How to make a chicken coop with your own hands drawings. Features of various chicken coops for home or garden

If you are reading this article, then most likely you have decided to start breeding and keeping chickens. This idea has many positive aspects. For example, you will always eat fresh eggs and be able to prepare nutritious meals from them. In addition, domestic chickens also provide fresh meat. And if you keep a lot of chickens, then the eggs can be sold, i.e. sell, which will serve as an additional source of income for your family’s budget. However, first you need to make a reliable and durable chicken coop, which will create ideal living conditions for poultry.

The construction process consists of several important stages. Don’t assume that everything is simple, especially if you want to keep chickens in the winter. After all, you need to worry about high-quality ventilation, reliable roofing, walls, heating and other important components. This article will provide complete material about all construction processes and equipment. Interesting video materials, collections of photographs and diagrams will make the process of learning information fun. Step-by-step instructions will help you figure out how to build a chicken coop.

What should a house for chickens be like?

Birds, just like humans, need a comfortable habitat, so before starting construction it is worth highlighting several important factors that will allow you to create a warm and cozy chicken coop. There are a number of requirements for this room:

• Temperature. If you plan to keep a bird in the winter, it is important to take care of the proper temperature. So, in winter the temperature should not be lower than 12°C. There should be no drafts inside the room; they pose a threat to the health of the bird. In summer, the indoor temperature should not exceed 25°C. If these temperature conditions are not observed, the chicken will stop laying eggs.
• Lack of moisture. To prevent chickens from getting sick, there should not be high humidity inside. Ventilation can solve this problem. There are several ways to organize it; it can be forced or natural.
• Lighting. Light is life. As a result, the egg production of chickens depends on the availability of light. There should be light bulbs inside the coop that diffuse warm yellow light. To ensure lighting mode, some home craftsmen use automatic timers and relays that turn the light on/off at a given time. When conducting electrical wiring, you need to do everything so that all cables are inaccessible to chickens.

• Calm. For a normal and quiet life for chickens, there should not be a lot of noise around. Therefore, the chosen location must be isolated from a busy country house.
• Safety. This is another important criterion that ensures the bird’s peace of mind. The chicken coop must be protected from rodents and other predatory animals entering it. Considering this, many decide to build on a columnar foundation.

Video: features of keeping chickens in a chicken coop

Where is the best place to place a chicken coop?

The location of the poultry house is an important stage of the preparatory work. You need to think not only about yourself, so that no unpleasant odor penetrates into your residential building, but also about the comfort of the chickens. For example, some breeds do not like their territory to be frequently invaded. Because of this, they begin to lay eggs worse.

A suitable location would be a remote corner of your summer cottage. If you have a barnyard, it is important to remember that extraneous noise also negatively affects their egg production. Often many people decide to attach a chicken coop to an existing barn. But here take into account what kind of pet the chickens will be neighbors with - calm or mostly noisy.

When choosing a place, it is important to worry about a place for them to walk. You can often see chickens roaming throughout the yard. This does not add beauty, in addition, on the threshold of your home you may stumble upon a “gift” they left behind. The space for walking chickens should be limited. As a rule, up to 2 m2 is allocated per head. So, when keeping 20 chickens, the area should have dimensions of 4x10 m. And this is only for their walking.

If you cannot afford such an area, keep in mind that some summer residents resort to an original solution, making walking tunnels around the perimeter of the territory from a metal mesh.

The selected location should have both shaded and sunny areas. The shade will protect the birds from overheating on hot days, but at the same time they will be able to bask in the sun in cool weather.

Video: The Best Place for a Chicken Coop in a Barnyard

It is recommended to choose an elevated place to build a chicken coop. This will prevent flooding of the area during the rainy season or when snow melts. If this is not possible, then dig a drainage ditch to remove excess moisture. Although a hill can be made artificially by pouring crushed stone, gravel or earth.

It is advisable to place the windows of the chicken coop on the south side for better and longer sunlight entering the room. It is also recommended to install a hole, a door and build an enclosure on the south side. The south side is most protected from cold winds.

What size should the poultry house be?

Having decided on the construction site, it is necessary to decide what dimensions the poultry house will have. This parameter is influenced by several factors. It is necessary to start from the maximum number of chickens and accurately calculate the usable area:

1. If you plan to keep meat breeds, 3 heads should have at least 1 m2;
2. For keeping egg breeds for 4 heads - from 1 m2;
3. For breeding and keeping chickens for 15 pieces - from 1 m2.

Separately, it is worth mentioning about chickens. They must have individual quarters, separated from adults. This will allow them to have free access to food. However, you should not allocate too much space for them. As a rule, a small box is enough for an overnight stay. On the other hand, one should not create conditions for their crush.

So, a poultry house intended for keeping 10 chickens can have dimensions of 2x5 m. As for the height, it should be comfortable for you when you have to go there. A ceiling that is too low will create discomfort when cleaning and cleaning the chicken coop. The optimal height is 2.2 m.

Taking this into account, it would be practical to equip a gable roof, raising the ridge to 2.2 m, and leaving the walls at a height of 1.5 m. Such a chicken coop will be convenient both for chickens and for its maintenance. On the other hand, it is much easier to implement a pitched roof. Nests can be installed in the low, dark part.

We have prepared several suitable diagrams and drawings. Based on them, you can make an individual project or build a poultry house from a ready-made one. We invite you to look at some interesting options in the next section.

Drawings and diagrams: ready-made projects for building a poultry house

So, to summarize everything, for the construction of a chicken coop for 10 chickens, the drawings should be calculated based on the following parameters:

• The area is more than 4 m2.
• Availability of up to 4 slots.
• Feeders should be along the wall and opposite the perch.
• There must be access to the cleaning and feeding system from outside.
• The drinker and feeder should rise at least 50–100 mm from the floor level.
• The floor should be smooth, but not slippery.
• Perch at a height of about 600 mm.
• The area of ​​all windows should not exceed 10% of the floor area.
• It is recommended to have an enclosure for walking.
• Be sure to have a ladder to the chicken coop.

Plus, the area and layout of the future poultry house will depend on what you want to place inside it. To save and optimize internal space, a perch pole is installed. An ordinary piece of driftwood usually performs this role. Chickens can sleep on it.

When organizing a roost, it is important to consider that one bird will lay one egg every 1-2 days. Therefore, one place will be enough for 4 chickens. The perches should be high as this will prevent damage to the eggs. Moreover, they should be located in a clean, dry place and away from their overnight stay. Otherwise, chicken droppings may end up on the eggs.

As for the standards, there is SNIP 30-02-97, which indicates the following parameters of the room:

1. On a summer cottage you can keep and raise no more than 40 chickens.
2. There should be at least 4 m from the chicken coop to the border of your territory.
3. If there is an adjoining residential building, then there must be at least 7 meters from the front door to the house.
4. When making an extension to a house, it is recommended to coordinate the project with the architectural commission.

If chickens are kept for personal use outside the city, there are no rules or restrictions.

Types of chicken coops based on needs

There are several types that can be built:

Build a new or reconstruct an existing premises

If you have a shed or garage that is no longer needed, you may want to consider remodeling it. You can save a lot on the purchase of building materials. You will only need to arrange the premises inside for normal living of chickens.

On the other hand, such a room is not always suitable. For example, inconvenient location, small area, etc. Today there are many ready-made schemes that will help you quickly develop a finished project. In this matter, you should not think only about saving money. As mentioned above, the egg production of birds and their health depend on how comfortable the conditions inside the chicken coop are.

If you still prefer the old premises, then make sure that there are no lumber inside it that was coated with lead paint or that was previously used to store various chemicals. All of this can have a detrimental effect on the health of chickens.

Stages of poultry house construction

Having familiarized ourselves with all the requirements and regulations for the construction of a chicken coop, we will highlight the main stages of construction:

Stage 1– design.

Stage 2- making the foundation.

Stage 3– construction of walls and partitions.

Stage 4- construction of the roof.

Stage 5– production of flooring.

Stage 6- “furnishing”.

Stage 7– insulation.

Stage 8– heating production.

These are perhaps the main construction processes that you should tune in to. We will go through all these processes and also give some step-by-step instructions.

The foundation is the basis of any structure

Installing a chicken coop directly on the ground is a bad option, so a foundation must be built. For a poultry house, the base can be made using different technologies:

• columnar;
• slab;
• tape

When making a slab foundation, the working technology is as follows:

Stages	Description of the work process
Step 1 – marking	To begin with, using a cord and pegs, the perimeter of the future building is indicated.
Step 2 – digging	At this stage, the top fertile soil layer to a depth of 350 mm should be removed.
Step 3 - filling the pillow	Now the bottom of the base is filled with sand and small gravel. Everything is carefully compacted.
Step 4 - formwork	Before pouring concrete, plank formwork is installed around the perimeter of the foundation.
Step 5 - concrete work	Finally, a layer of concrete should be poured onto the manufactured cushion. A woven reinforcing mesh with cells up to 100×100 mm is first laid on the bottom. For concrete, M200 cement is used.

As you can see, the process of making a foundation is not that complicated. Although it requires a lot of effort. This kind of foundation is ideal for a chicken coop built from blocks or bricks.

It is much easier to build a chicken coop on a columnar base. We have prepared for you step-by-step instructions for building a poultry house on a columnar foundation, so you can find out all the details of this process in the next subsection. The only thing worth saying is that steel pipes, bricks, blocks and similar material can be used as support pillars.

Video: features of laying out the foundation

Wall construction technology

The walls must be windproof and warm. The choice of material for building walls depends on the foundation made. If you made a strip or slab, you can use cinder block, foam block and even brick. However, these materials have a high level of thermal conductivity, so they must be insulated from the outside and inside.

If a columnar foundation is chosen, then it is better to give preference to a light frame structure made of wooden blocks. A wooden frame is laid on top of the support posts, onto which the entire frame of the future chicken coop is fixed. It is recommended to use metal mesh to construct the walls of the walking area. It can be attached to a metal corner.

Another option for wall construction is polycarbonate. This building material is practical. For example, it is easy to wash, it is beautiful, strong and reliable. However, such a chicken coop will be problematic to use in the winter season. Some summer residents use logs for construction.

Adobe is often used. You can make your own adobe bricks using clay and chopped straw. Such walls will provide a sufficient degree of heat retention and comfort. The only problem when working with this material will be leveling the surface.

As you can see, there are many construction technologies and materials that can be used to make a reliable and beautiful poultry house. In any case, regardless of the material chosen, it is important to ensure that the walls are disinfected to avoid the appearance of fungus, bacteria and the like.

Video: building walls from OSB boards

Wall insulation - winter option

So, if you decide to insulate the walls with mineral wool, then on the walls you should make a frame of 50x50 mm beams. The beam is fixed strictly vertically. The pitch of laying the timber is adjusted based on the width of the insulation. So, if the width of the mineral wool is 600 mm, then the pitch of the timber should be 590 mm. This will allow the mineral wool to be tightly packed without leaving any possible gaps.

The beams are secured to the wall with self-tapping screws (if the frame is made of wood) or dowels. It is also recommended to make a vapor barrier layer. To do this, before laying mineral wool, a polyethylene film is fixed to the wall. Its installation should be carried out with an overlap of up to 150 mm.

The thickness of the thermal insulation layer must be at least 50 mm. If after installing the insulation you find gaps, they can be filled with polyurethane foam.

As for external wall insulation, it is better to use polystyrene foam or penoplex. For fastening, a special plastic dowel with a cap is used. This method of fastening is used when walls are built from bricks, blocks and the like. The thermal insulation layer must be covered with protective plaster using a façade mesh.

In some cases, external insulation should not be performed, especially if you live in a warm region. The outside of the chicken coop can simply be covered with plywood and painted with moisture-resistant paint.

Roof – reliable protection from precipitation

The best option is a gable roof for the poultry house. Due to this, the ceiling height inside the room increases. If the roof is well insulated, then you won’t even need to fill the ceiling. For covering, the best option would be metal tiles or slate.

The technology for manufacturing a gable roof is as follows:

• Rafters are installed on top of the wall frame.
• A waterproofing sheet is laid and nailed onto the rafters. This is necessary to prevent the thermal insulation layer from getting wet. The film thickness can be 200 microns. Each waterproofing strip should be overlapped by up to 200 mm. It is advisable to glue them together with tape. Due to this, the coating will be completely sealed.
• After this, it is necessary to fill the sheathing for the roof deck. It is stuffed on top of the waterproofing. The spacing of the sheathing will depend on the type of flooring chosen.
• When the sheathing is ready, you can begin installing the roofing.

Video: making a poultry house roof

Ceiling insulation – additional protection from the cold

The procedure for insulating the ceiling of a poultry house is necessary if you live in a cold region. In this case, floor beams are additionally secured to the rafter system. On top of the beams, that is, from the attic side, you can fasten plywood, which is fastened with ordinary self-tapping screws.

A thermal insulation material, such as mineral wool, is placed in the space between the beams. Additionally, you can attach a vapor barrier film. It is attached using a stapler. The ceiling is hemmed with the same plywood or you can use wooden lining, plasterboard and the like.

Chicken coop floors

Finishing the floor is one of the main activities in the interior arrangement of the chicken coop. The finishing method depends on your goals. If you want to breed and keep broilers for meat, then it will be enough to make a light, non-insulated floor. However, the floor must still have a double structure. It’s not difficult to implement, especially if you have a columnar foundation:

• Beams acting as joists are attached to the supporting frame.
• The bottom needs to be hemmed with boards.
• Insulation, such as mineral wool, is placed on top of the boards.
• Next, the finished floor is laid from boards.

In the case of making a shallow strip foundation, the floors can be made of earthen or adobe. To do this, prepare a mixture of finely chopped straw and clay. The clay mixture is applied in layers. Each layer is carefully compacted. In this case, before laying the next layer, the previous one must dry. The process is quite lengthy, but the foundation will be reliable.

If the foundation is made using slab technology, then it is enough to make a wooden flooring on top of the concrete. However, it is better to use other insulation or lay waterproofing. Mineral wool absorbs moisture. The further process of making the floor is as follows:

1. The base must be protected from penetrating moisture, so the top can be covered with roofing felt. The canvases must be glued together with a special bitumen mastic. Due to this, reliable waterproofing of the wooden flooring will be created, which will be completely protected from the penetration of waste from chickens.
2. A mound of sand, straw, hay or sawdust is placed on top of the flooring. However, hay and straw absorb moisture and dry out poorly. Because of this, the flooring will rot and provoke the appearance of fungi and bacteria.

To eliminate this possibility, the layer of straw or hay must be made thin, and it is recommended to change it regularly. Therefore, as practice shows, it is better to use sawdust for flooring, especially since they can be easily purchased at a carpentry shop, sometimes even for free.

Poultry house interior design

One of the main places inside the chicken coop is the roost. A perch refers to a wooden pole. This is where the chicken spends most of its time. An important rule is not to place perches one above the other. For one chicken you need to calculate about 30 cm. The distance between the poles should be about 50 cm.

As for the location of feeders and drinkers, they should be higher. Considering that chickens often have “showdowns” on the territory, dust may rise inside the chicken coop. To protect the drinker from dust getting into it, a small canopy should be made on top.

Nests should also be built. These places should be dark and secluded. This will ensure good egg production. There should also be bedding inside the nest. The nests themselves are made in the form of boxes, which are closed on top with a removable lid. As practice shows, nests should be equipped with a separate lid. This will allow you to remove the eggs and change the litter.

The location of the feeders should be done at the height of the bird’s back. Due to this, the chicken will not scatter the food with its paws, but will reach it by slightly stretching its neck. The number of drinkers and feeders should be sufficient so that all chickens have enough of them.

Video: arrangement of the interior and exterior of the poultry house

Heating – comfort and coziness

Chickens can't handle the cold very well. Cold and drafts have a particularly strong negative effect on the legs of chickens, which freeze due to the lack of feathers on them. As already mentioned in this article, the indoor temperature should not fall below 12°C. If you live in the northern regions, then in addition to insulating the walls, floors and ceilings, it is recommended to install heating devices.

In the absence of heating, the bird eats more food, gets fat and becomes lethargic. These are additional costs. If you are raising chicks in an incubator, the chicken itself may not be warm enough. For these and other reasons, heating the chicken coop is necessary.

Video: chicken coop - winter version

Two heating methods: natural and artificial

Heating a chicken coop can be done using two methods. Natural heating means maintaining a comfortable temperature without the use of heaters. The bottom line is to use the bedding mentioned above.

In October, the floor is sprinkled with slaked lime 1 kg/m2. The thickness of the bedding made of peat, sawdust, hay or straw reaches 7 cm in thickness. As the chickens move in, the bedding gets trampled down and needs to be replenished. The flooring must first be turned with a pitchfork. By spring, the thickness of the litter can reach 25 cm.

The peculiarity of the litter is that during the composting process it generates heat. Accordingly, the temperature in the poultry house is stably maintained at about 12°C. The available heat slows down the decomposition of droppings and disinfects pathogens. But with all this, it is necessary to organize high-quality ventilation. Otherwise, harmful ammonia will accumulate in the chicken coop. In addition, in winter, the ventilation pipe should be covered for a short time to prevent warm air from escaping quickly.

However, if the outside temperature drops below -10°C, then all these methods are ineffective. Another heating method should be used - artificial. We invite you to consider several options presented in the table:

Heating method	Features of heating organization
Electric heater	This is one of the available and inexpensive heating methods. You can use different heaters, for example, convectors, air heaters, fan heaters, oil radiators, etc. It is necessary to select the power based on the area of ​​the chicken coop and the number of chickens. The presence of automation will allow you to set the off/on mode.
Gas heater	Using gas to heat a poultry house is also no less effective, but only for large poultry houses. It is not profitable to purchase an expensive gas boiler for a poultry house for 30 or 50 chickens. Moreover, gas equipment must be constantly monitored.
Stove heating	This category includes an ordinary potbelly stove. However, its use involves a number of difficulties. The problem is that due to high humidity, the metal is susceptible to corrosion. In addition, it is always necessary to have a supply of coal/wood. You should also constantly maintain combustion, build a separate chimney, insulate the heating elements of the stove, and strictly observe fire safety. All this requires a lot of labor.
Diesel stove	This oven is safe to use. It does not smoke and has low power.
Buleryan	This is a special air-convection stove that works effectively on different types of fuel.
Infrared heaters	As you know, an infrared heater heats objects, not air. This method has its advantages, as objects will retain heat longer than the heated air escaping through the ventilation ducts. Such heaters with a power of no more than 500 W can be mounted on the ceiling.
Water heating	If the chicken coop is attached to a residential building, then water heating can be installed in it. Given that the heat inside the house is maintained regularly, the poultry house will always be maintained at the proper temperature.

As you can see, there are many ways to create heating for a poultry house. You should choose the one that you can organize and that will fit the family budget.

Video: features of heating organization

Insulation without energy consumption - an innovative solution

We have discussed with you the traditional solution regarding how to organize heating inside the chicken coop. When installing artificial heating, a lot of money is spent, and if you use the natural heating technology described above, you have to make a lot of effort to control the level of humidity, otherwise there is a risk of mold and mildew.

Considering all the pros and cons, some summer residents resort to an original solution, using the Netto-plast mixture used for spaceships. Net plastic is bacteria that should settle on the floor of the poultry house, namely in the prepared litter. The composition is packaged in packages of 0.5 and 1 kg. According to some calculations, 1 kg of this mixture will be enough to heat 20 m2. Moreover, these bacteria will live for about three years.

To begin with, sawdust is poured into the chicken coop; you can also add oat husks and dry straw. All components are thoroughly mixed together. Next, Netto-Plast bacteria should be evenly sprinkled onto the resulting mixture and mixed again.

In this case, heat will appear as follows:

• The chicken's feces fall onto the litter.
• When they come into contact with these bacteria, heat begins to be generated. At the same time, unpleasant odor is completely eliminated.

This is otherwise called fermentation mat. From time to time, it is enough to lightly loosen the litter and, if necessary, add sawdust or straw. However, you won't have to clean the coop.

When the outside temperature is -20°C, inside the poultry house it can be +15°C. If the frosts are stronger, then you can additionally connect temporary electric heating.

This decision has a lot of positive aspects. For example, there are large cost savings due to the fact that electricity and fuel are not consumed at all. After a while, there is no need to clean the chicken coop, since the composition of bacteria can lie with the litter for about 3 years. And after this time, you will be able to get high-quality fertilizer for the garden.

Indoor ventilation: several common methods

With the onset of winter, ventilation plays an important role in keeping birds, although in the summer it is not the least important. It’s just that in the summer everything is simpler, because you can open doors, windows and organize an influx of fresh air. Decaying chicken droppings release a harmful substance - ammonia. If you do not establish good ventilation, then there is a serious risk of illness for the chickens and even the person who will serve the chicken coop. The worst thing is that due to the lack of ventilation, the walls and all interior decoration will begin to rot and become unusable. For this reason, even at the project development stage, it is important to consider the manufacture of ventilation.

When developing a ventilation project, it is worth considering some nuances. For example, in winter, the flow of fresh air must be strictly regulated. Otherwise, there is a chance that the temperature will drop quickly and the chickens will feel cold. You should also minimize the presence of drafts, which also negatively affects the health of the bird.

So, there are 3 most common ways to organize ventilation in a chicken coop:

• mechanical or forced;
• natural;
• supply and exhaust (a type of natural).

Let's look at the features of each of them separately.

Mechanical ventilation

Forced ventilation is beneficial if you have a lot of chickens and the chicken coop has a large area. Under such circumstances, it is important to organize a stable air change. It's not difficult to implement. We will provide you with a short guide to this process. Additionally, you can watch videos:

Stages of work	Manufacturing process
	First, determine the location where the fan will be installed. Some decide to install it in the wall, instead of a window, or even in a pipe. In the latter case, the diameter of the fan must match the internal diameter of the pipe. You can learn how to make such ventilation from the prepared video material.
	Having decided on a place, for example, in our case it will be a window or window, if there are any, the glass is removed. Plywood will be installed in its place, so the size of the plywood must match the size of the window opening.
	Using a screwdriver and self-tapping screws, plywood is fixed into the opening. First, a hole should be made in the plywood to the diameter of the fan.
	Now you can install the fan, also securing it with self-tapping screws.
	After installing the fan, you need to connect the electrical cable to it. Here you can use a wire with a cross section of 2x2.5. A switch is also installed to control the fan.
	Make sure that all cable terminals and connections are thoroughly insulated. In addition, it is better to place the wire in a protective corrugation.

Additionally, the system can be equipped with temperature sensors to control the ventilation operation. You can also purchase equipment to automatically turn the fan on/off. You can learn how to do this from the video.

Video: organizing forced ventilation

Natural ventilation

This type of ventilation is the easiest to organize. There are 2 interesting solutions that we offer you to choose from. Let's compare them and note the pros and cons:

2 ways	Features of the technology
Open vent/window	This is perhaps the most primitive way of organizing ventilation. But this method is only relevant for summer chicken coops. In the winter season, warm air will cool down very quickly due to open windows and vents. Plus, you will have to constantly run to open/close the window in time. This method is used in exceptional cases.
Installation of pipes for air inlet and outlet	In this case, the ventilation process is automated. Let us immediately note that this method is also relevant if you keep 100 chickens or more, and the room has an area of ​​up to 20 m2. So, you will need 2 pieces of pipe Ø200 mm. Accordingly, one pipe will be installed for air inlet and the other for air outlet. The pipe is installed in different corners of the chicken coop, or rather, in opposite corners. The exhaust pipe can be installed near the bird's perch at a distance from the ceiling of up to 200 mm. It is recommended to organize the outlet of the exhaust pipe at a height of 1.5 m from the roof level. To prevent cold air from blowing on the chickens, the supply pipe should be placed in the opposite corner from the chickens' roost. The lower end of the pipe should be at a height of 200 mm from the floor, and at a height of up to 300 mm from the roof level. A special umbrella is placed on the upper end of the pipe, which will prevent rain, snow, birds and other things from entering the ventilation duct. The ventilation pipe must be insulated to prevent condensation. To ensure efficient operation of the system in winter, it is recommended to install dampers in the duct, which will prevent the rapid escape of warm air. Although in severe frosts there is a high probability of pipe freezing.

We invite you to watch a video that describes the manufacturing technology of such a ventilation system.

Video: making natural ventilation in a poultry house

Construction of a frame chicken coop: step-by-step instructions

To secure all the material, we suggest you read the step-by-step instructions for construction at home. In addition, you can watch the following videos:

Instructions with photos and explanations for building a simple chicken coop from a wooden frame on a columnar foundation
Work stage	Technological process
	First you need to make support pillars. Considering the weight of the entire structure of the chicken coop, steel pipes Ø100–150 mm should be used as the base of the posts. You will also need a sheet of metal cut into squares. Metal thickness is not less than 4 mm. The cut squares should be welded to the support posts. It’s immediately worth noting that the pillars should all be the same size.
	The next step is to select a suitable location for development. Using wooden pegs and rope, the territory is marked. This is an important stage of work, because the final result largely depends on the quality of the preparatory work.
	After marking, it is necessary to remove the fertile layer of soil by one shovel up to 250 mm. Support poles for the future poultry house are installed at the corners of the dug hole. It is important to pay special attention to their installation. They must be installed strictly vertically. Moreover, the upper sole of all 4 supports must be strictly at the same level with each other. The soil under the base of the post must be compacted. If the soil in your area is unstable, then a sand cushion must be made. A layer of sand and crushed stone is poured onto the bottom. The pillow is compacted, after which the support pillars are mounted. Even if there is a slight horizontal difference, it can be leveled by attaching the lower trim.
	Installed support pillars must be treated with an anti-corrosion compound and also painted over with moisture-repellent paint. This will serve as additional protection. Afterwards, the top trim from the board is installed. For this purpose, you can use a 150x50 mm board. First, a beam is attached to the metal sole on two short sides. For this purpose, a hole is drilled in the metal, just like in a beam. Fastened with steel bolts. Then two boards are laid on top on the long sides and fastened in the same way. The fastening must be strong and reliable, because the quality of the future construction will depend on this.
	When the base is ready, we begin making the wooden frame. However, before this, the dug hole is filled with soil (or crushed stone), which is compacted. Support posts are installed in the corners, which can be fixed using metal corners and self-tapping screws to the previously laid wooden frame. An opening is immediately formed to enter the chicken coop. For greater strength, stiffening ribs are created in the middle of the height of the building. The timber can be 600×500 mm.
	Now it’s time to arrange the roof; in this case, the roof has 2 slopes. The rafters are installed and secured to the top frame frame.
	The rafters are additionally fixed with spacers to give the roof the necessary rigidity. The formed attic can be used to store hay, sawdust and other things.
	When the frame is completely ready, you should begin covering it. The outside of such a chicken coop can be lined with plywood. The walls of the frame must be insulated with mineral wool. The inside of the wall can also be covered with plywood, as well as other sheet material. As for the roof, metal tiles are used for it. The roof must be insulated. The inside of the ceiling is lined with plywood or similar material. Some people use drywall.
	Here you can see that there is an additional area for poultry walking. Timber and metal mesh were used as a frame. In addition, the perimeter of the foundation is lined with mesh. This will prevent predatory animals from entering the bird. Doors must be installed in the enclosure so that cleaning can be done inside. A ladder is also made for the chickens to exit from the house to the street. The ladder is constructed from boards, the transverse boards simultaneously impart rigidity to the structure and serve as steps.

Poultry breeding is a common and affordable type of subsidiary farming. Fresh, environmentally friendly products are always in demand. In addition, building a chicken coop with your own hands is not difficult. All you need is some theoretical knowledge and construction skills.

Domestic chicken is quite unpretentious. It has been observed that poultry productivity increases in conditions where they feel safe. In order for the flock to wait out bad weather, keep warm in winter and lay eggs, chicken coops of various types are built.

Portable

Mobile chicken coops are used in warm weather. They can be transferred from one place to another as the birds eat green grass. Designed to hold 10-20 individuals. The design combines a chicken house and a run covered with mesh.

Stationary

A permanent chicken coop is built with your own hands from different materials - wood, cinder blocks, aerated concrete and even earth. Poultry is raised in such buildings all year round. In a stationary room there are favorable conditions both in winter cold and in summer heat.

Multi-tiered

It is convenient to raise poultry in structures consisting of several tiers. At the same time, it is possible to avoid crowding of the herd in a small area. Each level houses hens or chicks of the same age. In addition to saving space, this makes maintenance easier.

Features of chicken coops

Walking

The ability to move, be in the sun and rummage in the ground is beneficial to the health and fertility of the chicken. Eggs contain the most vitamins and nutrients. It is especially important to have a range for breeding breeds and producing chickens.

Seasonality

An uninsulated seasonal chicken coop is the best option if it is not possible to raise poultry all year round. Over the summer, it is possible to raise 1-2 broilers, characterized by rapid weight gain. They are often kept in cages without free range.

Capacity

Overconsolidation has a negative impact on herd productivity. Veterinary standards recommend allocating at least 0.2 m² of space per chicken when kept on deep litter, 0.08 m² in a cage or on a mesh floor.

Chicken coop location

Chickens develop active life functions only during daylight hours. The most favorable orientation of the chicken coop is with windows facing south or southeast.

The site must have a slope to drain rain or melt water and not be blown by strong winds. In the aviary you need to organize a shady area where the birds could hide during the heat. These are trees, shrubs or canopies.

Important. At high air temperatures, laying hens stop laying eggs, and broilers are reluctant to eat feed. To protect the poultry house from excessive heat from the sun, it is located in light shade.

The structure must have easy access to bring food and water.

Poultry house dimensions

The dimensions of the chicken coop are chosen taking into account the optimal placement of the livestock and ease of maintenance. Based on the minimum standards, the area of ​​a poultry house for 10-20 chickens when kept on deep litter is at least 2-4 m².

Chickens love to sleep on a perch - a horizontal bar raised and secured above the floor. For an adult bird you will need 20-25 cm, for a chicken - 15 cm. If the perch is too long, it is divided into parts and placed parallel to each other at a distance of at least 30-35 cm.

In the barn there is sometimes a bath for bathing in ash. Each “swimmer” will require 0.12 m² of pool area.

To obtain eggs, laying hens are provided with nests at the rate of 2-3 pieces per 10 hens 2-3. The size of one “seat” is 35x35 cm.

Drawings and diagrams ready

To build a chicken coop with your own hands for 10-20 chickens, ready-made projects are offered. They are designed according to standards and facilitate the independent construction of a poultry house.

For 10 laying hens kept on deep litter in a chicken coop with walking, the following parameters are optimal:

• warm room - 1.2x1.7 = 2.04 m²;
• along one long wall there is a perch 1.7 m long;
• nests are placed along any other side - 3 pieces measuring 0.3x0.3 m;
• open range - 1.2x3 m = 3.6 m².

Important. When breeding different breeds, it is recommended to arrange a separate room and walking area for each species. Birds have different feeding and waking patterns, so it is advisable that the chickens do not interfere with each other.

Broilers do not need nests or perches. The birds are too heavy and sleep on a horizontal surface. As a rule, they are not kept longer than 3 months, so there is no question about obtaining eggs. Often meat breeds are raised without walking. When movement is limited, they gain weight faster.

Sometimes cages with chickens or broilers are placed on the top tier of the chicken coop, and the free space below is used for laying hens. This option is used if the area of ​​the room is limited. The advantage is that it is cost-effective; the disadvantage is that infections are transmitted at lightning speed and more frequent sanitization is required.

Drawings and photos of chicken coops for 10-20 chickens

SNIP standards 30-02-97 room parameters

When building a stationary chicken coop with your own hands, you are guided by SNiP 30-02-97 standards, which limit the location of livestock sheds relative to neighboring objects:

• retreat at least 4 m from the fence or boundary;
• from a residential building (your own and a neighbor’s) - 12 m;
• from a water intake well or well - 20 m;
• in case of blocking, arrange a separate entrance no closer than 7 m from the entrance to the residential building.

If standards are not followed, neighbors have the right to go to court. As a rule, a decision is made to demolish the building. There are no clear regulations for portable structures.

DIY chicken coop general instructions

The simplest and most affordable poultry house is a frame one. It is constructed from boards or timber, insulated, sheathed on the outside and inside. This design provides reliable protection from the cold, does not require a massive foundation, and the materials are inexpensive.

Construction is carried out according to the scheme:

1. Excavation.
2. Construction of the foundation.
3. Installation of wall, ceiling and roof frames.
4. Insulation of walls, installation of roofing.
5. Installation of windows, doors.
6. Internal arrangement, laying of communications.
7. Finishing.

For outdoor keeping, an additional enclosure is provided.

Nuances of foundation construction

The best option for a frame winter chicken coop for 10-20 chickens is a prefabricated columnar or monolithic foundation. In the first case, you will need concrete blocks or clay bricks, in the second - reinforcement and concrete. Asbestos-cement pipes, boards and even car tires are used for formwork.

In the corners of the structure and every 1.5-2 meters along the perimeter, holes are dug 0.5-0.7 m deep. A mixture of crushed stone and sand is poured onto the bottom. The supports are laid out from blocks or formwork is installed and poured with concrete.

An anchor or pin is placed in the base in advance to secure the strapping beam. The surface of the foundation is coated with liquid waterproofing in 2 layers.

Arranging the walls of the chicken coop

A lower frame beam with a cross-section of 100x100 mm (can be made of 2 boards per edge), treated to prevent rotting with mining or other antiseptic, is placed on the supports. They fasten it in the corners “in the paw” or with metal plates.

Install racks from 100x50 mm boards in increments of 1-1.2 m. Mount the top trim along the top. The corners are reinforced with jibs.

The walls are sheathed on both sides with OSB, slabs of polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam 100 mm thick are laid inside (preferably in 2 layers of 50 mm each with bandaging of the joints). To protect against rodents, the insulation is covered with a fine-mesh mesh.

Roof, ceiling and floor of the chicken coop

Floor beams are attached to the top frame with overlays, and rafters are cut into place. The connection in the ridge is reinforced with a metal plate.

A sheathing of edged boards is installed along the rafters. Roofing material is laid. In most cases, these are inexpensive asbestos-cement sheets.

Hem the ceiling with a board. On top there is insulation. You can pour a layer of expanded clay or lime-treated sawdust, lay mineral wool, wrapping it with a vapor barrier, or polystyrene foam boards.

Floors

The most inexpensive solution is insulated floors on the ground:

1. The top layer of soil with plant residues is removed and the surface is compacted.
2. Add sand and compact it.
3. Lay polystyrene foam 50 mm thick.
4. Spread waterproofing from a thick film.
5. The reinforcing mesh is installed, concrete is laid, and leveled.

Sawdust, straw, moss, sunflower husks, pine needles, and dry leaves are poured onto the finished floors. To accelerate the disposal of poultry waste products, the litter is treated with special bacterial preparations.

Concrete floors are easy to maintain. Twice a year, the litter is removed and the surface is washed with disinfectant solutions.

Ventilation in the chicken coop in winter

To equip a chicken coop with your own hands for 10-20 chickens, the simplest ventilation system is sufficient. In summer, when the doors are open, air exchange occurs constantly. In winter, accumulated excess moisture and harmful gases must be removed in time.

Ventilation is arranged from two vertical pipes. The supply air is located at a height of 15-30 cm from the floor. The bottom of the exhaust is fixed near the ceiling.

Pipes are placed in different parts of the room to increase the volume of moving air. The holes are protected with nets from rodents, and rain caps are installed on top.

Arrangement of the chicken coop inside

To feed the birds you will need feeders. You can make them yourself or buy ready-made ones. Bunker and feed dosing devices are convenient. Mounted or tray options are also popular.

A mandatory attribute of the poultry house is a drinking bowl. On sale are simple bowls, containers for an inverted jar or bottle, float, siphon and nipple drinkers.

Nests can be made from ordinary boxes or boxes. Straw and sawdust are placed inside. Place them in a quiet corner, away from feeders.

The perch is made from a wooden block with a cross-section of 50x70 mm. For meat-egg breeds it is fixed at a height of 60 cm from the litter, for laying hens - 90 cm. To prevent the perch from sagging under the weight of the bird, a support is installed in the middle.

Lighting the chicken coop in winter

In winter, chickens lay eggs worse due to the short daylight hours. You can increase productivity by using lighting during dark hours.

For every 6 m² of room, a power of 60 W is required. The most favorable spectrum is emitted by fluorescent lamps.

Important. According to the observations of poultry farmers, the egg production of chickens increases under orange light; under green light, chickens grow faster. Blue has a calming effect and reduces aggression.

Heating a chicken coop in winter with and without electricity

Warmth increases bird productivity in winter. For heating use:

• oil radiators;
• infrared emitters;
• air convectors.

The devices are economical and allow you to maintain optimal temperature in the poultry house.

Along with electric heating, other methods are common:

• heating with a wood stove or stove;
• connection to the house heating network if the chicken coop is connected to the house;
• using the heat generated by permanent bedding.

These methods are used if there is no electricity nearby or heating with it is uneconomical.

Do-it-yourself heating of a chicken coop in winter using sawdust

The old method is still used in villages. It is based on an increase in temperature in the litter during the decomposition of organic matter. The energy released as a result of the exothermic process is sufficient to heat a small chicken coop.

The technology is simple. The floors are first sprinkled with slaked lime to prevent the breeding of harmful insects. On top is bedding material with a thickness of at least 8-10 cm. As the bedding compacts, fresh bedding is added, loosening the previous layer with a rake.

Poultry breeding is a profitable and uncomplicated activity. If the chicken coop is set up correctly, it will bring not only benefits, but also pleasure.

Winter chicken coop for 10-20 chickens, the work of our reader with step-by-step instructions for completing the work.

The construction of the building took a total of 3 months by one person.

The chicken coop is designed to keep birds in summer and winter.

Dimensions of a chicken coop for 10-20 chickens with walking - length 6 m, width 4 m, height 3.5 m.

Size: 1st floor – 2x2x0.8, 2nd floor – 2x3x1.7, 1st floor paddock – 2x2, 2nd floor paddock – 4x4.

Material used: gas silicate blocks, cement, iron pipes, waterproofing material, expanded clay, wooden beams 100x100 and 50x50, boards: 25x100 and 25x50, unedged board 25, sand, insulation: foam plastic and mineral wool, glassine, roofing material (Bikrost 4.0), chipboards, chain-link mesh 50x50.

Tools used: screwdriver, chainsaw, square, hacksaw, hammer, axe, shovel, level, tape measure.

Additional material: old windows, curtains, bolts, handles, screws, sewer pipes d110 (for ventilation), cable, lamps, nails, paint, antiseptic.

Beginning of work:

Once we have decided on the location of the chicken coop, we mark out the area of ​​the building (6 x 4 m)

Along the marking circle at a shallow depth, we align the blocks according to the level. Blocks and inside markings, because We will have 2 walks. One paddock for laying hens, the second for broilers. Iron pipes were placed at the joints (there were 9 pieces), and they were filled with cement (to prevent subsidence of the structure).

We lay waterproofing material on the blocks - the first layer of bikrost, then wooden beams prepared to size (100x100). To prevent wood rotting, we treat it with an antiseptic.

Level the area of ​​the chicken coop with sand.

Assembling the frame of the first floor. For this you need wooden beams (100x100).

We also see in the photo that the beams are longer than the chicken coop itself - this is a place for nests.

To insulate the floor of the first floor, we fill in expanded clay.

Cover the floor. Boards measuring 50x150. We lay linoleum on the boards. We will also lay the floor of the second floor.

We install the rafters.

We cover the walls of the first floor with 25x100 boards.

We cut a window in the wall the size that is available. We had an old window that was not particularly restored, the main thing was that it was not broken.

The wall is on the second floor, but they also prepared a place for a window on the second floor and an exit for the chickens. The window around it was given a beautiful finish, so that there would be fewer cracks.

View from the large chicken run.

Wall cladding.

Assembling the nest frame.

Work on the roof: we lay the roof with unedged boards, and also make a canopy.

Sew up the visor.

We cover the roof with bicrost 4.0 with sprinkles.

We line the inside walls with glassine.

We insulate the walls with mineral wool insulation. Then we cover it with chipboards.

Since our “Chain-link” mesh is smaller in size than the height of the walls of the chicken coop run, additional boards were nailed down so that the mesh could be secured. Of course, it was possible to immediately make the height smaller, but at the very beginning they somehow didn’t calculate it, and given the fact that there are 2 other people’s vegetable gardens next door, the nimble chickens could have escaped.

The doors for the chicken coop were made in advance, using improvised materials: chipboard, plywood, small blocks and insulation were used.

Next is painting the chicken coop. Ventilation - they also made it themselves from sewer pipes. The doors for the paddocks were made as they were invented, nothing complicated. Lighting in the chicken coop - 2 lamps (night and day). Also, the staircase from the house to the street is the largest board with small bars that we nailed ourselves. There were 5 nests, which were separated from each other by chipboard slabs.

The doors of the chicken coop open like in the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” - pull the string and the door will open.

Of course, mistakes were made: a net would have to be laid under the floor of the first floor so that rats would not have access there.

Conclusion

Friends, write a comment whether you liked the article or not, what we missed and what is missing, your opinion is important to us. Thank you for your attention!

If you are thinking about building a chicken coop for 100 birds with your own hands, it means that you already have experience with unpretentious laying hens. Setting up a large poultry house with the existing skills will not be too difficult. From the article you will learn about all the nuances that distinguish the arrangement of a chicken coop for 5-10 birds from a large farm poultry house.

Types of chicken coops

Depending on the method of organizing the life of laying hens, poultry farmers distinguish between:

free range chicken coop;

chicken coop with aviary;

chicken coop with cages.

Free range

This option is common in villages: chickens spend the night and winter in a common small building, but can roam throughout the entire farm territory. This option can be convenient if the area of ​​the personal plot is large enough and the farm yard is completely fenced off from the vegetable garden, flower beds, etc. The chickens are in the most natural environment possible, receive natural vitamins and minerals, and have good immunity due to fresh air and activity. But with a population of 100 chickens, it will be quite difficult to keep track of everyone and protect them from birds of prey. In addition, there is a growing risk that laying hens will leave eggs in places not intended for this purpose.

With an aviary

Most poultry farmers consider such conditions optimal for laying hens. The chickens spend the night, eat and winter in a spacious poultry house, but in warm weather they walk a lot in a specially fenced area. This provides the bird with the activity it needs, giving it the opportunity to satisfy its instincts, which, in turn, helps improve immunity and egg production. But the bird will not be able to receive natural vitamins and mineral supplements in the required quantities in the aviary, so the poultry house must have separate feeders for greens, mixed feed and minerals.

With cells

This option for placing laying hens is close to the conditions of a poultry farm. After all, the greater the number of chickens in the chicken coop, the more important the possibility of automation becomes. Therefore, if in a poultry house for 100 heads chickens can still visit the enclosure, then in farms with a large number of birds this becomes unprofitable and dangerous. To walk 200–500 chickens, an area of ​​50–130 m2 is required, otherwise the birds will conflict and fight with each other. It’s easier to set up a chicken coop with cages, a system of automated drinkers, feed supply and an egg duct in each cell. But be prepared for the fact that laying hens will live much less than their free sisters, will be less resistant to diseases, and will require specialized feed high in vitamins and minerals.

If you are not yet ready to set up a mini-poultry farm at home, you should limit yourself to 100 or even 50 chickens. The best option would be a chicken coop with an aviary for 100 birds. Considering that the number of chickens is growing very quickly, such a poultry house will become relevant even for the owner of 30–50 chickens.

General requirements for a chicken coop

In order for poultry to remain healthy and breed consistently, their housing must comply with the standards.

Good ventilation. This is necessary to prevent ammonia vapors rising from the droppings from poisoning the chickens. In summer, the ventilation system should work constantly; in winter, occasional ventilation will be sufficient.

Correct lighting. In the summer, enough light enters the room through a window with an area of ​​10% of the floor area, especially if the laying hens can walk in the fresh air. For chickens that constantly live in cages, it is worth equipping another window. In winter, natural lighting will not be enough; additional lighting will need to be turned on to keep the hens active. With a lack of light, birds become lethargic and get sick more often; with too much light, they are prone to cannibalism. The optimal solution is a housekeeper or a diode lamp whose luminosity corresponds to a light bulb with an incandescent filament with a power of 60 watts.

Temperature suitable for birds. Chickens do not like heat and stuffiness, so they hide in the shade from the scorching rays of the sun. The poultry house for them must be equipped so that the hens have the opportunity to cool down under the shade of a tree or building. In winter, chickens suffer from the cold, although in frosts down to -10 o C they can go outside for a short time. If your region has mild winters, 100 heads of chickens in an insulated house can live without additional heating. But in a more severe climate, you will have to provide for the possibility of connecting an electric heater, installing a heated water floor, or at least installing several infrared lamps.

Low humidity. Chickens get sick due to too high humidity, both natural and that which they create themselves. Therefore, a good owner should choose a place for the chicken coop on a flat area or hillock, and in marshy areas, build a poultry house on low stilts.

There is a group of requirements on which the convenience of the owner depends.

If you want your chickens to be healthy, grow quickly, and lay eggs often, you shouldn't skimp on the size of their home.

Photo ideas for exterior decoration

On a site with pink flower beds and a classic house, a romantic white poultry house looks just right. A chicken coop made of unpainted wood looks organic in the garden. If you paint the façade of the poultry house in contrasting colors, it will look much more attractive. This chicken coop will seem appropriate next to a half-timbered house. A summer aviary for chickens. , reminiscent of a bungalow, can be assembled from the remains of the construction of the main house

We determine the size and structure with drawings

According to established standards, per 1 m2 of poultry house there should be 4 laying hens or 3 broilers (if the chickens roam freely around the premises) or 7–10 chickens in cages (depending on the breed). Thus, for a herd of 100 heads, you will need a building with an internal area of ​​15 to 35 m2 (including the vestibule).

Experienced poultry farmers recommend equipping a room of about 30 m2 for such a large flock, and it should be divided into two separate zones, each containing 50 birds. This is safer for chickens in case of illness, and more convenient for feeding and cleaning.

Designation on the drawing:

loft for bedding hay;

drinking bowl;

chicken roosts;

landing board;

manhole for chickens;

control sockets;

chicken coop window;

supply and exhaust ventilation;

III - department for adult chickens.

One of the rooms of a large poultry house can be used to raise chickens from your own incubator. Based on the norm of 14 chicks per 1 m2 of space, up to 170 birds can be kept in a room measuring 12 m2. As they grow, most of the livestock will need to be resettled.

The area for walking chickens, which is usually equipped next to the poultry house, should be 2-3 times larger than the area of ​​the chicken coop itself. It can be either stationary, taking into account a person’s height, or in the form of low, portable tunnels. The first option will require more attention from the owners, since the birds will quickly trample down the grass growing on the spot, they will have to constantly be fed with green stuff and remove droppings from this area as well. Mobile tunnels will provide chickens with a more natural living environment, but they will need to be moved regularly as resources in the chosen location become depleted.

When building a poultry house for 100 chickens, most farmers prefer a building design with a pitched roof. This chicken coop is easy to install and maintain and is relatively inexpensive.

Selecting materials for construction

The final selection of materials depends on the financial capabilities of the owner, the planned speed of construction, available construction products and one’s own skills.

Foundation

A chicken coop is a low and light structure, so there is no need to equip it with a monolithic slab or strip foundation; a pile foundation will be sufficient. Support piles can be made from available materials:

made of brick, gas block, granite stone;

pour concrete columns with the addition of reinforcement using removable formwork technology;

use scraps of old concrete poles that remain after updating power lines (can be purchased at the nearest distribution center);

build wooden piles from old sleepers (sold after repair of railway tracks).

Each of these options will ensure sufficient stability of the structure; you just need to choose the material that is cheaper in your region.

Walls

The walls of the poultry house must be windproof, since chickens do not tolerate drafts well. It is also desirable that they retain heat well and are installed as quickly and easily as possible. Most often, farmers prefer the following construction options:

frame;

log house;

capital.

Frame structure

The frame of the house is constructed from pine or spruce timber, which is then sheathed inside and out, and insulation is installed between the layers of sheathing. For interior decoration, it is better to choose the most natural materials possible: wooden boards (poor quality with knots), plywood (thin). Many farmers use OSB, corrugated sheets, and tin sheets. Exterior finishing depends on the type of main house and the desired decorative effect; everything can be used here - from scraps of old boards to siding. The main thing is to decorate the lower part of the house with wear-resistant material so that the chickens do not get to the insulation. To insulate a chicken coop you can use: sawdust, a mixture of sawdust and foam chips, foam sheets, stone or mineral wool (it is necessary to protect the wool with membranes from water and steam). A frame chicken coop is built very quickly, even if only two people are involved in the installation.

Log house

If in your region the most accessible materials are logs or beams, you can use the old-fashioned construction technology. Such a poultry house will turn out to be as natural as possible; it will not require additional costs for insulation. But here you need to be especially careful when choosing its location, arranging electrical wiring and heating, in order to comply with all fire safety standards.

Capital building

A capital chicken coop is the most reliable, costly and labor-intensive. It can last many times longer than a frame one, but expanding or refurbishing it as the population grows will be much more difficult. You can build a permanent poultry house from any available materials: brick, limestone blocks, foam blocks, stone. After this, the walls will need to be plastered and insulated from the outside, otherwise the birds will freeze in winter. Making a permanent chicken coop is beneficial if you already have an unnecessary barn and want to place laying hens in it. In this case, you will simply need to add a window, paint the walls with lime whitewash and equip perches.

The final choice of material is again dictated by the conditions of your region, the characteristics of the site and the number of available workers. Thus, a frame poultry house can be built by a married couple in 2–3 weeks. But if you need a real mini-poultry farm, you should hire workers and equip a large chicken coop.

Roof

The roof of the poultry house is most often made of a single-slope or gable roof. Flat roofs are not popular among chicken coop owners, since they have to spend more money on waterproofing them and more time on snow removal.

As for the material for the external finishing of the roof, it also depends on the type of the main house and other outbuildings. Here, by the way, the remains of soft bitumen tiles, metal tiles, corrugated sheets, slate, sheet metal, and ondulin will come in handy.

If you hem the ceiling inside the chicken coop, the resulting under-roof space can be used for insulation and storage of things. In the simplest case, hay or bags of sawdust are placed there, which are used for bedding as needed. If desired, you can build a full-fledged insulated pie from layers of vapor barrier, insulation (mineral wool, stone wool, polystyrene foam), waterproofing and sheathing (boards, plywood, OSB).

In order for the chickens to lay eggs well, the windows of the poultry house should face the sunny direction.

We build a frame chicken coop for 100 chickens with our own hands according to the drawings

Required tools:

shovel;

water level;

ropes and pegs for marking the territory;

jigsaw for cutting wood;

screwdriver for assembling wooden structures;

axe;

hammer;

construction stapler for fastening the membrane;

angle grinder (grinder) for cutting metal sheets.

The complete list of necessary devices depends on the building materials you choose.

Step-by-step construction instructions

Let's look at the construction process using the example of a frame chicken coop measuring 4x7.5 m.

Select a flat, dry place on the site away from the house and level the ground. If necessary, remove the topsoil or move it to the vegetable garden, raised beds, etc.

Mark the territory, marking a 4x7.5 m rectangle and places for future piles. They should be located in the corners of the building, in places where internal partitions adjoin the external walls, as well as along the walls at a distance of 1 m from each other.

Dig holes in the designated places for posts measuring 50x50 cm and 60–70 cm deep.

Fill the bottom of the holes with sand and mount piles of bricks fastened with cement-sand mortar (water, cement and sand in a ratio of 1:1:2). Each new row of bricks must be installed at right angles to the previous one. The finished column should rise 30–40 cm above the ground. It will take 5–7 days to dry the solution. At the end of this period, the earth around the posts will need to be thoroughly compacted, and the piles themselves will need to be waterproofed with bitumen mastic. The top platform of the pile is covered with two layers of roofing felt to completely protect it from moisture.

If you do not plan to raise the coop above ground level, inside the fenced perimeter it is necessary to treat the soil so that it cannot be dug up by mice, rats and larger pests. You can make a cement-sand screed and pour a fine-mesh metal mesh into it. Another option is to fill the perimeter with a layer of clay mixed with glass fragments.

Assemble the lower part of the box from 100x100 mm timber, securing the corners using the “half-tree” method (as in the picture) or the “root tenon” method (a cut is made in one beam, and the second is cut so as to form a tenon that fits exactly into the cut of the first beam).

Install vertical posts made of timber with a section of 50x50, which will serve as the basis of the walls. The height of the beams for the front wall is 2.2 m, for the rear wall - 1.8 m. It is better to trim the racks of the side walls when arranging the roof. Attach the posts to the base with metal angles or braces so that they stand strictly vertical.

Inside the perimeter, assemble a lattice of floor joists - beams with a cross section of 150x100 mm installed on the edge. When equipping the base for the future floor, you should immediately provide for a slight slope so that during wet cleaning, the water itself flows to the door and in no case stagnate under the nests of the laying hens.

Hem the grate from below with rough boards. They may not be of the best quality, but they, like the logs themselves, must be carefully treated with protective agents against moisture, bugs, fire, etc.

Lay a waterproofing membrane or at least a thick film on top of the subfloor so that it “hugs” the joists. The joints must be taped with tape. Attach perpendicular bars between the joists to make the structure more stable. Place sheets of polystyrene foam 5 cm thick, or 2 layers of 3 cm each, into the formed cells. If you prefer natural materials, fill the space with expanded clay or well-dried sawdust, or cover it with mineral wool.

Lay another layer of waterproofing on top of the insulation and form a finished floor from thick edged boards or OSB sheets.

You can start installing the walls. Attach a wind- and moisture-proof membrane to the outside of the sheathing.

Create a frame from cross beams with a section of 50x50, additionally strengthening the places for installing windows and doors, as well as doors for chickens, if it is separate.

Fill the cells in the walls with mineral/stone wool or foam sheets and cover the insulation with a membrane.

Cover the interior of the premises with boards or sheets of plywood.

Make internal partitions from a wooden frame and cladding material, creating two separate rooms for chickens and a vestibule corridor. Place the doors to the rooms offset so that when opening into the corridor at the same time, the door leaves do not interfere with each other.

Form a roof sheathing from wooden beams and hem it with boards on the outside. The inner side should be insulated similarly to the walls and covered with boards or OSB. Make a counter-lattice of thin beams on top of the roof boards and cover it with sheets of corrugated sheets or bitumen shingles.

Place windows and doors in the prepared cells. If you buy a plastic window, choose a model with a ventilation valve.

Otherwise, you will need to install ventilation. Cut a rectangle in the wall or door and install a mesh to allow fresh air to enter through the holes and remove ammonia from the droppings. The air exhaust hole must be placed in the wall under the ceiling. Pass a plastic sewer pipe with a cross-section of 75–100 mm through the hole, being careful not to damage the layers of the insulation cake. The air intake should be carried out above the perches, so stretch a corrugated tin pipe from the hole in the ceiling to the perch and attach a mesh to the end of the corrugation so that a curious chicken does not get inside the ventilation. Since the rooms in the chicken coop are separate, each of them needs to be equipped with an air exchange system.

Set up a hole for chickens 20 cm above the floor so that they can go for a walk with the doors closed. The hole can be in the door itself, or open in the wall.

Cover the outer facade of the chicken coop with sheets of corrugated sheets of the selected color.

Provide electricity to the chicken coop so that in winter you can turn on the lights and IR warming lamps. Wires to protect chickens and the wiring itself should be hidden in a plastic corrugated tube or a special cable channel. Choose a cable with a cross-section of 2x1.5 mm and install a 6-amp protective circuit breaker. If you do not have the appropriate skills, you should use the help of an electrician.

Now the chicken coop is almost ready, all that remains is to equip the interior space for the birds to live comfortably.

Setting up the room

Designation on the drawing:

drinking bowl;

feeder with mineral food;

chicken roosts;

reflector for heating young animals (chickens without feathers);

landing board;

feeder for grain and other dry food;

feeder for mixed food (cereals with herbs, boiled fruits, etc.);

manhole for chickens;

control sockets;

chicken coop window;

ultraviolet light source for poultry house disinfection;

supply and exhaust ventilation.

I - storage compartment for farm equipment and feed supplies.

II - department of raising chickens.

III - department for adult chickens.

The sleeping area for chickens is ordinary wooden poles with a cross-section of 45–50 mm, round or rounded on one side. Their total length for 100 birds should be about 4 m, so that the birds can comfortably settle in a dense group in winter or more freely in summer. The poles are not placed directly above each other, but offset so that droppings from the upper floors do not fall on the lower hens. The minimum distance between the perch slats is 50 cm. Some owners place the perches at the same height so that the chicken community does not stratify into weak and strong. Below you can place a tray for collecting litter, which will facilitate cleaning and allow you to fully use the floor space. An approach board should lead to the perches, which will help heavy adult birds climb up.

Under the perches it is convenient to place feeders with mineral supplements, which chickens need for the normal formation of eggshells. In the section for young animals, it is worth hanging a heating lamp there so that the chickens get used to going to bed in this part of the coop.

Nests for laying hens, boxes with straw, are installed in the darkest and most secluded place of the poultry house. It is advisable to raise them 10–20 cm above the ground, but not higher, so that the birds can easily climb into the nest.

The main feeder (for mixed feed) is usually placed closer to the center of the room so that each chicken has free access to it. But it is better to make a drinking bowl and a feeder with grain near the wall in order to secure a tank with a large supply of liquid and food on the wall.

It is advisable to cover the floor with a thick layer of sawdust, especially if you are not sure of the quality of its insulation. Chickens feel less comfortable on a hard surface, and it becomes more difficult to clean up after them.

Now your chicken coop is completely ready for birds to live in the summer and off-season.

Getting ready for winter

For those who built a frame poultry house using the described technology, all the walls, floor and ceiling of the chicken coop are reliably insulated. If you doubt that chickens will be able to maintain a room temperature of 12–14 o C only due to the heat of their bodies, you should help them.

To begin, create a warm bedding at the end of autumn by covering the floor with slaked lime, and then with a 7 cm thick layer of a mixture of sawdust, straw and peat. Gradually mixing with manure, it will begin to compost and release heat. In cold weather, the litter will need to be turned up and new mixture added, so it should be prepared in advance. In spring, the litter will be an excellent fertilizer for the beds.

During the winter, it is also worth covering the ventilation holes and ventilating the chicken coop yourself. If the windows in the building are not plastic, their joints should be covered with masking tape or a transparent film should be secured to the window. The hole for laying hens is also insulated in the same way.

Additionally, in frosty weather, instead of lighting lamps, infrared lamps are screwed into the sockets. It is advisable to lengthen the wire so that it can be lowered 1–1.2 m above the floor level. Such lamps provide less light than usual, but for chickens such lighting will be pleasant and comfortable.

If everything is done correctly, you will not need additional measures to insulate and heat the poultry house.

Now you can definitely set up a comfortable chicken coop for 100 birds without extra costs and construction errors. All that remains is to collect the materials and get to work.

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It’s not enough to build a good barn for chickens; you also need to equip it: secure perches, make nests, install/hang drinking bowls and feeders. But you need to do this in such a way that it is convenient for you to maintain the poultry house. Chickens don't really care how beautiful their nests are. They will fit perfectly on the floor. It will be inconvenient for you to collect eggs from the floor, and they might even get pecked. Therefore, we arrange the chicken coop in such a way as to make it more convenient for you.

Perches

First of all, you need to equip the inside of the chicken coop with perches. This is a round or oval stick - a tree branch, a shovel handle, a planed block, etc., fixed at some height above the floor.

On average, they take about 20-25 cm of perch length per chicken. They are attached to the wall at a distance of 25-30 cm, one perch from the other - at a distance of 35-40 cm. You can make multi-tiered ones, but there will be fights for the highest place. Please note that all dimensions are approximate only and are necessary for reference purposes. Everything is selected more according to location: different breeds and chicken coops, and their owners too.

To make cleaning easier, a shield made of some smooth material is installed at a distance of 20 cm below the perch. Litter accumulates on it, so choose a smooth surface: it will be easier to sweep away.

The question remains: at what height should the perch, and therefore the shield, be made? It is most convenient to clean it in a cart. It should fit under the shield so that you can dump the droppings directly into the wheelbarrow with a hoe. For the flood, the height of the shield is determined by the height of your car, and above the shield there will already be perch slats. And again, choose the height of the chicken perch so that cleaning is convenient.

Nests

The second required element in arranging a chicken coop is nests. They will lay on the floor, but the eggs will be dirty, and they may even peck. According to the norms, one nest is made for three hens. But in fact, it turns out that no matter how many of them you do, they choose one or two, maximum three, and stand in line. The rest are exactly the same, standing empty next to each other. From time to time their tastes change, they begin to rush to others... From all this it follows that you can safely count 5-6 heads per nest, half will still be empty.

It is better to place the nests so that it is convenient for you to pick up the eggs, i.e. hang on the wall. So that the bird can safely get there, they make ladders - an inclined board with perches/sticks nailed across it. The same ladders are made for perches. If the nests are placed close to the perches and at approximately the same level, they will move back and forth. Quite convenient.

You can make such civil nests

If possible, make sure that the back side of the nests faces the corridor, if there is one. A door is made on the back side. Then to pick up the eggs you don’t need to go into the pen - open the doors and collect them.

Chickens also love to rush in the dark, or at least in dim light. That’s why the entrance is made small, and so that they don’t sit inside for a long time, sleep and shit, the roof is made with a strong slope (in the photo).

You can simply arrange or hang the boxes along the wall, but organize the darkening by placing a partition in front of the nests. In general, it is difficult to predict their behavior. Sometimes the nests are simply ignored and are carried anywhere. Then a stencil or mock-up can help: cut out an egg from white paper and place it in the nest. It might help: they will start rushing there.

Several nests in different designs are shown in the photo below. These are all real chicken coops, you can use them.

Plastic is very practical: it’s easy to wash, it’s inexpensive, you can do a lot of things, and chickens really love these plastic nests. Place more hay in them and they will fly. The space below can be used for perches or an IR lamp can be hung on the bottom to make a solarium.

In the nest you always use your hands with caution: you never know what the chickens laid there... It is much more convenient and safer when the eggs are rolled into a special compartment - the egg receptacle. The main catch in this device is to choose the angle of the floor and the flexible material so that the egg moves it away and stops before it reaches the wall. To soften the “landing”, sawdust is poured onto the bottom.

Since the eggs roll up and the bird does not see them, they may refuse to lay eggs in such nests. In this case, you can make a dummy egg - from thick foam plastic in full size or cut out a stencil from paper - and glue it to the bottom. This almost always works.

Chicken cages

Sometimes the birds are kept in cages. But this is for industrial or semi-industrial maintenance. With this method of cultivation, a large number of birds live in a small area. A drawing of a cage for chickens with dimensions is posted below.

Broiler cage drawing with dimensions

All sizes are according to the standards, and there is no need to invent anything. This is the minimum that laying hens need. And what can come out of such cells is in the photo below.

Watch the video to see how to make broiler cages from wood. Everything is described in great detail: what, for what, what sizes, how to assemble and what is needed for this. Really useful.

Drinkers and feeders

Setting up a chicken coop is unthinkable without drinking bowls and feeders. Moreover, they should be there too. There are periodic and bunker feeders. Periodic - this is when you came, poured out the amount of food and that’s it. Until the next feeding they stand empty.

Climbing in and digging around is a favorite thing

Bunker feeding is when there is a decent supply of feed, which is constantly poured into some container. Both have their drawbacks: periodic ones require you to go to the chicken coop every time and add grain, and the birds crowd around and fight for the best place, which sometimes leads to the feeder being overturned.

If you have a bunker feeder, you need to go much less often, but it is possible to overfeed the bird, which is a disaster for laying hens. Therefore, either the laying hens are given a large walk or only broilers are fed in this way.

There are many designs of periodic feeders, but not all of them allow you to use feed economically. The easiest way is to pour the food into a bowl or container. But, if there is at least some opportunity, the chickens begin to rake up the food, spilling it out and then trampling it down. I have to throw it away. And such feeders allow you not only to dig into the food, but also to climb into the feeder with your feet. Therefore they need to be improved. To do this, install wire dividers on the container. Feed consumption decreases sharply: it is more difficult to rake it out.

You can make, for example, another similar feeder (or drinking bowl), which is conveniently attached or placed against the wall. It is probably easier to weld it from metal, although there are craftsmen who can make something similar from wood.

There are some interesting ideas. For example, an economical auto-feeder is assembled from an old car disk, a basin of suitable diameter and a plastic water bottle with a capacity of 5-10 liters.

Look for a disk of the type shown in the photo: with a large number of small holes along the outer edge. In the middle, cut a hole the size of the neck of the bottle. Cut out the bottom of the bottle cap, leaving only the threaded ring. The feed mixture is poured into the bottle, a disk is put on it, and the cut-off lid is pressed against it. Feed is poured into a basin and a structure is installed on top.

In order not to disassemble the feeder every time when you need to add food to the bottle, you can cut the bottom, making it like a lid. Then the bottle itself can be secured more seriously: fixation with the thread from the cap is not very reliable. But such an improvement does not allow anyone to rummage through the food, and no one can get into the basin.

You can make a feeder from a piece of plastic sewer pipe. Holes with a diameter of about 7 cm are cut out on both sides. They do not have to be round at all - square or rectangular will also work. A corner is installed at the ends at 90° with the socket up and along a small piece of pipe: feed can be poured here.

A simple but spacious bunker feeder is a decent chest with a folding bar attached at the bottom. In the open position, food is poured onto it.

Another option for an economical feeder is made from plastic sewer pipes. But this is already a bunker structure: there is a decent supply. The design is simple, and consumption is reduced.

An even more interesting design of the chicken feeder in the video: with a lid. To open it, you need to jump on it.

Another option is a bunker feeder made of PVC pipes and a plastic water bottle.

Homemade drinking bowls for chickens

It's almost the same story with drinking bowls. Only here is water splashed, which, when mixed with droppings, gives an exceptionally persistent odor, as well as dirt. All this does not contribute to easier and faster cleaning. Therefore, the choice of drinkers is no less important than the feeders.

The simplest option for a small number of birds - up to 15 pieces - is siphon drinkers. They have legs and allow you to save water. If the legs are designed well, even a chicken flying onto the top will not knock them over.

Siphon drinkers - factory-made and homemade from a plastic bottle

Factory drinking bowls, of course, look more attractive, but a homemade version is almost free, and they work no worse. In the photo you see a simple homemade siphon waterer for chickens: a support was nailed in the corner - a piece of board with a hole cut out for the neck. On top there is a fastening system and a load so that it does not get knocked down. A hole is cut into the former bottom of the bottle into which water is poured. The trick here is to choose the distance at which to install the water container: so that there is not too little or too much of it.

Cup drinkers are convenient when grown in cages, as they are conveniently attached to the mesh. But no one bothers you to hang a piece of mesh, say, on a wall or come up with another mount.

They allow you to water the birds without splashing. Water is supplied to the cup, it tilts under the influence of gravity, cutting off the supply. They drank the water, the cup rose, the water flows again. A hose is connected to the side fitting, the second end of which is located in a container of water, which should be above the level of the drinkers. Convenient and economical.

Nipple drinkers for chickens. These are small devices, a few centimeters in size. A cone-shaped stainless steel rod is inserted into the plastic case.

These nipples are screwed into plastic pipes into which water is supplied. A hole of the required diameter is drilled, a thread is cut and the nipple is screwed in. When you press the rod, a few drops of water appear. The chickens peck at the rod, drinking the drops that appear. The main disadvantage of this method is the drops that fall on the floor. To prevent this from happening, a special drip catcher is placed under each drinker. It simply snaps onto the pipe.

Despite their miniature size, these small drinking bowls cost a lot, especially if they are high-quality - read - imported. Ours are, of course, cheaper, but they break faster.

And the rest are different cups and basins into which water is simply poured. Their disadvantage is that birds often turn them over, and the water in them quickly gets dirty.

There are also interesting ideas from homemade ones. For example, such a pipe drinking bowl is shown in the photo. In a piece of plastic pipe, the water level is controlled by a float mechanism from the toilet cistern. Three drinking bowls are attached to the pipes.

The video demonstrates a drinking bowl with auto-filling.

If you want to arrange the chicken coop, you can arrange it in such a way as to minimize the need for its maintenance. In this case, the bird will bring not only income, but also pleasure: it is always pleasant to look at objects made with your own hands, but keeping a bird in a chicken coop without “direct” hands is difficult and expensive.

Many owners of suburban areas dream of raising domestic animals, for example, chickens, but they are often stopped by the fact that there is no room where they can keep the birds. This problem is completely solvable, since almost any owner of the site can build a chicken coop with his own hands, having the necessary tools, materials, sufficient space for construction, and, naturally, having at least minimal, basic skills in carrying out construction work.

All parameters of the planned construction will primarily depend on the number of chickens that are planned to be purchased. In order for the chicken coop to become comfortable for its inhabitants, it is necessary to listen to the advice of the masters, those who have already successfully installed this adjacent structure and have been successfully keeping birds in it for more than one year.

Chicken coop requirements

In order to design and build a chicken coop correctly, you need to know the basic requirements that this structure must meet. Otherwise, due to ill-conceived design or other unfavorable conditions for domestic animals, poultry breeding will not bring the desired results and will only result in losses and frustration.

• The safety of the inhabitants must be ensured from the penetration of small and large predators who love to feast on fresh eggs, or even chicken meat.
• In the chicken coop, you need to ensure that there are no drafts, which can lead to the death of the bird, since chickens can also catch a cold and catch a difficult-to-treat “sore”.
• You cannot do without reliable thermal insulation in a poultry house, especially if you plan to keep chickens all year round, and not just during the “dacha” season.
• Mandatory condition - organization effective ventilation of the chicken coop, since the lack of fresh air also has an extremely detrimental effect on poultry.
• Properly arranged lighting of the room is also very important, since the poultry house must be illuminated for a certain number of hours a day, otherwise the chickens will not lay eggs well.

The project for the future construction of a poultry house begins to be drawn up after necessarily thinking through all of these requirements listed above.

Chicken coop design

• The first thing that needs to be determined when drawing up a project is the area that can be allocated for construction, taking into account not only the poultry house itself, but also its integral part - platform for walking birds.

When choosing a location, be sure to take into account the size of the “exercise yard”

The building site should not be located in a low area, as the room will become damp and will not dry out quickly, because atmospheric moisture is always concentrated in such places, and the morning fog lasts longer. It is best to place the house on a small hill.

• Next, you need to roughly calculate the size of the chicken coop, based on the fact that for every five laying hens, for their normal coexistence and development, at least 3 m² should be allocated, for example, the room can be 1500 × 2000 mm in size.

If you plan to have only 2 ÷ 3 birds, then you will need an area of ​​at least 1 m² for them.

These dimensions must be maintained so that the chickens have the opportunity to move freely, and this requires a certain space. You need to know that the more active the hens’ lifestyle, the higher their egg production will become.

• A fenced walking area is also arranged taking into account the number of birds planned for breeding. So, for five chickens, 6 ÷ 7 m² of space should usually be provided.

The walking area and access to it for the birds should be located, if possible, on the south side of the poultry house. It is necessary to provide protection of this site from the covered wind. A canopy must be installed on top of the fenced enclosure, which will be good protection from the hot sun and heavy rain.

• If the area is flat, then it is recommended to create a small elevation for the chicken coop using an embankment of layers of sand and crushed stone of the middle fraction. To protect the chicken coop from rodents, a layer of clay mixed with broken glass is placed on top of the embankment.

• You immediately need to think about how to properly arrange natural lighting for the chicken coop. The most optimal An option would be a glazed door, which is installed on the south-eastern side of the building - it is from this direction that the sun is located the longest during the day.
• The ceiling in the chicken coop is raised to a height of 2000 ÷ 2200 mm for the largest possible volume of air space in the room.
• If the window is installed separately from the door, then it is raised to a height of 1100 ÷ 1200 mm from the floor, and its size must be at least 500 × 500 mm.
• To make it convenient to remove eggs from nests in the summer, they are placed outside the poultry house, and holes are cut in the wall for chickens to enter. Roof extension for nests d It should open - then you won’t need to go inside the house to pick up the clutch.

Masonry nests must have a size of at least 400 × 400 mm.

Video: main parameters taken into account when building a chicken coop

Chicken coop foundation

• When building a frame structure for a poultry house, you can do without a concrete foundation - it will be enough to make an artificial embankment using the technology mentioned above from sand, crushed stone and clay, since the chicken coop will not be an overly massive structure.

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

The lower frame frame must be firmly installed on a surface made of clay mixed with glass, sprinkled with fine-grained crushed stone on the outside. On top of the clay surface, to a height of the frame block of 100 mm, it would be good to make an embankment of fine-grained expanded clay, which rodents generally always avoid.

• If the building is built from brick or, then it will be impossible to do without a reliable foundation.

Any type of foundation is suitable for this structure, be it a strip, monolithic or columnar structure.

— A vapor barrier is laid on top of it, and plywood is fixed onto it.

- After The attic floor will be completely ready, you can begin assembling the rafter system, and then installing the roofing material.

Having erected and insulated the walls and roof, you need to begin arranging ventilation.

Prices for popular types of insulation

Insulation

Chicken coop ventilation

In any building where domestic animals are kept, it is impossible to do without good ventilation, since all animals need influx of fresh air, which will displace the accumulated musty smell. A ventilation system is especially necessary in summer, when outdoor temperatures are high.

• The ventilation system can be natural. It consists of several holes located on opposite walls. One of them is located at the bottom of the wall, at a height of 150 ÷ ​​200 mm from the floor, and the other at the same distance from the ceiling, on the wall opposite. Doors in the form of valves are installed on each of the ventilation holes, which will help you manually regulate the intensity of air flow.

Such ventilation works on the principle of natural air circulation in the room due to the intake of fresh air masses from the street.

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

Interior arrangement of the chicken coop

• One of the most important elements of arranging a chicken coop is the perches, where chickens spend most of their lives. It is wrong to think that birds sleep in nests or on the floor, since chickens sit on their perches almost all nights and even part of the day.

— The perch is a block with a cross-sectional size of 50 × 60 mm and a length equal to the width of the chicken coop. Such perches need to be made as at least two. The corners of the bar must be rounded so that the bird cannot injure its paws on them.

— Perches are fixed horizontally on the walls, at a height 500 mm from the floor. In this case, you need to measure the distance from the wall to the first perch, it should be 250 mm, and between the first and second perches - 350 mm.

— It is recommended to install perches on one level, otherwise there will be constant fights for the “upper floors” in the chicken coop. In addition, birds sitting on top will pollute those sitting below with their droppings.

— For each bird living in the chicken coop, 250 mm of perch must be allocated. Based planned livestock birds, the required number of “seats” is calculated, that is, the length and number of perches.

• The second necessary “interior element” for a chicken coop in which laying hens will be kept is the arrangement of nests, at the rate of one nest for 5 ÷ 6 laying hens.

— Nests should be located in secluded corners of the room, where the least amount of light reaches. That's why the most optimal An option would be to add drawers for fire building sn outside the chicken coop. All that remains is to make holes in the walls through which the chickens will enter. The nests need to be very well insulated.

— The nests should measure 300 x 300 mm in width and height and 400 mm in depth, or, if space permits, 400 x 400 x 400 mm. Masonry boxes are filled with sawdust, straw or hay.

- If the nests are located inside the chicken coop, then they are raised above the floor by 400 ÷ 500 mm and installed under the window so that light never gets inside the boxes.

“They can be installed in two tiers, since they have a roof on top, and the laying hens will not interfere with each other in any way.

— If the nests are raised too high, then a crossbar should be installed along them, and a wooden ladder should be leaned against it so that the chickens can climb up it to the laying sites.

• Another important element is the door for the chickens to go out into the enclosure for walking.

— If the chicken coop is raised to a sufficiently high height from the ground, a ladder is installed and secured to the exit opening.

- In the case when The opening is not high from the ground level, then the door itself can serve as a descent for birds if it is made to open from above so that it folds down onto the ground in the form of a ramp.

— The manhole should also be equipped with a mesh door installed inside the chicken coop. The hole can be used as an additional ventilation hole, leaving the main door open and closing it only with a mesh.

Lighting in the chicken coop

The productivity of laying hens largely depends on how the chicken coop is organized. With a lack of light, the egg production of birds will decrease, and in addition, in a dark room their activity decreases, they move little and become lethargic, which can lead to their death.

Lighting a chicken coop is a very serious matter.

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

Windows must be opened to ensure ventilation of the room, but it is very important to equip all window openings with a mesh with cells of 10 ÷ 20 mm. A window that has such protection can be left open at night in the summer as necessary, since small predators will not be able to get inside through it.

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

To illuminate 3 m² of a chicken coop, it is necessary to install a lamp, necessarily protected by a lampshade, with an incandescence of 30 ÷ 40 W. Artificial lighting should be directed to nests, feeders and drinkers, but should not illuminate nests for laying.

To save on electricity, and at the same time not have to think about when you need to turn the lights on and off, special connection blocks with sockets equipped with a timer are purchased.

All the lighting in the chicken coop is connected to such an outlet, and the timer is used to set the time when the lights should turn on and off. In this way, it will be possible to accurately determine the “daylight hours” for birds. For example, a timer can be programmed so that the light will turn on at 6 a.m. and turn off two hours later, that is, at 8 a.m., when the natural influx of light is sufficient. Then, for example, the lights will turn on again at 17:00 and will remain on until 21:00. With this device, a constant lighting schedule is established in the chicken coop. As daylight changes seasonally, the timer will be easy to reprogram.

Heating in the chicken coop

If the chicken coop building is good, it can be used year-round, provided, of course, that a comfortable temperature microclimate is created for the birds. The normal temperature for chickens is considered to be 15 degrees Celsius, and in winter they need to heat the room to at least 10 degrees.

Therefore, in a year-round chicken coop you simply cannot do without heating devices. In this case, it is necessary not only to create the desired temperature in the room, but also to maintain humidity that is comfortable for the birds, since its excess can lead to illness and death of chickens. Therefore, poultry farmers with many years of experience in raising chickens advise using electric convectors for heating in the poultry house.

The best solution for heating a chicken coop is electric convectors

“Thanks to the properties of these devices, they are maximally capable of meeting the requirements for creating the necessary microclimate in the chicken coop.

— The efficiency of these devices is much higher than that of oil heaters, due to the good air circulation created in the convectors.

— they dry the air quite well, about the same as wood-burning stoves, but they are safe and cause much less trouble.

— These heaters consume less electricity when compared with other types of heating devices, since, having heated up to the temperature set on them, they turn off, and then, as the air in the room cools, they turn on on their own.

— The optimal solution would be to install two convectors, one of which will work around the clock, and the second will turn on on a timer only at night, thereby maintaining the desired temperature in the poultry house. This is convenient because at low night temperatures outside, a constant level of heat will be maintained in the room.

Perhaps for those who are familiar with the information on building and maintaining a chicken coop for the first time, at first glance, keeping chickens will seem very difficult. However, believe me, when everything is arranged wisely and enters a constant rhythm, it will become clear that there is nothing particularly difficult in this process.

You can organize the provision of the chicken coop with everything necessary in such a way that you will have to go there once every three to four days in order to clean the floor. And on other days all that remains is to collect eggs from nests.

By the way, a chicken coop can be made not only convenient for poultry, but also very beautiful, capable of adding an interesting “note” to the design of a personal plot.

Video: beautiful compact chicken coop

And if there is not enough space at all, but there is a desire to raise at least a few chickens, then you can build a mini-poultry house, spending very little money and time on it.

Video: miniature chicken coop - in a few hours