Increasingly, people are choosing country houses for permanent or at least seasonal residence. Therefore, the desire to provide oneself not only with a harvest from the beds, but also with fresh chicken eggs is not only understandable, but also quite feasible. And if not everyone has the opportunity to build a monumental structure for a chicken coop, then almost everyone can arrange comfortable maintenance for several laying hens.
And there are many interesting options country chicken coops, which will allow not only a functional outbuilding, but also turn it into a decorative element that sets the style of the entire backyard.
To provide the family with environmentally friendly products and to keep chickens in the country hassle-free, it is enough to have a chicken coop for birds. However, no matter the number of layers, building a comfortable chicken coop is a real science, because this house should not only be durable and beautiful, the chickens should be comfortable and safe in it.
The location of the chicken coop in the country
For a beginner poultry farmer, for quality supervision of pets, it is better to build a chicken coop in the country near the house, while not forgetting the need to provide chickens with proper living conditions:
- The soil under the chicken coop must be dry, and even better if it is sandy.
- If the soil is clayey, swampy, or often too wet, then measures should be taken to drain it by removing moisture, arranging channels, pits, or backfilling the site with sand. Moreover, the collected moisture can be redirected to a place reserved for bathing chickens.
- It is good if the area under the chicken coop will have a slope to the southeast, which contributes to the best illumination.
- The chicken coop in the country should be protected from drafts and piercing wind, for which you can use green hedges or building structures.
- It is necessary to provide comfortable lawns for walking birds with mandatory shelters from the sun or bad weather.
- A shallow pool for swimming is also desirable.
If you do not follow these recommendations for keeping chickens in the country, the bird may become lethargic, laying hens will produce fewer eggs, and diseases of chickens are not excluded. Moreover, overheating without sufficient shading from the sun, and increased humidity, crowding and cold affect the bird equally negatively.
Building a chicken coop with your own hands
If you are going to build a chicken coop in the country, you should take into account all these features and try to provide future residents with all the conditions for comfort.
The floor in the chicken coop should be warm and durable, but also breathable, so that there is no excessive moisture, leading to the development of mold and mildew.
Therefore, brick, asphalt or stone flooring is unsuitable for a poultry house. On a cold floor, chickens will suffer from rheumatism and other leg ailments.
So for the conditions of the middle lane, the best option is a two-layer wooden floor.
Arrangement of a chicken coop in the country
Comfort for laying hens living in a chicken coop is:
- In plenty of space, it is recommended to provide at least 50 square meters per bird. see area.
- In the presence of affordable feeders and drinkers;
- In nests located at different heights.
- In equipped nests where laying hens will be located in the country.
- Good lighting and ventilation.
Straw bedding is made in feeding places and nests, which must be cleaned and updated regularly.
bird walking
How more bird accumulates in a limited area, the greater the risk of infections and other diseases in chickens. Therefore, it is important to provide chickens with sufficient space for walking, which will increase the egg production of laying hens and the fatness of meat breeds.
For this purpose, chickens, especially in spring, are divided into 10-12 birds, allocating them separate areas for walking.
Perches for laying hens in the country
Having made a chicken coop in the country with his own hands, the summer resident should pay attention to arranging nests where it will be convenient for chickens to lay eggs.
At least two or three nests are arranged for a dozen chickens, and in the summer it is recommended to arrange perches in the air, where the bird walks.
The distance between perches should be at least half a meter, while nests located at least half a meter from the floor should not sag. To keep the nests clean, the arrangement of visors above them allows. And to fill the nests, they use regularly cleaned and changed straw.
It is not worth using hay, because it quickly begins to rot and becomes the cause of the development of infection and pests.
Nests need to be slightly darkened, because laying hens in the country do not like to rush in bright light. Well, if the perches are removable, then they can be removed and cleaned twice a year.
The modest size of many household plots made a variety of chicken coop designs in demand, including unusual, but very practical buildings.
This also applies to portable mini-designs. You can make a chicken coop in the country with your own hands in such a way that it will make it easy to move the structure, while the chickens will always be in sight and will never spoil cultural plantings, which often happens with free range.
In the design of such a miniature chicken coop, like any other, three main areas should be provided:
- space for nests;
- a place for walking a bird;
- nests for laying hens in the country
What is better to build a chicken coop in the country?
Most often, the following materials are used to build a country chicken coop:
- A wooden block is used for the frame of the chicken coop;
- Wall cladding is often made of wooden lining;
- Be sure to provide a retractable tray under the perch so that cleaning can be carried out faster and more efficiently. For this pallet take a galvanized sheet;
- For fencing walking take a metal mesh with a small mesh.
- If a chicken coop with a green roof is conceived, where decorative or green crops will be planted, then roof waterproofing is mandatory. For such insulation, any waterproofing material in rolls is ideal.
The green roof not only creates an original appearance chicken coop, but also reliably protects the bird from overheating inside the house on hot days.
Well, if there are not enough building materials, then you can make a chicken coop in the country with your own hands from improvised means, for example, you can find arched chicken coops made on the basis of plastic pipes, pallets or completely original solutions.
Having built a chicken coop in the country, it is important to cover all the wooden elements of the structure, regardless of its size and design. special composition, protecting wood from damage by pests and from atmospheric influence.
Design options for country chicken coops
Stationary houses for chickens of different capacities, designed for summer or all-season poultry living.
A novice poultry farmer can recommend a simple chicken coop design, which can be moved to a new place if desired using two boards that act as portable handles. At the same time, the chicken coop is similar to a one-story cottage with an attic.
The one-story portable chicken coop in the country is even more compact than the previous one.
Portable chicken coop arch design.
Many summer residents today pay attention to mobile structures, and they make such a mobile chicken coop with their own hands.
Mobile chicken coop in the form of a wheelbarrow.
Such devices are mounted on a single-axle frame with wheels. This scheme is good for completely chicken coops, which makes it easy to move the bird around the lawn of the site or fenced pasture.
Mobile chicken coop trailer.
This is a two-axle trailer for a chicken coop of considerable size and capacity, which has a large weight, which allows you to take the bird to remote pastures.
Mobile country chicken coops on rollers.
Mini chicken coops on small casters can be set up on a level base and can be moved within small areas.
Someone wants to keep chickens on the site or in the country for the soul, and someone for savings. It doesn't matter. It is important that they need a room - a chicken coop. And then a lot of questions immediately arise: what size, from what, how to make, what should be inside. After all, when building a chicken coop in the country, you must immediately take all this into account. Then it will be easier for you to serve it and the chickens will delight you with weight gain and a large number of eggs.
As a rule, they start a bird in the spring and put the first chicken coop in the summer. If you are not going to keep the bird in cages, then it is wiser to build it immediately with a paddock - a fenced area where they will walk during daylight hours.
Such a chicken coop is convenient in the country, in a private courtyard, it is built easily and quickly. Make a common wooden frame, divided into two unequal parts. The large one - the corral - is sewn up with a net, the second - the smaller one - is taken away under the chicken coop itself and is sheathed with some material from the outside, equipped with perches inside. The construction method is the same as
Do-it-yourself summer chicken coop in the country in a couple of days
Such summer chicken coop in the country - ideal for 5-20 chickens. You can build on 50, and on 100, just the larger the livestock, the larger the dimensions will be required, and the sequence of actions itself will remain the same.
One of the options for "multi-apartment" summer walking
If we talk about a shed for chickens, then for 5-6 chickens you will need 3 squares, for 10 chickens - 5 squares, for 20 chickens - 10 squares. It is desirable to take more places for walking, but it all depends on your realities. The approach is this: laying hens, if they get fat, rush worse, so it is advisable for them to allocate more space. For broilers, the picture is the opposite: they should move little. Therefore, they are given less space.
Building step by step
First of all, a frame is made from a bar. It is more convenient to collect it right on the site, which was planned as a summer home for the bird. It is more convenient to clean it if the height in the middle allows you to climb into full height. Everyone's height is different, but you can focus on 2 meters.
If you are building for 5-20 chickens, you can take a beam of 50 * 50 cm. It will go to the vertical racks and to the slopes that form the roof. The rest can be assembled from a 100 * 40 mm edged board. You can see the frame in the photo.
It is divided into two unequal parts - paddock and chicken coop. In this case, the length is 1.5 m + 4.5 m. If the paddock is large, additional racks may be needed to prevent the bars from bending. In principle, they already need to be installed here (every 2-3 meters), but the significant thickness of the board (40 mm) and the light material on the roof (film) made it possible not to do this. As soon as the frame was made, consider that the country chicken coop was built by 1/3.
Next comes the arrangement of a shed for chickens. Another transverse beam is laid between two intermediate posts, which mark the border of the walking area and the chicken coop. It is laid between two vertical posts, fastened with nails. To be sure, you can strengthen the corners. Then the logs are laid, the floor is laid on them. On the flooring, you can use an inch edged board (25 mm), you can use moisture-proof plywood or.
A floor in even a summer residence is highly desirable. Firstly, it is warmer, and secondly, no one will undermine. Well, it's easier to clean it up. Chips were poured on the floor: chickens dig well in it, and it absorbs moisture well. Then they swept away everything, took it out.
Inside, this version of a country chicken coop is divided into two halves - for different breeds of chickens (laying hens do not get along with broilers), therefore there are two doors each. They are made on both sides of the middle pillars. The walls are upholstered with edged boards. Pieces of the board are nailed to the racks of the frame. The boards were taken from pallets - the length was just enough. They didn’t worry especially about the cracks; they were then sheathed with packing cardboard inside from drafts (the boxes were taken from the store). It was fastened with a stapler and staples.
A small metal mesh was also nailed between the boarding and cardboard: from rodents and other small creatures.
These are the doors to the chicken coop (right and left half) and the chicken shed from the inside - before padding with cardboard
After the walls and floor are ready, we started arranging the roof. They stuffed longitudinal strips (thin), covered with a reinforced film. It is much more reliable than ordinary polyethylene. Better, of course, polycarbonate, at least over the chicken coop, but it is more expensive, although much more durable.
They didn’t make a “dark” roof deliberately: then you need to make windows, and this is an additional hassle. But if you wish, you can make a roof and windows.
To avoid windage, several rails were nailed on top. With this design, the film can be removed for the winter: reinforced can serve for several years.
Half of the paddock is covered with cardboard: so that on hot days there is somewhere to hide. The cardboard was laid on the slats, and the film was already on top. The paddock is also divided by a grid; for this, another board was nailed. A fine metal mesh was attached to the three guides received with a stapler and staples.
View from the paddock to the chicken coop: the two halves are like twin brothers
The sides were covered with a plastic mesh. On the bottom they overlaid with a stone: and the bird will not dig in and other living creatures will not fit in from the outside.
To build such a chicken coop in the country is a matter of one, maximum, two days. And the main one - all summer can stand open - dry, ventilate. In the onset of cold weather, the bird is transferred to winter apartments.
What to put inside
The internal arrangement of the chicken coop in the country is the same as in the winter apartment. Drinkers and feeders are placed in the corral. It is better not to put feeders with handles in the middle - chickens sit on them, the litter ends up in the feed, you have to throw it away. The best option is dishes with low sides for young animals and higher ones for adult birds. Then they stand side by side and calmly peck.
Fix ordinary thick branches - here's a perch for chickens. More than enough for a chicken coop in the country
Inside the chicken coop you need to make a perch. One meter goes to 5-6 chickens of small breeds, and 4-3 large ones. They make it at a height of about 50 cm. Thick branches can be adapted to the chicken coop in the country. Just fasten them well.
You will also need nests. Old boxes in which dry hay is placed will do. You can knock them down from the remains of boards, scraps of plywood, and other similar materials.
An approximate calculation is one nest for 2-3 chickens. They will generally rush to two or three nests, periodically changing them, but some hens will choose empty ones for spending the night.
They put them on the floor, if there is not enough space, they hang some on the wall, making a ladder to them. Ladder - an inclined board with thin strips nailed across - so that the paws have something to cling to. This is enough for summer apartments.
Photos of beautiful chicken coops
Such a chicken coop is built super-quickly: boards are knocked down around the perimeter, plastic pipes are fixed, partitions are cut out of OSB. The mini-chicken coop for 5 chickens is almost ready - it remains to fix the film over the corral and something denser over the shed. This is what happened to those who made such a chicken coop for a summer residence
If you're spending the summer out of town and are thinking about raising at least a couple of chickens, these 20 chicken coop plans are worth checking out. Of course, if you decide to build a chicken coop yourself, you will need a simple building plan, not too expensive. Construction Materials, and as a result, laying hens should get a reliable chicken coop in which they will be protected from wild animals and rodents. Materials for building some of the chicken coops that you see in the photo cost less than 3,000 rubles. In addition, they look stylish and are able to decorate your suburban area.
1. Classic chicken coop in a house for garden tools
This chicken coop looks like a typical old style garden tool house. It is easy to build it from materials from the remaining projects. Even if you have to purchase new materials, you won’t have to lay out too large sums.
2. DIY chicken coop with raised front
In this chicken coop, the birds will be spacious and there you can arrange several nests for laying hens. It is easy to enter such a building to collect chicken eggs.
3. The simplest chicken coop from used materials
A simple chicken coop can be built from old cabinets and wooden pallets.
4. DIY Chicken Palace
If you're planning on showing your chickens royal respect, build them a coop like this. It has enough space for 6 chickens, but this plan can be modified and the house can be enlarged. The building looks aesthetically pleasing and can become a real decoration of the yard.
5. Easy to install two-story chicken coop
This chicken coop is also built from recycled materials.
6. Country house for chickens
A chicken coop is a great idea. Chickens in it will be warm in winter if you are thinking about year-round poultry breeding.
7. Swedish-style chicken coop
The red and white colors of this chicken coop are reminiscent of homes in northern Sweden and look pretty! Building such a "bird house" is also quite easy. The cost will depend on the materials you choose to build.
8. Chicken coop for $50
A small chicken coop that still has enough space for a few birds. It is raised above the ground, which ensures the safety of chickens from rodents and animals. Construction will be quite cheap.
9. Portable mini chicken coop, made by hand
Building a portable mini chicken coop is not difficult. First, a small doghouse-sized yurt house is built, then it is completed with poles and a nest for 1-3 chickens.
10. Chicken coop mini-farm
This farmhouse style chicken coop looks very solid. It is quite simple to build, despite the seemingly complex plan. This chicken coop will look great in your backyard! Collecting eggs in it is also not difficult.
11. Another very simple chicken coop
Such a chicken coop can be built and installed anywhere. It has enough space for several chickens. Make sure that the floor of the chicken coop is sufficiently reinforced and inaccessible to rodents.
12. Spacious chicken coop
The building plan is quite simple. The final stage- Painting the chicken coop. This will give it the look of a cute little house. The birds in it will be spacious and they will be reliably protected from animals.
13. Hangar-shaped chicken coop
The design of the hangar chicken coop is unique, it has a good height, it is spacious and safe for laying hens. Part of the building is made of wood, part of the mesh. Collecting eggs in such a chicken coop will be easy.
14. Portable chicken coop made of PVC pipes
This is a plan for building a portable PVC pipe coop. Wheels are attached to the back wall for easier movement.
15. Quick and easy to build chicken coop
There is enough space for 4-5 birds. The purchase of materials will cost about 2500 rubles. Paint this little chicken coop in bright colors and it will become a real decoration for your summer cottage!
16. Wood trim chicken coop
If you already have tree trimmings in your yard, building this chicken coop will cost you very little!
17. Chicken coop with shingles
The shingles for this chicken coop are made from recycled aluminum cans. It will take about 10 hours to build the chicken coop itself.
18. From an old pipe
Chicken coop from an old pipe and wooden pallets.
19. Trampoline chicken coop
An old trampoline can be turned into a summer chicken coop. It is enough to add only a few details: a net and a nest for laying hens.
20. Chicken coop from used pallets
If you already have a few wooden pallets at your disposal, this idea may be just right for you. It is enough to install the pallets one on top of the other, then all that remains is their framing, adding perches and nests.
cpykami.ru
Do-it-yourself chicken coop in the country, photo. The simplest chicken house
A dacha is not just a place to relax for the weekend, but also an area where you can try yourself as a gardener or a real farmer. Try raising broilers in the summer so you can get homemade eggs and butter. Before buying chickens, learn how to make a chicken coop in the country with your own hands. We offer photos of the simplest chicken coops that you can build without the involvement of specialists.
How to make a simple chicken coop in the country
Owners who decide to breed chickens naturally think about building a chicken coop. In the view of some, the chicken coop is a dilapidated house built from nondescript and unnecessary material. But you can get creative and turn the chicken coop into a decoration for your summer cottage. This may be a light "summer" building, or maybe a capital building, designed for permanent residence chickens in the country.
Photo of the simplest chicken coop from improvised materials Also read: Keeping laying hens at home for beginners
When planning the construction of a chicken coop, it is necessary to take into account several important rules related to its correct placement on the site and competent interior arrangement.
Drawing of the simplest chicken coop - choose the right place, focusing on the cardinal points;
- monitor the temperature regime;
- choose the appropriate dimensions of the building to accommodate all the chickens.
Even the simplest chicken coop should be located on an elevated place - this will ensure that the earth dries quickly after rains and snow melts. The location of the windows in the chicken coop should be such that the room has as much light as possible, so the windows should face south. In winter, this will add heat, but in summer the windows should be shaded to avoid overheating.
Photo of a simple chicken coop for a summer residence Laying hens do not like either excessive cold or heat, so you should think about devices with which you can adjust them. It is absolutely necessary to isolate a simple chicken coop: chickens should feel secure and calm. And finally, the size of the poultry house according to the population: on one sq.m. there are no more than two chickens.
Step-by-step instructions for building a chicken coop in the country
First you need to draw the proposed structure on paper, decide on the choice of building materials in order to imagine the approximate weight of the future structure for chickens. For a chicken coop with a relatively small mass, the most successful option would be with a columnar foundation. This choice is associated with its low cost and practical benefits - it is more difficult for any pests to penetrate into a room located on supports, and protection against wood rot is also provided due to the free passage of air.
Photo of a full-fledged chicken coop with a range for birds Useful article: Nests for laying hens so that eggs do not peck
Step 1. The marking of the foundation is made using thin twine and thin metal sticks.
Step 2. According to the project, sticks are driven into the ground along the perimeter and tied with twine. The accuracy of the markup can be checked with a tape measure by taking measurements diagonally.
Photo of a full-fledged chicken coop in the country Step 3. It is better to remove the layer of black soil from the foundation surface and use it in the garden.
Step 4. Next, pedestals are made at the corners of the building and along the perimeter: for this, you need to dig recesses 60-70 cm long and 50 cm wide at a distance of about one meter from each other. Pedestals should rise 25-30 cm above the ground.
Photo of a small and simple chicken coop Step 5. The bottom of the recesses is covered in layers with sand and fine gravel 10 cm thick. Next, bricks are laid out - 2x2, changing direction and layering them with cement mortar. This process ends with a stop of work for a week - the cement mortar must harden properly.
Step 6. After that, the cabinets are covered with a moisture-proof coating. The soil is covered with rubble.
The walls of the chicken coop in the country are erected from a wooden beam measuring 100x150 mm, guided by template technology. The height of the walls is at your discretion, but it must be at least 180 cm. The next step is to strengthen the ceiling beams and roof decking.
The roof in the poultry house can be single-pitched and gable. A gable is much more practical, since in the attic you can arrange a storage facility for forage harvested for future use. The ceiling must be insulated using mineral wool or loose insulation. The floor should be double so that it does not freeze in winter and does not leak. It is best made from a board 25 mm thick.
The interior decoration of the chicken coop in the country house consists in the construction of a perch, nests for laying hens, containers for food and drink. The perch is constructed at the rate of 30 cm per bird. Retractable sheets or flat boxes can be installed under the perch for easy cleaning.
Photo idea of a simple chicken coop A do-it-yourself chicken coop in the country is the easiest photo you can easily make if you follow the instructions. Experiment, because even improvised materials can help in the construction of a house for chickens.
fermanews.ru
Do-it-yourself chicken coop: drawings and 75 photos
If you have a desire and minimal experience in keeping chickens and you are thinking about how to build a chicken coop with your own hands, then we will tell you how to build a winter chicken coop for 10 hens.
The small size and thermal insulation of the chicken coop will allow the birds to heat the room with the heat of their bodies. At the same time, the construction of such a chicken coop is quite within the power of every householder! This project will not take too much time and will not require expensive tools.
Do-it-yourself chicken coop for 10 chickens.
When designing and building a chicken coop, it is important to keep many factors in mind. After all, a chicken coop is both a comfortable home for birds and an outbuilding designed to make it easier for people to care for animals and increase labor productivity. Therefore, before making a chicken coop with your own hands, let's figure out what structural elements and features should be inherent in each good chicken coop.
1. We rise above the ground
Dampness and moisture are the main enemies of any chicken coop. In a damp room, the birds begin to get sick, so the chicken coop is always raised above the ground. Some designs provide for a very high rise - up to a meter, and sometimes even higher. If your area, like ours, does not have excessive humidity, then 25-40cm should be enough.
2. Placement of the chicken coop
Speaking of the area! Choose right place for a chicken coop - this is 50% success. Here are some tips to help you with this:
3. Entrances and exits for chickens and people
Each chicken coop should have an entrance for birds, as well as access for cleaning the premises. In our coop, the passage for the chickens is made behind the back wall, and two doors provide the possibility of cleaning the coop.
4. Nests and perch
Chickens will lay eggs in the nests, and you will take these eggs from the nests, so the nests should be convenient for both you and the hens. It is believed that the ideal nest size is 30x30cm in length and width, and 30-40cm. in height. At the same time, it is recommended to do the entrance to the nests already.
Outside, the nests should be easily accessible.
The lid opens so you don't have to climb inside the chicken coop to collect the eggs.
The lid must be inclined so that water flows freely from it and does not fall into the nests.
The total length of the perch is calculated based on 25cm per hen. Since we are counting on our chicken coop for ten chickens, the crossbar is enough for the entire length of the chicken coop (almost 2.5 m).
5. Lighting and ventilation of the chicken coop
Chickens need light. Shortening of daylight hours is one of the main reasons why chickens stop laying eggs in winter, and experienced owners know that turning on a light bulb solves this problem. Therefore, the windows in the chicken coop - to be!
It is better to make windows on at least three sides so that light penetrates the chicken coop throughout the day. Also pay attention to the folding ventilation window on the back wall. In wet weather, it can be opened for additional ventilation. The windows above the nests on the front wall also open. Ventilation is very important, but remember: no matter what tricks you use to ventilate the winter chicken coop, be sure to provide for the ability to adjust the air flow until it is completely blocked - this will come in handy in winter when ventilation will suck out precious heat.
Chicken coop drawing.
Below we provide drawings of our chicken coop. For construction, we used timber and boards of coniferous wood, as well as plywood 15 mm thick. It is quite possible to use OSB for the floor and the substrate under the roof. When specifying the step between the lags and rafters, the distances are indicated between the centers of the bars.
How to insulate a chicken coop with your own hands
So we built a chicken coop. Now it is necessary to carry out its warming. Various materials can be used as insulation. Mineral wool is perfect for this.
As well as polystyrene and expanded polystyrene.
At worst, you can sheathe the walls with cardboard and old blankets.
The insulation is inserted between the bars, after which it is sewn up with plywood. Otherwise, birds can peck at it (they especially love foam).
AT winter time windows should also be closed with insulation. It is important to provide artificial lighting.
In case of severe frosts, infrared lamps can be provided. At the same time, their work can be controlled by a timer or even a thermal relay - this eliminates unnecessary trouble, eliminates the human factor (forgot to turn it on / off) and saves money.
Do-it-yourself chicken coop. Summer paddock.
In the warm season, chickens need more space, and they will be happy to spend most of their time outside. Therefore, when making a chicken coop with your own hands, you need to make an open summer pen for chickens. The area of the paddock is calculated by the formula 1 sq.m. for every chicken.
Pay attention to the net at the bottom of the chicken coop - it protects from predators. It should be deepened into the ground by 20-30 cm, as some predators are quite capable of digging. And if large birds of prey are found in your area, then the paddock must also be protected from above.
Breeding chickens for many becomes not only a good opportunity to regularly receive fresh homemade 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 of 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 instructions are provided 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 |
|
| main building |
|
| Lighting system |
|
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:
- A rather dry place, since high humidity has a negative effect on the health of 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 desired 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 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.
Dacha is a great place to relax, but it is also a great reason to change activities. It is not for nothing that the arrangement of summer cottages and the cultivation of ornamental and horticultural plants are becoming a popular pastime for citizens. However, today even those who are going to build a chicken coop in the country with their own hands do not surprise anyone. Moreover, zealous owners choose solid buildings. If you build a house a little larger than a dog house, the birds will get sick or eat food to no avail. Then you should not expect such coveted environmentally friendly eggs from them. Let's find out the secrets of good construction.
Finding out how to make a cost-effective chicken coop, you need to allocate space for construction. The design of the house can largely depend on the location of the house. There are basic principles that should be followed when making a choice:
- Location. The poultry house must be placed on a hill, because it will be more difficult for birds to walk in the lowlands: it is in such places that moisture does not dry out longer, and the snow melts late.
- building orientation. The chicken coop should be correctly oriented to the cardinal points. The rectangular building is located along the length from east to west. The ideal placement of the house is when its windows face south and the door faces east. Windows should get as much light as possible during the day. The time length of daylight hours significantly affects the egg production of chickens. However, in the heat of the window should be shaded.
- Temperature. For chickens, both too high and too low temperatures are negative. Already at +25 C °, the productivity of the bird will drop by half, and if the temperature rises by another 5 degrees, the chickens will stop laying altogether. In case of heat, the chicken coop windows must be equipped with plywood shutters. In winter, the optimum temperature is +12 C °.
- Peace. Chickens should feel calm, so for the chicken coop you need to choose a place away from areas active rest. Protecting your chicken coop with a hedge is a good idea.
- Square. The place should be selected taking into account the dimensions of the future building. There should be no more than two chickens per 1 m 2 of the chicken coop. If chickens will live in a chicken coop in the winter, it is necessary to provide a vestibule as an element of chicken coop insulation so that cold air does not directly penetrate to the birds. For the vestibule, you also need to allocate space in terms of construction.
Experts recommend choosing a place with a margin of space in case the luck in breeding chickens encourages the owners to create, for example, quail farm. After all, such a farm is an excellent source of not even additional income, but a full-fledged income.
A wrecked barn is often called a chicken coop, but if you look at this building in a businesslike way, then it can be made much more attractive, then it will be easier to find a place for it.
To be healthy, chickens must have a place to walk, so this coop with a vestibule is a well-deserved success.
What does it cost us to build a house for chickens?
We will agree in advance that we choose a four-edged timber 100x150 mm as the material for the construction of our chicken coop. This is a low-budget option and construction from such material does not require professional skill.
Stage # 1 - the choice and construction of the foundation
We choose the size of the upcoming building. It is better to draw a project so that you can accurately determine the need for materials. We will proceed from the approximate weight of the chicken coop, determining the foundation.
The coop on a column foundation looks very secure, neat and compact, despite the fact that everything you need is provided in it.
The best option for a relatively light chicken coop can be considered a columnar foundation. Why?
- Economic benefit. Pedestals made of old brick will be very cheap, and, if desired, you can generally get by with an ordinary stone. Cement, sand, gravel and a trowel are the main costs for such a foundation.
- Protection. It will be difficult for rats and ferrets to enter the room, and ventilation under the floor surface can prevent the wood from rotting.
We will mark the foundation using a thin but strong rope and metal rods. In full accordance with the project, we hammer rods around the perimeter of the building. We wrap them with a rope, placing it near the surface of the earth. We check the accuracy of the markup made by measuring the distance diagonally with an ordinary tape measure.
Carefully remove the fertile soil layer of 15-20 cm inside the markup: it will come in handy in the garden. Now we will make pedestals in the corners of the building and along its perimeter. The distance between them should be 0.8-1 m. We dig holes 60-70 cm deep and 50 cm wide (for two bricks). With the help of a hydraulic level and ropes, we mark 20-25 cm above the ground - a landmark for the construction of pedestals.
The columnar foundation is most appropriate when building a chicken coop, since it is economically viable and the building on it will be protected from decay and from predators.
At the bottom of the pit, we pour layers of sand and medium-grained gravel 10 cm thick. We lay the first two bricks on the bottom of the pit, put cement mortar mixed at the rate of 1: 3 on them. The next two bricks are placed across the previous ones. So the cabinet should be laid out to the level marked with ropes. Cement mortar will help to trim the cabinet exactly to the level.
In construction, there is a technological break of 5-7 days, so that the solution has the opportunity to seize. After that, the finished posts must be treated with a special protective mastic or simple bitumen. Coarse gravel should be poured between the pedestals and the ground. They also cover the surface inside the perimeter of the building.
Stage # 2 - the construction of the walls of the building
For the process of laying timber, a standard technology has long been developed, which must be followed. As an insulator of the first crown from the foundation, you can use a double layer of roofing material. The ends of the beam should be connected to half a tree. As a log for the floor, we use a beam 100x150mm, laid on the edge. The optimal distance between the lags is 50 cm. We close the gaps with scraps of timber.
The walls of the building are erected by sequential placement of timber with its connection at the corners of the building into a key connection of the "groove-thorn" type
The second, third and subsequent crowns at the corners are connected according to the "thorn-groove" system. Flax jute fiber can be used as a sealant in lock joints and between crowns. If the beam from which the chicken coop is built has natural moisture, it is better to use wooden pins for a secure fit of the crowns.
Their presence will protect the frame from warping after shrinkage. Under the pins, you need to make holes in the corners of the building and around the perimeter after a meter or a half. They are made with a depth of 2.5 beams and in a checkerboard pattern. The dowels should be hammered into the wood by about 7 cm. The minimum height of the walls to be erected should be 1.8 m.
Stage # 3 - the ceiling and roof of the chicken coop
You can make the roof of the chicken coop single-pitched, but the double-pitched design is the choice of far-sighted people. Feed and equipment need to be stored somewhere. Why not use a comfortable and dry attic for this purpose?
Of course, it is better to make the roof of the building gable, then the feed, equipment and even rowan fruits dried for the winter for chickens will be safe
We strengthen the ceiling beams, lay the ceiling with any boards and insulate it. Expensive roll insulation can be replaced with expanded clay or coal slag. Until the moment of insulation, you need to take care of the ventilation of the room. To do this, put together two wooden ventilation boxes. We fix them at opposite ends of the building. One end of the ventilation duct is flush with the ceiling, and the other is about 40 cm below it. Tin shutters on the ventilation pipes will help regulate the temperature in the room.
Stage # 4 - we lay and insulate the floor
Freezing and blowing floors should be avoided. Therefore, the best option can be considered double floors. In this case, we will use a board with a thickness of 25 mm. The draft floor should be made of dry unedged boards. A layer of vapor barrier is laid out on the boards, followed by 100x100mm bars. We fill the gaps between the bars with insulation, after which we lay the finishing floor already from the edged board.
If any boards can be used for the ceiling, then for the floor, savings are only relevant when laying the subfloor: the finishing one should be made from a grooved board
We equip the poultry house from the inside
Well, we figured out how to build a reliable and warm chicken coop, now we need to properly organize the room inside. If we talk about the necessary elements of the internal structure of the chicken coop, then the perch is just one of them.
When calculating the need for perches, you need to know that each bird will need at least 30 cm of perches. Knowing the number of feathered inhabitants of the chicken coop, we calculate the quantitative need for perches. It is better to make them from a rectangular bar 40x60 mm. Perches need to be rounded, otherwise they will injure the birds. Perches should be placed from each other at a distance of 50 cm at a height of 60-80 cm from the floor, but not one above the other. Trays placed under the perch will make it easier to clean the chicken coop.
Properly organizing a chicken coop from the inside is no less important than ensuring its competent construction: chickens need perches, drinkers, feeders, places for laying hens
Places for laying hens should be located in the part of the coop where the hens can feel safe and secure.
Do not forget that we cost a chicken coop for laying hens, which means that we need to provide them with all the conditions for them to lay eggs. To do this, you can equip boxes with sawdust for them in the place where the chickens will feel peace and security.
Feeders and drinkers should be full, clean and elevated. Cleanliness and order in the chicken coop can be ensured more easily if the floor is covered with sawdust or straw. The sloping floor also makes cleaning easier. For the winter, the chicken coop can be additionally insulated with mineral wool and foam.
On how to build a chicken coop with your own hands in other ways, we suggest watching the following videos.
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