How to build a summer chicken coop. We are building a chicken coop for broilers in the country for the summer. Do you need heating

21.04.2020

When the cottage is completed, the beds and flower beds are planted, there is a desire to do something else new and interesting. If you spend the period from spring to autumn on your site, try to get chickens. Caring for them is simple, but at the same time you will always have fresh eggs and meat. In addition, chicken manure is an indispensable organic fertilizer for the garden. That is why in the country it is increasingly possible to meet chicken coops, which are used in summer period. It can be both simple structures and real architectural objects decorating the site. It all depends on the skill and imagination of the owner. And you can build a chicken coop in the country with your own hands.

a house for chickens - where they spend time at night, carry eggs, eat, drink;
places for walking during the daytime - as a rule, this is a small fenced area or aviary (in summer, the bird spends 15-17 hours outside, so it is important to pay more attention to the equipment of this particular zone).

There are several types of summer chicken coops:

with awnings;
with paddocks;
portable.

The most convenient for giving is the chicken coop of the first type. The canopy protects from rain, overheating, birds of prey.

Chicken coops with pens require a certain height of the fence. It is important that the bird does not fly over the fence, otherwise it can harm the surrounding plantings (hens love to rake everything, getting worms, and pecking at fresh grass and flowers).

Portable chicken coops are usually very light and small. In them, the bird is kept in cramped conditions. They have several advantages:

they are easy to move to any corner of the garden where there is grass;
occupy a minimum of space.

Any chicken coop can be improved over time by adding new elements or changing its size. Almost any summer birdhouse can be converted into a winter one by insulating the outside and lighting inside.

Photo gallery: summer chicken coops

The chicken coop should have everything The chicken coop can be decorated if desired. Many birds can live in a large hut The chicken coop can be stylized as a Ukrainian hut A chicken coop-hut from a fairy tale will decorate a summer cottage The chicken coop on wheels is easy to transport The chicken coop should be convenient not only for birds, but also for cleaning An unusually shaped chicken coop will decorate any site

The walls and floor of a temporary chicken coop should be made only from natural materials: fiberboard, chipboard, OSB-plates, wood. As supports, you can use columns made of timber, metal profiles, concrete blocks. For the construction of an aviary, choose a chain-link or reinforcing mesh. The canopy can be made of plywood, polycarbonate, reinforced film or any other material that can protect from rain.

Since the chicken coop is not built for one season, make sure that all wooden elements are treated with special impregnations or painted.

The need for a foundation for a temporary house

The summer chicken coop should be installed on an elevated place so that during heavy rains there is no flooding and the water calmly goes into the ground. If the site is flat, you can make a small mound of gravel or rubble, broken bricks. Pour an additional layer of sand on top. It is essential for the digestion of chickens. The foundation, in addition to the main function (holding the structure), will also perform a protective one (to protect the bird from attack by small predators, such as foxes and rats). Depending on the design, it can be made tape or columnar.

If the chicken coop is installed without a foundation, then sheets of slate or strips of metal should be dug into the ground along the perimeter of the structure, which should rise to a height of 30 cm above the ground. If this is not possible, then lay a row of stones so that there are no gaps between the soil and the base of the chicken coop.

For a portable summer house, the foundation does not make sense. It is enough to make the lower base of the frame from wider bars, and attach a mesh to them in such a way that there is no possibility of predators getting inside.

Photo gallery: simple chicken coops for the summer

A chicken coop on a strip foundation will last for many years
A chicken coop with a column foundation will be an excellent solution for giving Portable chicken coops do not need a foundation

Mapping and preparing tools

Before you start building, decide on the number of chickens that will be kept there. Depending on this, you need to calculate the size of the house. For 5-6 birds, a chicken coop of 3 m 2 will be required, for 10 chickens - 5 m 2, for 20 heads - 10 m 2.

The place for walking should be quite spacious, about 2-3 times larger than the chicken coop itself. When building, you should take into account the characteristics of the breed that you are going to purchase. Broilers need to move little, so a small paddock is enough for them. Laying hens, on the contrary, stop rushing if they are cramped. For birds of different breeds, it is better to build separate chicken coops, as they can “fight” among themselves.

It is important to consider the following points :

Cover the interior walls of the chicken coop with a layer of lime first to protect the birds from germs.
Chicken manure releases ammonium, which is toxic to poultry. Consider a ventilation system and a way to frequently clean their housing (you can use a galvanized pull-out pan).
Place nests for chickens in the far places of the house (one nest for 2-3 birds). In a small house, they can be outside, in the form of an attached side box.
Since chickens drink a lot and often water, drinkers should be located both inside the house and in the aviary.
Bird feeders need to be carefully secured as chickens are very active and food can end up in the trash. It is convenient to place a bunker-type feeder indoors.
In the chicken coop, be sure to equip small window. Its size must be at least 1/12 of the floor area of the house.
For a night stay, chickens need perches (20-25 cm per laying hen).
The height is recommended to be at least 1.5m.

If desired, an old greenhouse can be easily adapted for a summer chicken coop by dividing it into zones and replacing the glazing materials with wood and mesh.

Of the tools you will need:

pencil and tape measure;
screwdriver or screwdriver;
hacksaw;
building level;
stapler with staples;
a hammer;
self-tapping screws;
nails;
pliers;
sandpaper.

Photo gallery: chicken coop schemes with a corral for the summer

Small but compact chicken coop from a bar is great for giving The chicken coop, if desired, can be made both summer and winter For the construction of some structures, a columnar foundation is required

How to build a summer chicken coop for broilers with your own hands in the country

Suitable for broilers portable chicken coop-hut. In the country, you can put a structure for 6-8 birds. The chicken coop will take only 4 m 2.

Once you decide on the size, you can start making a house:

Assemble two side frames from boards cut at the desired angle using self-tapping screws or nails.
Attach a metal mesh to them using the staples of a construction stapler. If this tool is not available, you can do this with nails, not completely driving them in, but after bending the hat to the board (imitation of a staple). Make sure that there are no sharp ends on the surface of the boards, otherwise the bird may be injured.
Using self-tapping screws, connect the two side parts of the frame at the top. Fix the lower extremes between the crossbars. For greater stability, connect the two middle parts of the frame with another piece of board, setting it at a distance of 35-40 cm from the bottom.
The middle level is the boundary between the perch and the aviary. Install spacers to stiffen the structure.
Cut out a rectangle of the desired size from plywood and lay it on spacers. Attach it with screws.
To cover the top of the chicken coop, cut out two rectangular pieces of plywood and fix them on both sides, starting from the middle crossbar up. To decorate the ridge part, attach two horizontal boards to the plywood. Close the ends with a net or make doors on them so that you can clean the chicken coop and collect eggs.
Secure the junctions of plywood and mesh by stuffing the planks. This will protect the fence from deformation and give the structure additional rigidity.
In order for the bird to easily get into the shelter, make a ramp. Stuff the cross rails onto the plywood strip. The ramp itself at the top should be attached to the spacer with self-tapping screws.
After that, you can arrange a perch, a nest. The drinker and feeder in this design is best fixed on the door.

Video: do-it-yourself convenient chicken coop in the country

You can make your own chicken coop from readily available materials. With the right layout and well thought out components, it is easy to maintain. Throughout the summer season, your family will be provided with fresh eggs, and in the fall also with delicious meat.

Laying hens can rush in winter no worse than in summer. But for this it is necessary to provide them with optimal conditions, which range from -2°C to +20°C. In addition, there should be plenty of light and a balanced diet. The number of eggs may be the same as in the summer. In addition, optimal conditions ensure the trouble-free existence of chickens, providing them with comfortable conditions even in winter. Therefore, when building a chicken coop, you should immediately take care that it keeps warm. If a ready-made room is being re-equipped, then all measures are taken to minimize heat loss.

A warm shed for chickens and lighting is what is important for their normal well-being

The size of the chicken coop cannot be arbitrary, as there are certain standards for placing birds in the premises. For example, when keeping from 2 to 5 birds, 1 square meter is enough. If there are problems with the room, then the bird can be compacted. In such cases, nests and perches are distributed in 2 floors, or even in three. For laying hens, this is not a problem and they feel great with multi-tier settlement. For them, the higher the better: a bird at a height always feels safe.

Birds need a place to roam in the winter. They feel great outdoors in winter down to -15 degrees. It is desirable that the place be protected from wind and drafts.

As for the height of nests and perches, everything here is purely individual. Chickens can easily live at a height of 2 meters, but it will be very difficult to maintain the premises, and the concentration of birds will be too high.

Such a room as a chicken coop should be cheap, which means that it can be built from any materials at hand. In other words, a chicken coop is a budget option and can be easily implemented. The cheapest option is a semi-dugout, when walls rise above ground level to a height of 0.5-1 meter. At the same time, the depth of the dugout can be 1 meter or a little deeper, so that you can be in the chicken coop to your full height. That part of the chicken coop that rises above the ground can be mounted partly from glasses located on the south side, and the rest from any building material. In addition, to make it warmer in the chicken coop, all sides, except for the south, are sprinkled with earth. If we take into account that a layer of snow will be added in winter, then the room will be quite warm.

Those who are seriously going to breed poultry should think about building a foam concrete chicken coop: it is light, warm

As an option, a chicken coop room based on a wooden frame sheathed on all sides with plywood or chipboard. After that, a heater is laid and from the inside everything is again sewn up with the same material. How thick a layer of insulation is planned to be laid depends on the region.

If you build a chicken coop from logs or from a thick beam, then in the middle lane you can do without additional insulation.

For such a room, the simplest type of foundation is suitable. This may be a pile version or a shallow foundation option. If it is planned to build a capital chicken coop from brick, foam block, cinder block, etc., then the option of a conventional (not reinforced) tape foundation will do. For buildings made of wood, it is enough to organize an elementary foundation from blocks that you can make yourself.

When using a columnar foundation, it is enough to install the rack after 2-3 meters, as well as at the corners of the building.

What and how to insulate?

A chicken coop that is not properly insulated, in severe frosts, requires heating if there is a desire to have homemade chicken eggs all the time. But this option can lead to a strong rise in the cost of home products. Therefore, it is better to immediately build an insulated room, so that later, in winter, you don’t have to think about how to make it warm.

To insulate a room for chickens, any heat-insulating materials will do. The cheapest option is foam, but mice love it very much. Alternatively, mineral wool is suitable. Some experts argue that membranes are needed on both sides and this increases the cost of the whole process. On the other hand, this is not a residential building and it will be enough just to sew up the mineral wool on both sides. After all, it is not necessary to raise the temperature to +20 degrees.

Chicken coop insulation with mineral wool

It is possible to use polystyrene, since rodents do not like it so much, but it is much more expensive than ordinary foam. And on the other hand, if sheathed with polystyrene, then the room does not have to be ennobled.

It is not necessary to use expensive modern materials, as you can get by with folk, simple and affordable means. For example, clay is taken, mixed with sawdust, and the frame space is filled with this mixture. It is possible to use even the sawdust itself, which can be compacted in the process of filling the space. Not bad results can be obtained if the space is filled with slag. Although, according to the characteristics, such insulation will be inferior to modern materials, it will be much cheaper. Naturally, for warm regions and the middle zone, this is quite enough, but for colder regions this may not be enough.

This is about the walls. The ceiling and floor must be handled in a similar way, otherwise the whole idea will not give any positive results. As you know, all the heat rises and, if the ceiling is not insulated, then it will be all outside. In such a chicken coop it will always be cold and uncomfortable for poultry.

Usually, hay is placed in the attics of outbuildings for the winter, which significantly warms them. The same can be done with a chicken coop by hemming the ceiling with wooden boards, chipboard, plywood or OSB from the bottom. In extreme cases, sawdust can be poured onto the ceiling or insulated with reeds, after which a layer of clay can be applied on top. In this case, there is a huge field for experiments, depending on the availability of certain materials of natural origin. Usually, economic people always find a way out.

It is equally important to insulate the floor in the chicken coop. As an option, an adobe floor mixed with straw is suitable, according to the type of adobe technology. Of course, it is not bad when the floor is durable, for example, concrete, made on the basis of a cement-sand mixture. A simple floor will turn out to be cold enough, but if, for example, sawdust is added to the solution, it will turn out to be much warmer. The floor will also be warm when ordinary bottles are embedded in the floor.

Option to insulate the floor in the chicken coop

The presence, not even a large vestibule, always makes the room warmer, since heat is retained more efficiently. A similar approach to the construction of a chicken coop can significantly reduce heat loss and refuse to heat it in the winter.

Is heating necessary?

Naturally, the best option is to have a heated chicken coop. In such cases, laying hens rush especially actively in winter. Again, it all comes down to economics. If this is not a large room, then it does not make sense to heat it, and there is simply nowhere to install heating devices. If this is a mini-farm, then it is simply not reasonable to refuse heating.

The presence of electricity in the chicken coop allows you to solve many problems, including heating. In this case, it is possible to use fan heaters and IR emitters.

Fan heaters must have built-in automation, with which it is possible to adjust the heating temperature. This is a fairly effective and popular heating method. Another automation system is also applicable, which involves cyclic switching on and off of heaters, without reference to the heating temperature.

IR emitters are also very popular. They are somewhat more efficient, because they do not heat the air and heat those objects that fall into the zone of action of IR rays. When installing them, this factor must be taken into account. This means that each lamp is installed above each socket. Although another approach is possible: the lamp is installed in one place, where there is enough space to fit all the chickens. If they get cold, they can gather in one place and bask under the infrared rays.

Their only drawback is that they quickly fail due to frequent switching on and off. Best Option- this is long work without turning off: and the lamp will last longer, and the place will be constantly heated.

Oil coolers are not as efficient, therefore, they are rarely used.

Homemade heaters and various designs do not have full protection and therefore are considered fire hazardous, so it is better to protect yourself from such a risk.

This is a very interesting option, although it has several disadvantages. Firstly, the presence of an open fire inside, especially a wooden room, which can lead to a fire. Secondly, with a small chicken coop, it simply does not make sense to deal with such a problem. As for volumetric premises designed for a large number of chickens, then this option is the most acceptable if the pipe is run through the entire chicken coop. In this case, maximum heat will remain in the chicken coop. If the chicken coop is well insulated, then it is enough to heat it once and the heat will last for several days.

Heating the room in a natural way

There is another, alternative way to maintain the optimal temperature in the chicken coop.

Chickens with sawdust feel great even in the cold

This is a natural way, which is based on obtaining heat from decaying sawdust. At the same time, it is desirable that the chicken coop be well insulated. To do this, sawdust is poured on the floor with a layer of 10-15 cm, which should lie down for a month and a half. It is not recommended to use hay, as it is not able to regulate the humidity in the coop, which can contribute to the disease of poultry. In addition, chickens like to rummage in sawdust, and are constantly busy with this, which does not lead to their obesity even with intensive nutrition.

After a month and a half, sawdust is added in a layer of 10 cm. After a certain time, a layer of fresh sawdust is added again. By the end of winter, this layer should be about 50 cm. A layer of sawdust of a similar thickness is able to keep the temperature in the chicken coop at 0 degrees, which is quite enough for laying hens. If you penetrate deep into the sawdust, then the temperature there can reach +20 degrees, which the chickens do, constantly burrowing into the sawdust. In any case, they can warm up at any moment.

Ventilation

To maintain the microclimate in the chicken coop, ventilation is required. Ventilation can be organized through the use of a plastic plumbing pipe, which is led out through the ceiling and raised above the roof to a height of one meter. In this case, natural draft will be sufficient for effective ventilation of the room.

As an option, you can install an exhaust fan, but it is powered by electricity, and natural draft does not require any additional costs. If the room is built with high quality, without gaps, then additional ventilation openings located in the lower part of the room are needed for air circulation. They must be adjustable.

A very important point is to maintain optimal humidity in the chicken coop, about 60-70%. It is very easy to increase the humidity, but with a decrease there are difficulties. Excess moisture must be evaporated, which means heating is needed. Therefore, installing at least one IR lamp will not hurt.

In the chicken coop, especially in winter, there should be a lot of light, otherwise the chickens will not rush. The light day of the chicken coop should last 11-12 hours, therefore, windows alone will not be enough, especially on cloudy days. In this case, artificial lighting will not interfere, with a timer that controls the operation of the lamps, then there will be no need to turn the lights on and off.

The presence of a regulator will allow you to shift the daylight hours in one direction or another. Alternatively, you can turn on the light early and turn it off at dusk. As a rule, chickens wake up early, along with roosters.

Building a chicken coop: video

The video material contains information about the construction of a chicken coop by a man who decided to leave the city and move to the village. The photographs posted by him on the video indicate all the stages and processes of construction. The information can be very useful for those who are serious about the conditions of village life.

Conclusion

With the onset of winter, the problem with warming rises quite sharply. Almost everyone needs warmth: people, animals, and birds. The warmer the environment for domestic animals and poultry, the more effective they can be expected to be. As a rule, with the onset of winter, with the first cold snap, laying hens stop actively laying until they adapt to new conditions. But it is not necessary to wait until they begin to rush again, although not so massively, but to make sure that Domestic bird felt comfortable even in severe frosts. This will not only not reduce the intensity of the appearance of eggs, but also protect the bird from hypothermia, which is fraught with the appearance of diseases.

Therefore, only a responsible owner will go, therefore, not an easy, moreover, also a costly path. Despite this, there are a lot of tricks that do not require additional costs, but require desire. The simplest option for warming is the use of mowed and then dried grass, as well as the tops of various garden crops, with which you can simply and easily insulate such premises for the winter. It is enough to build a small frame around the chicken coop and then simply lay the gap with dry grass, dry tops and dry stems. With the advent of spring, all such insulation can be burned, having received valuable fertilizer for the garden.

Many owners of country houses, after arranging the main building, laying out a vegetable garden and a garden, are thinking about breeding feathered living creatures. In this case knowledgeable people they advise you to have chickens - and fresh eggs will appear on your table every day.

The general arrangement of the chicken coop and its types

For breeding birds in the courtyard, it is necessary to build a special structure - a chicken coop. The place to place the chicken coop should be dry and on a hill. Drainage is arranged around it - a small pit or groove for rainwater to drain. If there is no hill on the territory, it is created artificially (from clay and sand).

The dimensions of the building should allow the birds to move normally. The area of \u200b\u200bthe house with perches is calculated based on sanitary norms: 2-3 chickens per 1 m 2 of free space, but the minimum area value is 3 m 2.

The entrance to the chicken coop and the paddock are built on the south side, which is protected from the winds. The aviary is hidden under a roof or covered with a canopy: from the hot sun and rain.

The poultry house can be of two types: summer or winter, depending on the temperature conditions of residence and the size of the free space on the site. A summer building in a warm climate is made light and mobile - it can be moved from one place to another, if there is such an opportunity in an open area. And in the middle latitudes, a solid structure is immediately installed: on the foundation. The winter poultry house is built with additional insulation so that during the cold period the temperature inside does not fall below zero.

The chicken coop includes:

house for spending the night chickens;
paddock-aviary;
perches;
nests;
litter collection tray under the house.

During the movement, the chickens develop better and rush more, so the device of the bird house implies the presence of a paddock - an aviary, closed on all sides with a net.

A paddock is attached to the chicken coop so that the chickens can walk on fresh grass and breathe air without scattering all over the suburban area

Perches are always placed in the chicken coop: birds use them as a place to sleep. The perches are made smooth and rounded so that the chickens are comfortable to hold on, and the paws are not injured by splinters.

A perch is a long perch attached to the walls of a chicken coop or set on the floor on stable props.

Additionally, nests are built in the bird house: chickens will begin to lay eggs in them.

The nests are lined with a layer of soft straw or grass: the hens choose their favorite place, and sometimes it happens that everyone rushes in the same nest - in turn

Drawing of a chicken coop, arrangement of perches and nests

For 6-8 hens, the dimensions of the house on the foundation will be 2x2 m, and the aviary for walking about 2x7 m. The minimum height of the room is 1.8 m, so that the owner can freely enter it.

To build comfortable housing for chickens, you will need to perform the correct calculations of the chicken coop and draw up a drawing

The perch can be made from timber, even knots, thick branches, or other improvised means. But it is important to follow the rules:

Comfort: for an adult bird - 25 cm perch.
Strength: perches should not sag under the weight of birds.
Safety: sharp corners are smoothed with a planer.

Perches are made with a thickness of no more than 4–6 cm in diameter, and the pole in the cut should not be round, but closer to an oval shape

Perches are installed in the darkest and warmest place in the room: away from windows and doors. It is recommended to roost on:

50–80 cm from the floor;
25–40 cm from the nearest wall.

Nests knocked out wooden planks or made up of plastic boxes with a slatted bottom.

size of one nest: 30x30x40 cm;
install nests at a distance of 30–40 cm from the floor;
put them against the far wall, in the dark;
lay soft and dry straw;
10 chickens will need about 4 nests.

A separate area is prepared for raising chickens. Adult birds and young birds are recommended to be separated.

On the drawing, you need to indicate the location of all the necessary elements of the chicken coop, so that it is convenient to build a structure using this markup

After drawing up a detailed drawing, we proceed to the selection of materials.

Selection of materials and tools

For pouring the base - concrete mortar. Materials should be selected based on the type of foundation.
For the frame - bars. For wall cladding - boards.
For inner lining and nests - plywood sheets.
For roofing - roofing felt, slate or tin. 2 layers of roofing material are also laid on the foundation (protection from decay).
For an open-air cage - a grid and iron clamps.
Screws and nails.

To make a chicken coop, you do not need to prepare any special tools - you only need standard fixtures that are often used in the country

The set of tools may vary based on the dimensions of the structure being manufactured, but the basic set is required:

Master OK;
plane;
roulette;
building level;
axe;
mallet.

After complete preparation, we proceed to construction.

Step-by-step instructions for making a summer chicken coop

Foundation manufacturing

An ideal option for a chicken coop 2 × 2 m and a height of 1.8 m is a columnar base, which can be made from old bricks or stones. First of all, you need to perform marking work:

After the marking work is completed, you can proceed to the manufacture of the foundation:

We remove a layer of fertile soil with a thickness of 17–20 cm.
In the corners and perimeter we dig 8 holes 50 cm wide and 60 cm deep (there will be pillars in them).
We cover the bottom of each pit with sand and gravel (by 10 cm).
Then we put 2 bricks and cover them on top with a cement mixture.
Next - 2 more bricks. The curbstone is laid out to the level of the rope. The cement mixture will level the height of the cabinet.
Treat finished poles with bitumen or protective mastic. And fill the cavity between the pillars with soil, leveling it with the ground.
The building mixture sets for about a week, then a grillage from a bar is mounted.

For a chicken coop, the foundation is built smaller: with three pillars on each side; install a grillage from a bar on top

The finished foundation is left for a month. Then you can start building the walls of the chicken coop.

Installation of walls and roof

It is recommended to use the frame structure of the walls. A shield frame is constructed and clogged with a mixture of clay and straw in layers. Before installing the walls, you need to waterproof the floor. An excellent basis for frame walls and floors is a support frame made of beams.

For walls and floors, you need to make a support frame from bars

It will be necessary to prepare material for racks, jumpers and struts, which will increase the rigidity of the structure. Support bars of great length can be used not only as support pieces for the walls of the poultry house, but also the bottom of the paddock. The frame structure of the site can be made from an iron corner. All that remains is to fix the chain-link mesh on it and cover the structure with polycarbonate.

The frame, sheathed with boards, is insulated with ecowool or mineral wool.

Chicken coop wall installation guide:

You can build walls right on the wooden floor of the chicken coop. But you can separately assemble each wall, and then mount them ready-made.
Each wall must be assembled separately using a wooden beam.
Openings are made in the walls for windows, a door and a box from which eggs can be taken.
You need to make openings in the walls: fold the blanks, align them according to the markup
After that, all the walls must be knocked together, excluding distortions.
After preparation, they need to be knocked down into a single structure, taking into account the verticality of the racks level to the floor
After the frame is assembled, you can proceed to the manufacture of the roof.

In order for the structure to retain heat better, it is recommended to make a roof with two slopes. The frame consists of rafter legs and lathing.

You can cover the roof with slate, metal tiles and other materials

Gaps between wall elements should be insulated. A vapor barrier film is laid on top of the insulation material. After that, the building is sheathed with plywood sheets.

From the outside, the structure is sheathed with OSB-boards and plywood

From the outside of the OSB-slab, you will need to cover it with glassine, and then sheathe it with clapboard.

Outside, the structure must be covered with glassine and sheathed with clapboard

To prevent rotting of wooden parts, they should be treated with an antiseptic. It is important to periodically cover the walls of a wooden structure with lime to protect against pests.

floor base

For the floor, boards 50 mm thick are taken, they are laid in 2 layers, laying insulation. The bars take 10x10 cm, the bottom bar should have a thickness of 26 mm. The surface is made even and cleaned with a planer.

A rectangular recess is cut in the floor base, through which chickens will enter and exit along an inclined ramp. The floor is covered with a protective mixture for wood or lime and a dense litter is laid. Layer thickness 5 cm (mixture of crushed peat, straw, sawdust).

Ventilation and lighting of the chicken coop

Natural light and ventilation come through the windows and door. But they are not always kept open (draughts are dangerous), so you will need to equip automatic ventilation.

Ventilation through draft

High above the perches is a chimney extending beyond the roof. The supply pipe is placed in another corner of the chicken coop 20-30 cm from the floor. The draft passes naturally, reducing the humidity inside the coop.

Chickens do not tolerate drafts, so be sure to make a supply and exhaust ventilation

Bird hole is recommended to be located in south side bird house. The minimum width is 30 cm and the height is 40 cm. The manhole can be combined with the entrance door. In this case, you will need to cut through the element at the bottom of the canvas.

Lighting

Egg production is affected by the length of daylight hours. In order for chickens to lay eggs in winter, they should be well fed and create the effect of a 14-hour daylight hours. During mass molting, the optimal day length is 9 hours.

Install lamps with a power of 50-60 watts. Place them above the feeders. Sockets are removed in a closed shield.
It is recommended to use red and fluorescent bulbs. For every m 2 - 5 W of lighting.

Red light bulbs will not dry the air around and will only be able to heat those places where the rays fall

Installation of feeders and drinkers

Devices for feeding birds can be made independently or purchased ready-made.

Bunker feeder: it is made from a pipe, having made holes along the entire length

They use a bunker version of feeders or homemade food serving devices fixed at a height of 15–20 cm from the floor: chickens will not dig into the grain and scatter it. If the feeder is placed on the floor, then the place under it may begin to dampen.

Feed supply structures can be built from wooden planks or plastic containers. Summer residents recommend using tanks with sides of at least 2 cm. You can also build a tank for sand or shell rock (chickens peck the mixture for better digestion of feed).

How to make a small chicken coop

A mini chicken coop can look like a cage. The dimensions of the cage for several chickens are 1x2 m. The foundation is not needed for it, it is placed on the grass.

Mini chicken coop for 5 chickens can be made in the form of a cage

Tools and materials for manufacturing:

timber 50x50 mm;
nails and screws;
Rabitz;
wooden slats 20x30 mm;
iron pipes;
door hinges;
plywood sheets;
tiles or slate;
insulating material;
a hammer;
saw;
electric drill or screwdriver.

First you need to make a drawing. It is important to determine which side the windows and entrance will be located on. This will allow you to choose a place for perching and nests (in the far corner).

On the drawing, you need to indicate the location of all fixtures, as well as the dimensions of the house

Work sequence:

Photo gallery: ideas for decorating a chicken coop

With a flower bed on the roof: make high-quality waterproofing and breed cacti Chicken coop without paddock: you can build a chicken coop with a detachable paddock Walking in the form of a greenhouse, with a rounded arch: the design looks unusual Made in the form of a teremka, where the gable roof is stretched for the entire paddock Chicken coop with a square high paddock in the form of a summer gazebo Two-story poultry house: the chicken house is located on the roof of the paddock Teremok, in which one roof slope covers a square paddock Made with a flat roof, minimalist style

Features of the winter design

The winter chicken coop is made more insulated, with south-facing windows and good ventilation. If the design is designed for more than 20 chickens, then additional electric fans are built into the walls.

The temperature inside the bird house should be above +12°C. Windows should be glazed and tightly closed. In cool weather, chickens cluster together, warming each other.

Walls all-season chicken coop should be made of wood. The room with perches is separated from the entrance by constructing a vestibule.

The walls of the winter chicken coop are best made of wood and build a vestibule

Use of oil and infrared heaters is allowed. It is also possible to use panels in the form of foil-coated plates. They will radiate heat using infrared radiation. Structures are attached to the ceiling.

It is advisable to use such devices if the walls are made of concrete or brick. When the temperature reaches the required level, the design will automatically turn off.

Large chicken coops can cause significant problems. It is quite difficult to heat a vast building, and the cost of thermal insulation will also be considerable. If you plan to keep birds all year round, then it is important to consider some features:

The roof is made of two layers.
Sheathe the walls with heat-insulating material.
If you plan to build a chicken coop from logs, then it must be carefully caulked. The floor is covered with a deep bedding.
In cold weather, additional frames should be installed on the windows.
If the house has an attic, then the floor must be covered with sawdust or straw.
For heating, high power lamps or a heater are often used.

Video: do-it-yourself chicken coop making

Making a chicken coop with your own hands is not a difficult process. The design can be made even from improvised means, it is only important to correctly draw up a drawing.

For those who live in the country from early spring to late autumn, it makes sense to have laying hens and enjoy homemade eggs. In summer conditions, it is quite possible to make a simple but comfortable chicken coop.

Design Features

You can order a chicken coop to a carpenter, buy it ready-made or make it yourself. There are many types of structures, from a small portable version to a large-scale structure. When designing a chicken coop, you should choose a warm, but not hot place. The house with nests and perches needs to be raised above the ground, this will help protect the birds from the night cold and dampness.

Mini chicken coops, for several birds, are easily transferred to another place. They can be made in the form of a stretcher, put on wheels or simply moved in parts. Large plots of land can afford voluminous chicken coops with a spacious range. Sometimes bird houses are built on several floors.

Free range chickens are more fun. But whoever dares to release them into the garden will be left without a harvest. The poultry owners found a way out, how to walk up a bird and save vegetables. They build long corridors from the net, in which the birds can leave the chicken coop and enter it from the other side.

With the summer option in the summer cottage, you can not complicate your life at all, make the simplest chicken coop, in the form of a triangle from several sheets of slate, and a small paddock, covered with a net. Those who love complexity can build a beautiful poultry house with a string of houses, windows and flower beds. Or a mini-house for broilers, similar to a real rural hut.

How to build with your own hands

Before you start building a chicken coop, you need to know how many birds will live in it, the size of the future building depends on this. It is quite possible to make a poultry house in the country with your own hands, you just need to follow the step-by-step instructions.

Preparatory work

In any construction, time is needed for preparatory work. This includes: the choice of location, project, materials, preparation of drawings and calculations.

Location selection

The health and quality of the eggs will depend on the comfortable state of the bird. A correctly chosen place can further affect the egg production of chickens. On a hot summer day, laying hens will be uncomfortable in the sun. It is better to place them under a shady tree. In the morning, the slanting rays of the sun should warm and dry the chicken coop that has cooled overnight, and for this it should be placed on the southeast side of the trees.

It is better to choose a place for the bird away from the garden and vegetable garden in order to eliminate the risks of chemicals entering the room when processing horticultural crops. Sewers, cesspools and compost pits should also not be near the chicken coop and range to avoid infection. If you attach a chicken coop to the cottage building, it is easier to heat it and it is easier to look after the bird. It is impossible to carry out construction in a lowland, since precipitation from land plot will run down to the chicken coop.

It is better to plant a hedge around the walking area of the birds to protect them from wind and drafts. The bird can equally suffer from heat, cold and wind, so all these factors should be excluded. To make it easier to control the birds and close them in time for the night, the chicken coop should be visible from the most inhabited places in the country. When the chickens come to rest, you just need to close the door behind them.

Project

Construction should begin with the preparation of drawings and calculations. By this time, the place of construction must be determined, the sketch of the chicken coop is drawn up with reference to the area and cardinal points. It is necessary to indicate nearby buildings and trees, consider the level of shading, the wind rose, and exclude the presence of drafts. You can draw up a drawing of the building yourself, taking into account the characteristics of your site, or borrow it on the Internet.

The building plan should include a place for perches, drinkers, feeders and walking birds. Ventilation and lighting are thought out and designated. If you are planning a winter chicken coop, you should consider the heating system. The dimensions of the building are determined on the basis of: two chickens per square meter plus 30% of the additional area for nests. But in practice, birds are settled in a larger number than required by the regulations.

Construction process

During the construction process, all work is carried out in stages, focusing on drawings and calculations. At the initial stage, the terrain is marked and the foundation is laid.

Foundation

For several layers, you can build a small portable chicken coop, it does not need a foundation. A larger project will need a foundation.

They are of three types.

Columnar. It involves the installation of pillars and the construction of a structure using frame technology.
Pile. Piles are used as pillars, which are driven in unstable soils or on sloping terrain.
Tape. The most reliable foundation, it is poured with concrete around the perimeter of the entire building.

Simple country options most often use a columnar type of base, it is cheaper and easier to perform.

Along the contour of the future chicken coop, holes should be dug to the depth of freezing. Make recesses with a step frequency of two meters. The support volume will be about 20 cm and rise 40 cm above the ground surface. The formwork can be built from a rough board, 60-80 cm high. Next, reinforce with reinforcement, insert supports and pour concrete. You can start work from any corner of the future building. Cover the poured foundation with polyethylene and leave for a week to dry.

Floor

When the foundation is strong, the basement is tied. To do this, four beams 20 cm thick are laid on the roofing material, creating a box. With the help of metal corners, the bars are fastened together.

Boards placed on edge (logs) are attached to the harness with nails. The areas between them are filled with expanded clay. Then, in order to protect the bird from rodents, the surface is covered with a fine mesh with a half-meter overlap, which will later rise to the walls. A rough board is laid on top.

When constructing the floor, it is better to make a slight slope towards the door to make it easier to care for the chicken coop in the future. When working with wood, it should be remembered that all wooden elements must be treated with antifungal and anti-fire agents. Insulate the floor when the walls are already there.

Walling

The erection of walls should begin with the installation of side racks. In order to make a shed roof in the future, the difference between the front and rear pillars should be about half a meter. It is important to remember that the roof slope should not be in the direction of the birds.

Then, with the help of boards, an upper trim is made, they are attached to the racks with nails. Before mounting the crate, you should find out the dimensions of the insulation. Layers of thermal insulation are laid in the gap between the supports.

In the area of \u200b\u200bthe door, window, opening for the exit of birds, transverse guides are installed. When the frame is ready, the floor and ceiling are sewn up with an edged board.

Roof

To cover the roof, you need to prepare the rafters. To calculate their size, measure the distance between the front and rear pillars, add another thirty centimeters to the roof overhang.

The rafters, set on edge, are mounted to the upper trim of the building. The distances between the rafters are equal to the width of the thermal insulation. The rafters are covered with polyethylene, they make a crate and mount the roofing.

To insulate the roof, thermal insulation plates are laid between the rafters. In the northern regions, several layers of insulation can be used. A few centimeters of space should be left between the hemming material and the thermal insulation for free air circulation.

wall cladding

The walls are sheathed after roofing. To the outside of the frame, bars are mounted to which boards, plywood, OSB sheets are attached, what it was planned to sew up the chicken coop with. Insulation is laid between the racks.

Then the chicken coop is sheathed from the inside. The location of the ventilation holes should be left uncovered.

The device and decoration of the chicken coop

The floor must be made of warm materials, and the cement ceramic tile, bricks are not suitable for him. Chickens are prone to rheumatism, if the floor is cold, damp, they sit on their paws and stop walking. Wood is the most suitable material for a chicken coop. In order not to spoil the wood covering with chicken manure, the floor is covered with a thick layer of sand and sawdust.

The roof should not be built from materials that get very hot in the sun or make noise from rain and wind. Chickens rush equally badly both from fright and from overheating.

Ventilation

For solid chicken coops, you can arrange a ventilation duct under the roof. Small birdhouses can get by with two shuttered openings on opposite walls.

The best option would be a hood equipped with a fan. To install such a system, two square holes should be made on opposite walls. One of them should be forty centimeters lower than the other. A special fan is inserted into the hole.

Lighting

Chickens do not see well in the dark if they freeze, or get scared, start to hide in a corner and crush each other. In such conditions, it is convenient to have adjustable lighting with a soft switch-off.

Perches and nests

It is more convenient to make perches removable, so it is easier to take care of them, and place them at different heights. A wooden ladder should be brought to the perch; it is a wide board with transverse bars.

It is better to cover the nests with straw and change it periodically. Hay is less suitable, as it rots quickly. Nests should be darkened, hens do not like to rush in bright light.

In the chicken coop, you need to install several wooden perches at a distance of 30-50 cm from each other.

Breeding chickens for many becomes not only a good opportunity to regularly receive fresh domestic poultry meat, but also an opportunity to earn money if laying hens bring a sufficient number of eggs. In order for chickens to grow up healthy, they need their own chicken coop, which can be successfully made with your own hands. Especially if at the time of construction the total number of individuals is no more than 10 pieces.

Understanding what goals and needs you need to build a chicken coop to meet is the key to creating the most comfortable home for birds. The main purpose of the building is a place for the chicken to spend the night and a secluded place where you can lay eggs. Therefore, the chicken coop must be built in such a way as to protect chickens from:

adverse weather conditions;
rodents;
predatory animals.

Many owners of poultry houses are familiar with the picture of a devastated chicken coop: severed heads, sucked blood and chewed off paws. Ways to eliminate an unwanted guest are presented in the article.

In addition to the main space where the birds will be given access to food and water, they will need a perch and space for future nests.

Reference! Since cleaning the mini-house for chickens will also be necessary, this will need to be taken into account when calculating the height of the building. You should be comfortable cleaning the interior as needed.

Additionally, you will need to take care of the microclimate necessary to maintain the health of chickens. As a result, regular ventilation of the house and a sufficient amount of sunlight are very important.

Preparation for construction

Before organizing a poultry house for 10 chickens with his own hands, the farmer needs to do some preparation.

First of all, a place is chosen where the poultry house will be located. Then a plan is made internal organization building as it will look from the outside.
The next step is to select suitable materials for construction. You need to carefully consider what to make walls, a roof from, how good insulation the chickens will need.
The construction of a chicken coop, in which the birds will be comfortable and safe enough, should be designed according to drawings that take into account the landscape features on the site, as well as the growth of the breeder.

Attention! If you use ready-made drawings, you need to check how suitable such a building will be for both the site and the farmer. Again, special attention is paid to the height of the chicken coop.

Technical features of poultry house design

It is not so difficult to draw up a drawing of a chicken coop on your own. To do this, you need to know a few basic principles of construction:

Doors are recommended to be installed so that they can be opened inside the room.
At the floor inside the chicken coop, you need to make a slight slope so that cleaning is faster and easier.

The size of the object is calculated depending on how many chickens are planned to fit in the house. If you do not plan to increase the number of chickens, it makes no sense to make a large building. Otherwise, it will take up space that could otherwise be used on the farm.

Consider the features of several types of chicken coops, and give examples of drawings that can be used to build a mini-house.

summer chicken coop

Quite simple in execution and low-cost construction. To bring it to life, you will need a minimum amount of materials, and initial building skills. Another distinguishing feature is the lack of a foundation. Such poultry houses are made on the basis of additional protection chickens from rodents and predatory animals.

In addition to the poultry house itself, an aviary with a canopy is necessarily installed. The latter is necessary for cases of sunny hot days, so that the birds do not overheat during walks and do not get sick.

winter construction

This type of poultry house for 10 hens must be supplied with a foundation. In order to keep warm inside the room during the cold season, it is best to attach a special vestibule in front of the main entrance to the chicken coop.

The interior of the chicken coop should include sufficient lighting, ventilation, plus a place that will be equipped specifically for walking chickens. The maximum number of heads per 1 m 2 should not exceed 3 pieces. Therefore, if it is planned to increase the number of birds in the future, it is better to build freer poultry houses.

In order to eat fresh eggs and poultry meat all year round, it is necessary to properly insulate the house for layers, providing them with a comfortable winter. Step-by-step instruction presented in the article.

Video - Winter chicken coop

Required building materials and their choice

The reliability of the building and its convenience for birds significantly depends on the materials used in construction and their quality. What is usually required to create a compact birdhouse is shown in the table below.

Poultry house design element	materials
Foundation	Shovel. Sand and gravel. Boards for the construction of formwork. Reinforcement for creating a carrier mesh. Concrete.
main building	Wooden beams with a section of 5x5 cm. Lumber for fencing and the top of the house. Lumber for finishing. bricks if needed. Window frame, if required by the drawing. Tools - a screwdriver, a hammer, a construction stapler for attaching the mesh, etc. Consumables - nails, screws, etc.
Lighting system	Electrical cable. Light bulb of any type.

Since the construction market is quite wide, and the farmer may have a number of questions about what would be best to use for the construction of the chicken coop, here are some basic tips for selecting the required material.

Light summer poultry houses are best built from wood. This is a natural material that does not require large financial costs for insulation, since it will act as a heat insulator to a sufficient extent.
If you plan to create a permanent poultry house that will be used in the winter, more the best option the walls will be made of bricks. But they will need to be additionally sheathed with wood to better retain heat inside the house.
Even though birds need adequate light, high wattage bulbs should not be chosen. For an incandescent lamp, a range of 40-60 W is sufficient, for a fluorescent lamp - 40 W, for an energy-saving lamp - 15 W. If the light bulb is at a height of about 2 meters, its light is enough to cover 6 square meters of floor space.

Prices for various types of timber

Choosing a place to build a chicken coop for 10 laying hens

Once the dimensions of the future building are determined, as well as suitable materials and tools are selected, the optimal site for the placement of the poultry house is selected. Convenient placement of the chicken house is necessary because for chickens it will be a permanent place of residence, and often a place not only for sleeping, but also for laying eggs and walking. Therefore, nothing should cause discomfort to chickens.

What rules will you need to follow when choosing a location:

Quite a dry place, because high humidity has negative impact on the health of the chickens.
It is advisable to choose a place with a slope. This is necessary in case of rainfall. So the water can leave quickly enough from the chicken coop, and not spoil the soil next to it.
The location of the chicken coop should be well lit.
The most successful would be the location of the chicken coop so that the adjacent aviary is located on the south side. Thanks to this, the aviary will be heated all year round.

We build a chicken coop in the country with our own hands for 10 chickens

First of all, consider the principles of creating a foundation, if the design of the chicken coop provides for its presence. When the organization of a summer house is required, the columnar type of foundation is optimal.

What will need to be done:

Step	Description
1	Mark the borders of the chicken coop using pegs and string.
2	Remove the soil layer 20 cm high.
3	At each corner, dig a hole 70 cm deep and 50 cm wide. If, according to the design, the house is elongated, it will be necessary to install additional pegs along the long wall at a distance of 80-100 cm from each other.
4	Using a rope, measure the required level of supports above the ground. Focus on 20-25 cm.
5	Pour 10 cm of gravel into each hole.
6	Go to laying bricks. Strengthen the first 2 bricks with cement, then place the next 2 perpendicularly. Continue laying to the required height.
7	Leave the solution to dry for at least a week.
8	After the solution has completely solidified, it will be necessary to treat the columns with mastic or bitumen. In place of the removed soil, pour a layer of gravel as drainage.

If you plan to provide the chicken coop with a stronger foundation, it is better to use the following algorithm:

Step	Description
1	Dig a hole in the area of \u200b\u200bthe house with a depth of 35 cm.
2	Pour a drainage layer of gravel and sand with a total height of 10 cm.
3	Using the boards, establish a frame shape.
4	Tie the reinforcing mesh.
5	Fill the rest of the hole with concrete.
6	Allow the concrete pad to dry for 3 weeks.

Floor and walls of the house

If the chicken coop is planned to be made without a foundation, you can get by with a simple earthen floor. Otherwise, it will be necessary to lay a plank surface, on which to later place a litter of soft materials. The thickness of the litter should be at least 3 cm. Straw or a layer of sawdust often acts as a heater.

As the basis of the floor, a bar crate is necessarily installed, on which the boards are hemmed. Moreover, to insulate the floor in the room, it is desirable to make sheathing not only from the top, but also from the bottom.

As the main material for the construction of walls, both beams and bricks can be used. The second method is more costly in terms of the amount of materials required, since it requires additional insulation of the birdhouse. To build walls from a bar that retains heat quite well, you must use the following algorithm:

Since unwanted “guests” such as a ferret, rat or fox can try to enter the house, in no case should there be gaps in the walls of the building. To reduce the likelihood of an attack on chickens, it is recommended to protect the house with metal sheets or slate, digging them into the ground so that about 30 cm remain above the ground in height.

Roof

The roof is one of the important elements of the building, as it has a direct impact on the thermal insulation and microclimate inside the poultry house. As a consequence, the roof should not contain any gaps that cause drafts. As for the type of roof, it is better to opt for a shed or gable roof. This will protect the chicken coop from the threat of flooding during rain.

The organization of the roof takes place in several main stages:

The interior of the chicken coop

Nest prices for laying hens

Nest for laying hens

As soon as the main room of the chicken coop is ready, it is necessary to provide the birds with suitable living conditions. Here are a few basic requirements for the internal arrangement of a mini-house for 10 hens:

Prices for a chain-link mesh for fencing an aviary

Rabitz

Many farm stores offer ready-made chicken coops for a different number of chickens. Including 10 or less. For some, this may be a viable option for breeding the most popular poultry. And those who want to be completely sure that they have foreseen all the subtleties of building a poultry house and equipped the interior of the chicken coop so that the chickens are comfortable will prefer to develop drawings on their own and subsequently take up the tools.