the air cooling in the room, turn on yourself.

- will be the optimal solution for installation of two convectors, one of which will work around the clock, and the second - switch on the timer only for the night, thereby maintaining the desired temperature in the house. This is convenient because at a low temperature in the street on the street, the room will retain a constant level of heat.

Perhaps the for those who first got acquainted with information on construction and maintenance of the chicken coop, at first glance, the contents of the chickens seem very difficult. However, believe me, when all will be equipped with the mind and will enter in a constant rhythm, it becomes clear that there is no particularly complicated process in this process.

It is possible to arrange the provision of the to all so that will have once in the three to four days in order to clean the floor. And in other days will remain only to collect eggs from jacks .

If there is a desire to provide the family with fresh home eggs all year round, you need to boldly get down to business. Moreover, many poultry farmers are ready to share their own secrets of work.

By the way, a chicken coop can be made not only convenient for poultry, but also very beautiful, capable of making an interesting "note" in the design of the infield.

Video: a beautiful compact chicken coop

And if there really is not enough space, but the desire to breed even a few chickens is, then you can build a mini-house, having spent very little money and time on it.

Video: miniature chicken coop - for several hours