Build a chicken coop with your own hands

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Broilers are special meat breeds of chickens, the peculiarity of which is quick weight gain with intensive fattening.

A chicken coop for broilers should be built taking into account the peculiarities of keeping chickens of meat breeds, taking into account the specifics of their growing, feeding, as well as the density of planting.

Features of the design of the chicken coop for broilers

Meat breeds of chickens, especially broilers, are not intended for laying eggs, since they are usually slaughtered at two or three months of age, so chicken coops for them do not equip with nests.

Broiler chickens can be kept in a chicken coop in two main ways:

Outdoor method implies the presence of an open-air cage for broiler walking and is most often used in small farms with a population of up to 30 birds. With the cellular content of the coop may be smaller, but equipped with a good ventilation system.

The main elements of the chicken coop design are:

Covered room
Tambour,
Aviary.

The room is the main element of the structure, the aviary and the vestibule can be completed afterwards.

Requirements for construction

A chicken coop intended for year-round rearing of broiler chickens must meet the following requirements:

Security,
The presence of the foundation and insulation,
Availability of ventilation system and lighting,
Location on a hill.

The building, especially made of wood, must be built in compliance with the rules of fire safety. It is not recommended to use wood or combined ovens to heat the room, and inside there should not be protruding nails or wires that chickens can injure. The floor and foundation of the room should not be accessible to enter the mice or rats that will steal the food, and spread the infection.

Year-round premises should not be cold, have drafts and / or cracks. The area of the ventilation windows should be at least 1/12 of the floor area of the chicken coop (if a through ventilation system is used).

The drawing of the building is made taking into account the number of chickens that are planned to grow.

One square meter of the chicken coop should have no more than 4 broilers with an outdoor method of cultivation, and no more than 12-18 broilers with a cellular method.

When choosing a place to build it is important to consider next moments:

The coop should not be located in a valley
The construction site should be far from the roadway and noisy places,
The windows and the south side should not shade buildings or large trees.

In the lowlands, rain and melt water accumulates, therefore, when the chicken coop is located in such a place, the floor inside will be constantly damp and covered with mold. The best location of the building is on a small flat height, with the enclosure turning to the south-east side. Many breeds of meat chickens react badly to loud noises, are nervous and gain weight poorly, so the place where the chicken coop is built should be quiet.

Warming the chicken coop

It is necessary to warm the room for chickens for the following purposes:

To reduce heating costs,
To provide quick weight gain for broilers,
To prevent colds and other diseases of chickens associated with cold.

Warming up the chicken coop is best done during its construction, which will save material and time. The floor, walls and ceiling of the building need to be insulated.

The basic principle of insulation is the creation of a layer of insulating material in the thickness of the wall or floor, which will allow to keep the heat in the room. It is also important to avoid drafts and crevices.

When building a wooden chicken coop as an insulating material, it will do:

Mineral wool,
Polymer filler,
Foam or foam blocks.

If a ready (not warmed) room is reequipped under a chicken coop, it can be sheathed from the outside with pressed straw or cotton briquettes.

For floor insulation, you can use deep litterIn which due to the decomposition of organic substances, heat is released into the room. This litter is made from hay or straw mixed with sawdust or peat. The height of the deep litter is 30-40 cm, it changes every year or two. A farmer needs to remember that the use of deep bedding is inevitably accompanied by the accumulation of poisonous ammonia vapors due to the excretions of the bird, so a mechanical ventilation system must be in the coop.

Lighting and ventilation

The ventilation system can be of three types:

Windowed
From plastic pipe,
Mechanical.

When the window type in the room are installed holes on opposite sides, which at certain hours open at the same time and provide blowing of stagnant air.

Ventilation from a plastic pipe involves installing two vertical pipes in the ceiling openings, one of which will almost reach the floor, and the other will stick out from the ceiling by 30-50 cm. The principle of operation of such ventilation is based on the ability of heated air masses to rise. Thus, the heated air together with ammonia vapors and carbon dioxide will come out of the short upper tube, and instead of it fresh air will flow in through the long tube.

The mechanical type is an electric fan located in the wall openings or ceiling. This type of ventilation requires energy consumption, but allows you to quickly and effectively get rid of dead air. The mechanical method can be combined with others by embedding fans in vertical pipes or window openings.

Hours-long lighting is necessary for broilers, since the extended daylight hours increase appetite and stimulate food consumption by chickens, leading to a rapid set of the desired weight.

For lighting fit:

Incandescent lamps
LED bulbs.

Fluorescent lamps and “energy-saving” bulbs in the form of spirals made on the same principle are not recommended because of the flicker that is invisible to the eye at a frequency of 60 times per second. Such flickering badly affects the health of chickens, they lose their appetite and become pugnacious, which does not contribute to their rapid fattening. In addition, if chickens light up such lamps, the chicken house will be contaminated with mercury, which will cause chickens to become sick over the next few months.

Incandescent bulbs require a significant consumption of electricity, since most of the electricity is converted into heat. LED lamps will sanctify the hen house well, and their low level of energy consumption makes it possible for them to be powered by solar panels on the roof of the coop.

For every 5 square meters of the area of the chicken coop (with a building height of 2 meters) there must be one 100 W or one LED lamp with a power of 11 W.

Compound feed for chickens should have a special composition. Detailed recipes can be found in our article.

Do chickens peck eggs? Find out why this happens by reading our material.

Tools and materials

For the manufacture of wooden insulated chicken coop, intended for the maintenance of 20 broiler chickens, you will need:

Cement and bricks for the foundation,
Crushed stone or pebbles,
Bar of wooden 100х100 mm,
Bar 100x50 for log,
Board planed with a thickness of 15-20 mm
Mineral wool,
Metal fasteners in the form of brackets,
Metal profile,
Nails and screws,
Construction level,
Drill with screwdriver,
Saw and hammer
Roulette,
Ruberoid,
Construction resin,
Foil insulation.

Instead of mineral wool, you can use another heater. If construction is carried out using sandwich panels, no insulation is needed. Metal brackets are intended for additional fastening of bearing beams and must be at least 3 mm thick and 50-100 mm wide.

Step-by-step instruction

Before making the building you need to choose a place and make a drawing. For a chicken coop designed for 20 broilers, the scheme shown in Figure 1 will do.

Construction should begin with the preparation of the foundation.

The foundation for the coop is better to use a columnar or pile, since the strip foundation will require significant costs and its application for small buildings is impractical.

To create the foundation in the form of a columnar foundation, you must:

Mark a place under the coop on the ground,
In the corners of the future chicken coop and around its perimeter every one and a half to two meters to make a mark,
In the marked places to dig holes 0.5 meters deep and 0.4-0.6 meters wide,
In the dug pits to make laying square columns of brick or cinder block, fastening the blocks with a solution of cement,
Allow the cement to dry, and then fill the space between the pit and the pillars with gravel or gravel.

Instead of brick columns, concrete mixed with rubble in a 1: 3 ratio can be poured into dug pits by first placing several bars of reinforcement into the foundation pit for strength. To install a pile foundation, the marking is done in the same way, but instead of digging holes, the piles are simply screwed into marked places.

After drying the foundation, you can proceed directly to the construction. For the construction of the building you need:

To lay square sheets of ruberoid on the foundation columns,
Install supporting horizontal beams from timber 100x100, fastening them together, as shown in Figure 2,
Fasten the brackets by attaching them to the screws,
Install four vertical support beams from timber 100x100 in the corners of the future chicken house,
Fasten the vertical beams with temporary boards on top to secure their position,
Attach vertical beams to horizontal ones using a beam at an angle of 45 degrees so that each of the four bearing pillars is held by two fastening bars, the opposite ends of which rest on horizontal beams,
Strengthen the horizontal upper beams on which the roof will rest,
Make 100x50 rafters of a ramp for a ramp by sawing them at an angle of 30 degrees, and then connect them on the upper horizontal beams as shown in Figure 3.
Lay on the lower beams beam 100x50 edge horizontally every 0.5 meters (sexual lags),
Pave the space between the lag insulation,
Put the floorboards on the logs and attach them with nails or screws,
To lay the board outside the walls of the coop
Attach a timber from the inside of the wall vertically every 0.5 meters, by analogy with the sex lags,
Lay insulation in the openings in the wall and fix it with knitting wire,
Expand the rolls of the foil-reflector and attach them to the walls on the insulation, starting from the top,
Prikolotit lining boards on the reflector from the inside,
Lay the boards on the roof under the slopes,
Lay the roof surface with sheets of ruberoid,
Put tile or slate on the installed rafters, leaving space for vertical ventilation,
Grease all the cracks inside the room with a sealing mixture,
After the sealant dries, treat the wood from the inside with a waterproof solution, and after it dries, cover the walls and floor with a solution of lime,
Allow the lime to dry, after which you can equip the room and cover the litter.

Instead of a vertical bar in the walls, you can use a metal profile in order to save material. When installing bearing beams, it is important to check their horizontal level. According to a similar scheme, only without laying a heater, a vestige of 1x1 meter in size is built on the door outside, the purpose of which is not to give heat to leave the room in winter.

Typical mistakes

When designing and building a chicken coop for broilers, many make mistakes that sometimes lead to the need to redo the entire structure.

The first error relates to the choice of location for construction. A farmer, trying to choose a hill, often erects a chicken coop on too small a hillock so that the walls of the chicken coop fall almost flush with the slope. In such buildings often erodes parts of the foundation, in addition, such a chicken coop can not be expanded through extensions.

Another common mistake is the lack of protection from rats and mice. Erecting a chicken coop right on the ground and not making a protective distance between the ground and the lower layer of insulation, poultry farmers not only subject the coop to flooding, but also allow rodents to access it, as they easily gnaw through the tree.

Experienced poultry farmers recommend to fill the lower part under the floor insulation between the foundation pillars not with gravel, but with broken glass - this will prevent rodents from digging.

The next most common mistake is the use of improper building materials. For cladding not recommended:

These materials accumulate moisture, contribute to the development of mold and are easily destroyed, releasing toxic substances for chickens. It is best to use ordinary wooden boards, treated with moisture or lining.

So, in the independent construction of the chicken coop, it is important to carefully choose the place and plan the construction depending on the materials available and financial possibilities. Compliance with the sequence of steps and taking into account the details in the work will help the farmer save money and provide a comfortable environment for broiler chickens.

Construction of a house for broilers

Poultry houses for keeping chickens or adults are built according to the following algorithm:

Filling the foundation.
The construction of the walls of the coop.
Pouring concrete or clay concrete screed.
Installation of the roof.
Interior walls using lime mortar. This will additionally protect the birds from germs.
Fastening perches and broiler cages. They are relevant for large livestock. At least one adult perch is required per adult.

Erection of a house for broilers with their own hands for many will be a more optimal solution compared to the purchase of the finished version. Due to independent construction, you can save on material costs, control the compliance of the house to the required conditions and accurately calculate the size of the building in accordance with the planned population.

Erection Tips

The following recommendations will be helpful to a novice farmer who has decided to start building a chicken coop for the first time.

The roof of the chicken coop is insulated and protected from moisture penetration using a waterproofing film.
Each poultry house needs ventilation, so window slides must be made in the chicken-house drawings for broiler breeding. The minimum allowable size of the window is 1/12 part of the base area of the building.
The floor is poured on a concrete-based screed in its pure form or with the addition of clay. Before pouring around the perimeter of the future structure, it is necessary to pour chips, glass fragments or sawdust to protect the livestock of the chicken coop from the penetration of rodents and small predators digging tunnels underground.
Sometimes breeders want to build chicken coops for broilers in the northern regions with a cold climate. For such a structure requires capital walls with a thickness of at least 20 cm.
For lighting inside the house, professionals recommend using incandescent bulbs. They are more efficient than energy-saving lamps because they provide extra heat to the air. Also, chickens grow better if they are grown in yellow light, similar to sunlight.
As a useful addition to summer time, it is more correct to install mosquito nets on the windows and air vents. Small insects can get into the nostrils of chickens, because of which the latter often suffocate.
As an additional source of ventilation, there are holes in the walls at a distance of 15-20 cm from the floor. This reduces the number of unpleasant odors. For the winter season they are closed to maintain the required temperature inside the house.

Coop Requirements

In the chicken coop, intended for the breeding of broilers, there are a number of differences from other types of poultry houses. If you take them into account, even a novice farmer can build the right type of bird dwelling and equip it in accordance with veterinary requirements.

Characteristics of chicken coops for growing broilers:

They require less space, due to which you can breed this type of hen even on a small dacha.
In its chicken coop, made from scratch or representing a converted barn, requires sufficient lighting. If you use incandescent bulbs, then in addition to lighting you can get a partial heating of the air.
A chicken coop for broilers should be adequately ventilated, but retain heat. For this wizard recommend the use of special heaters.
According to the key requirements for breeding birds, the feeder and the drinker cannot be placed side by side, it is better to arrange them in different corners.

The main difference between broilers and ordinary laying hens is their short lifespan. They are slaughtered after 2-3 months of breeding. Therefore, there is no need to create nesting sites and allocate a large space for walking. Instead, it is better to mount the appropriate cells.

Calculate the value of the chicken coop

Размеры птичника определяют количеством голов, которые планирует содержать фермер. Если куры не смогут свободно гулять по территории двора, а заводчик хочет защитить бройлеров от хищников, помимо основного курятника он возводит загон для бройлеров своими руками.

It requires proper calculations to the birds had enough space.

Standard guideline for calculating the required chicken house area:

Up to 10 adults and up to 50 chicks live comfortably on a square 1m * 1m. In order to save space when breeding a large number of heads, multi-level chicken coops are made.
The optimal height between the levels is 1.5 meters.

Tools for the construction of the hen house with their own hands

Quality is the main criterion when choosing materials for construction. His ignoring will negatively affect the house and lead to losses.

Recommended materials for the construction of the house:

Depending on the climate, walls can be made of bricks, wood, plywood sheets, gas blocks, etc.
The foundation is made of slag, wooden formwork and a mixture of sand and cement.
Most of the drawings for the chicken coop suggest the presence of dividing walls and rafters, for which the best use of wood.
Convenient pallets are made from metal sheets or plates.
As the material for the roof fit tile, slate, plywood or roofing felt.
Additional fittings: fasteners for various parts and brackets for fastening watering devices and feeders.

This is an indicative list of materials. Their final set is determined depending on the complexity of the future structure.

Makarov Ivan Vasilyevich

Hereditary poultry farmer, owner of a poultry farm, graduated from St. Petersburg State Agrarian University with honors, the author of articles in specialized publications

Features of the chicken coop for broilers

Chickens broiler areas of productivity have distinctive features. This is important to consider not only for the breeding and maintenance of these birds, but also when building a chicken coop. The specifics of the house for broilers:

birds need a little spaceBecause in large areas they become excessively voracious, they are gaining fat. The coop must be small
need constant lighting, necessary for birds for harmonious growth and development. If you use red lamps for a chicken coop, they will not only support the light, but also additionally heat the room,
the coop must be warm and well ventilated. For this purpose, you should install heat sources, as well as carefully consider ventilation in the coop,
broilers do not need space for nests, unlike laying hens, however, you need to think very well about the flooring - most of the time they spend on it. In industrial farms, cell contents are used.

How to make a nest for chickens with your own hands, read here.

Feeders for chickens and drinkers are best located in different corners of the room (cage), this will reduce the amount of dirt in the chicken coop and simplify the cleaning process.

Depending on the size of the herd and broiler breed, birds are kept on the floor or in cages. In industrial houses, special cages are used, in each of which up to 10 chickens can be placed. They are placed on metal or wooden racks, located in several levels. In the cages, external feeders and drip drinkers should be equipped, which allows to optimize the feed consumption.

You can read more about broiler cages here.

In the chicken coop, you need to think about the foundation and the floor, which will save the birds from the attack of small rodents and predators. It is recommended to pre-create a drawing of the room on which to display all the details of the future design. Outdoor method of content for broilers is more suitable for small farms. Thanks to floor mats, food can be removed less frequently, and the risk of paw damage is reduced, which often happens when chickens are raised in cages. Poultry farmers note that with this method, the taste quality of meat is also improved.

About options for sex in the chicken coop can be found in this material.

Broiler chickens are kept in special boxes - brooders, where they create an optimal microclimate and feeding regime. They are located away from adult birds in order not to disturb the peace and rest.

Microclimatic conditions

For year-round birds, you must carefully plan the indoor climate. This directly affects the health and productivity of chickens, since with a lack of heat, part of the internal energy of the bird goes to its own warming. The temperature in the room should be in the range of 5-23 o C, water should not be allowed to freeze and drinkers. At too high temperatures, weight gain is reduced, there is a risk of respiratory diseases.

The second important point - ventilation, in its absence significantly increases the risk of deadly diseases, chickens become less active and lose their appetite. It is impossible to prevent the presence of drafts, the speed of the air flow should not exceed 2.5 m / s. To control the air exchange, it is necessary to equip the ventilation system, the presence of a thermostat and a hood is a mandatory parameter. It is especially important to organize a forced ventilation system in regions with hot and humid climates.

The presence of light is one of the most important conditions of the microclimate in the chicken coop. With it, you can control the rate of development and growth of poultry, control meat productivity. Lighting is necessary for chickens in the amount of 12-14 hours a day, at night the light can be turned off so that the birds can rest. As a source of artificial light is best to use fluorescent lamps or devices with conventional incandescent bulbs. Lighting is best mounted on the ceiling to create a diffusing light, the most useful for poultry.

Maintaining an optimal daylight hours in a chicken coop reduces injuries, cannibalism, or slander in birds.

Features of construction

The coop should be located away from noisy roads, it is desirable to choose the site on a dry and elevated place. The shade of nearby trees and buildings should not fall on the windows of the house. It is believed that the optimal place for the house is the southeast side of the plot. The structure for broiler chickens differs from the classic chicken coop with the following points:

cells are best located in 2-3 tiersto save space and material costs. The floor and foundation must be strong to withstand the weight of all birds, centered on racks,
to ensure normal air circulation and the flow of fresh air, the total volume of the room and the height of the ceilings should be slightly increased,
you need to think carefully about the heating system and wall insulation, because broilers have a tendency to respiratory diseases.

If a strong wind is constantly observed in the region, then it is advisable to make an additional fence or plant a hedge of climbing plants. The building itself can start from scratch or use the former utility room, competently equip it from the inside and outside.

Calculations and sizes

The volume and area of the chicken coop depends largely on the size of the herd. When calculating the dimensions, they are guided by the following indicators - in a 1 m 2 it is comfortable to be 8-10 adults or 25-30 chickens. However, for keeping young stock it is necessary to build a separate cage. To save space and ease of maintenance wooden or metal cells are placed in racks on several tiers. The last level of cells should be located not higher than 1.5 meters from the floor.

The window size should be at least 1/12 of the entire area of the chicken coop. The thickness of all capital walls is recommended in the range of 20-30 cm. The ventilation holes are located 20 cm from the level and the floor, at the same distance from the ceiling. When planning a ventilation system, it is necessary to take into account the electrical circuit, if you plan to use special devices and a thermostat.

You can read about building a chicken coop for laying hens with your own hands in this article.

For the convenience of cleaning and working with birds, it is recommended to purchase a small portable ladder stepladder so as not to reach for the cages in the full length of growth.

Independent construction planning, selection of all components and their transportation saves a lot of money. To build a chicken coop with your own hands, you will need the following materials (the list may vary depending on your chicken house project):

wooden timber with dimensions of 100x50 and 100x100,
materials for the construction of walls (plywood, brick, wood or foam blocks) and insulation,
sand-cement mixture, slag and formwork boards for the construction of the foundation,
bricks or foam concrete for the basement,
crushed stone and several sheets of foam plastic for laying under the concrete screed,
roofing material, plywood for roofs,
roofing material - tile or slate,
metal plates for shelving under the cells,
wooden slats for installation of sectional partitions,
anti-fungal coating (antiseptic), varnish or paint for the treatment of walls from the outside,
fastening tools and brackets for fixing drinkers, feeders.

It is not recommended to save on materials, since due to the microclimate features in the coop, boards and other elements can quickly become unusable.

Construction: instruction

All work is desirable to carry out in the summer - it simplifies not only the transportation of materials, but also reduces the impact of moisture on raw materials. In addition, birds in the warm season can be settled immediately after the completion of all work. After preparing all the materials and tools you can proceed to the construction of the building. Typical construction plan:

It is necessary to dig a trench 30 cm wide and 40-45 cm deep to fill the foundation. After that install the formwork, put a layer of waterproofing and roofing material.
In a climate of mid-latitudes, the foundation solidifies completely within 5-7 days. It is advisable to cover it with plastic wrap to avoid moisture ingress.
On the foundation lay brick (foam concrete) as a basement part. This design avoids the constant attack of rodents, reduces the impact of soil on the walls. Only 3-5 rows are enough.
On the basement spread a fine-mesh grid 60 cm wide and fasten it with dowels.
Inside the foundation to remove the fertile layer of the earth to the depth of the spade bayonet, pour out the crushed stone with a thickness of 7-10 cm. Place a sheet of foam plastic on top and pour a concrete screed.
The walls of the chicken coop erected of brick or foam, but it is better to use a wooden frame. As a rule, it is collected right on the ground, then transferred to a previously prepared foundation. At the same stage, you need not forget about the window openings and the door.
If you use frame construction, sheets of insulation are placed inside the walls.which are sheathed on both sides with plywood or edged board. The recommended thickness of insulation is 5 cm.
Roof rafters are prepared on the ground and then mounted directly on the walls.. As a rule, use the usual gable cover, due to which you can avoid the accumulation of snow. After installing the rafters, you can proceed to its crate and install the roof.
The roof must be insulated and put a layer of moisture protection.. The inner side is sheathed with sheets of plywood.
Space must be left for the vent pipe. with a diameter of 20-25 cm. Its length must be at least 2 meters. All joints should be insulated with construction foam.
You can start finishing and interior work. The walls inside are recommended to be coated with lime mortar and painted on the outside with varnish, which increases the life of the building.

The last stage of work is the installation of racks for cells, the conduct of electricity and the creation of a ventilation system. It is convenient to use an oven buleryan or simple electric heating as heating. Cages can be made independently of wooden slats or metal mesh, or you can buy finished steel structures.

Work on the electrician is better to delegate to a specialist in order to avoid errors, which can lead to a short circuit and fire in the hen house.

In this video, the farmer shows a homemade broiler chicken coop.

For the maintenance of chickens is not required the presence of perches. The coop differs in the small size and lack of the walking platform.
Chickens in this direction are kept in cages or on the floor. The first option allows you to save space in the house, so it is more suitable for industrial farms.
When the floor content improves the taste of meat, simplifies the process of cleaning the room.
The construction of a chicken coop for broilers begins with the creation of a project and drawing of the building. This avoids mistakes and wisely uses space.
The construction of the building is not difficult even for novice farmers. It is important not only to observe the construction technology, but also to take into account the peculiarities of the content of chickens.

About the construction of broilers for broilers with their own hands, read the link.

How to build a chicken coop with your own hands

Independent production of a chicken coop at the cottage or a private plot is beneficial in many respects:

The cost of self-construction is less than the purchase of finished "housing" for chickens.
Durability and reliability of the structure. You build “as for yourself,” so you will try conscientiously.
The possibility of calculating the dimensions of the room, based on the exact number of birds grown.

Build a chicken coop for the broilers with their own hands is much more profitable than buying a ready-made structure.

Requirements for the chicken coop for broilers:

The small size of the room.
A warm, well-lit room.
Availability of space for cell placement.

Here are some more features of the broiler growing area:

Feeders and drinkers should be placed on opposite sides of the room.
To maintain a favorable microclimate (good lighting, optimum air temperature), the installation of electric lamps is necessary.
The optimum temperature for chicks should not be below 35 degrees. For birds from 15 days old, the air temperature in the room is not lower than 18 degrees.

An important point - the choice of location for the future of the chicken coop. The soil should be dry, preferably sandy. If the soil is clay or the area is marshy, you must first dry the area and cover it with sand. If you do not fulfill this requirement, the bird will be sick.

A well-lit room is an indispensable condition for a healthy broiler population. This reduces the risk of infection with ticks and bronchitis. To protect the chicken coop from drafts, a hedge (for example, grapes) helps well.

Broilers do not need a lot of space, but they must have shelter from rain and sun.

Before building a chicken coop room, you need to take care that there is a place for walking with a canopy under which the chickens can hide from the weather or the sun's rays. To accommodate the chicken coop, it is advisable to choose an elevated place so that when it rains the water does not accumulate on the house and flow down.

Drafting

Before drafting the chicken coop, decide on the future livestock. Unlike laying hens, broilers don't need a lot of space. On one square meter, 50 broiler chickens or 4-5 adults will feel quite comfortable.

Based on this proportion, you can calculate the area of future construction before you make a chicken coop. To save space, experts recommend installing cages with birds in several "floors". At the same time, the height of the lower tier should not exceed 1.5 m from the floor surface. After calculations, make sketches or drawings.

Many farmers grow broilers in cages.

Coop Design

The shape of the coop can be rectangular or square, depending on the shape of the plot and your personal preferences. Now - about the materials. The construction can be plank. For a more fundamental construction, you can use a brick. In addition, you will need: concrete for the arrangement of the foundation, insulation, roofing material, fasteners.

Foundation building

The foundation is necessary to protect the livestock of birds from the penetration of predators and rodents: rats, cats, dogs. For the foundation, a 0.3-meter-deep trench is dug out and wooden formwork is installed. Inside the concrete is poured and kept for several days. If you plan to use the house only in the warm season, you can use the lightweight version of the foundation: the width is 0.1 m and the depth is 0.2 m.

Over the concrete you need to lay the floor of the boards:

As a waterproofing, use roofing felt.
Connecting the ends of the bars, put the first crown.
Lay logs with an interval of 0.5 m.
Fill the space between the lags with insulation.
Lay the board floor on top (mounting tongue and groove).

Frame chicken coop set on the foundation.

Important! Is it possible to do without a foundation? It is possible if the walls are made of wood and the structure will be used only as a summer chicken coop. However, such a structure will not be durable: from contact with wet earth, the tree will rot. To make a wooden structure without a foundation more solid, it is necessary to upholster it with iron in the lower part of the walls.

During construction, you need to fulfill a number of requirements:

Be sure to whiten the walls of the chicken coop with lime or treat with an antiseptic solution. Это способствует обеззараживанию помещения. Можно приобрести готовый дезинфицирующий состав или использовать бледно-розовый раствор марганцовки. Для нанесения на стены антисептика используйте пульверизатор.
Позаботьтесь о качественной вентиляции, чтобы курятник хорошо проветривался. Windows will help to solve issues like ventilation, and natural lighting. If there are no windows in the house, then a good hood should be installed. A two-meter pipe with a diameter of 200 mm is suitable as an exhaust. Make a hole in the roof and install a pipe in it so that the part of it is 200 mm in the room itself.
In winter, in addition to the natural, you will need artificial lighting. For lighting in the chicken coop fit LED, fluorescent, and energy-saving lamps.
The roof is desirable gable, although we admit the option with a single slope. The gable roof helps maintain the desired microclimate in the room. Snow and water do not linger on the roof. And the space between the ceiling and the roof is convenient for storing inventory.
Warm the walls of the structure with wood or foam.

Broiler housing should be well ventilated.

Internal arrangement of the chicken coop for broilers

First of all, this arrangement of lighting. The number of lamps is calculated in this way. On the area of 3.0 x 2.0 m one lamp will be enough. Cages for placing chickens can be purchased ready-made or made independently. It is necessary to equip the cages with feeders and drinkers so that the bird has constant access to water and feed (see how to make a drinker for chickens with your own hands).

For bedding, you can use straw or sawdust, which periodically needs to be changed. The floor in the cells is desirable to do with a slight bias to reduce the complexity of cleaning. If the acquisition of cages is too costly for you, you can practice poultry housing. To make the litter easier to change, you can use linoleum as a floor covering. It is advisable to make fewer joints, since it will be difficult to keep the floor clean.

Take care and protection of livestock from parasites. To do this, prepare a trough with a mixture of ash and sand. If the birds will take such baths during walking, it will protect them from the bites of parasites.

Choosing a place for a chicken coop

Choosing the right place for the chicken coop will simplify construction in many ways. There are a few key points to stick with when making your choice.

Orientation. It is important to correctly orient the house to the cardinal points. The building is rectangular in shape from east to west along the length. Ideally, the place under the window is marked on the south side, and the door on the east side. With this arrangement will be the maximum amount of light falling in the window.
Location Ideally, place a chicken coop on a hill. Moisture in the lowlands lasts longer and it is more difficult for the birds to provide good walking.
Temperature. Both heat and cold have an equally bad effect on birds. At temperatures above +30 degrees the birds cease to fly. For the summer period the windows should be closed with special shutters. In winter, it is enough to maintain a temperature of +12 +15 degrees.
Silence. It is important for birds to feel calm and safe. Prefer place away from home or road. Good ideas would be building a hedge around a chicken coop.
Square. Choose a place based on the size of the house. Each square meter of the structure should populate no more than two chickens. A house for 10 chickens will occupy a minimum area of 5 sq.m. It is important to provide a place for a tambour. This is a good element of insulation and in winter cold air will not penetrate directly to the birds.

Preparatory work

Having decided on a place, it is worth working out drawings. A good example of drawing a house in the photo.

You can see a sample markup space for the aviary, entrance and vestibule, the location of nests and drinkers. As well as the approximate dimensions of the building. In the view of many - a hen house a sort of dilapidated shed. However, housing for birds may well become an ornament of the dacha.

It is important to stock up on the required number of boards and boards. It is simpler to build wood, the material is fairly easy to use and eco-friendly, and besides, the construction of wood always fits in well with the landscape.

For the arrangement of the aviary will need a few meters of metal mesh. In addition, you need concrete and brick for the foundation and insulation in the form of roofing material. You can use mineral wool.

Tools required for construction:

hammer,
saw,
nails and screws,
shovel,
ruler with level.

Building a chicken coop

Making a chicken coop on 10 chickens with your own hands is not as difficult as it seems. We have already decided on the tools and the necessary materials, have prepared approximate drawings. You do not need to be a professional engineer to jot down an approximate scheme of construction. It is important to specify the correct size, location of windows and doors, mark the aviary.

Start construction with a foundation. Even for a small house, it is necessary - the foundation provides good floor ventilation and protects rats and ferrets from entering. The simplest option is a pillar foundation. Even old bricks are suitable for it, as well as stone. Space under the foundation is marked with a thin rope and wooden or metal rods. In accordance with the drawings, along the perimeter we hammer rods into the ground. We are wrapped with a rope.

The top layer of soil, 20 centimeters, it is better to remove.

Along the perimeter are constructed pillars of stone or brick, which will become a reliable support for the structure. The maximum distance between the bollards is one meter, and the depth of the pit under each is about 60 cm. Brick bollards can protrude 20-30 cm above the surface.

The next item is the creation of sex. A warm double floor is important for the health of chickens.

It is done as follows: a “draft” floor is immediately placed on the foundation. It is easy to make from any materials or construction waste. On top of it spreads wooden beams, a thick layer of insulation and already on top - the main floor. Boards should be smooth, without cracks. Recommended thickness is 25 mm.

This design will provide the necessary ventilation and save from freezing and blowing.

A chicken coop for broilers should have reliable and durable walls with a minimum height of 1.8 m. Otherwise, birds will feel limited in space. A good version of the walls - the frame of the timber. According to the drawings left openings under the window. Fixed bars are sheathed with boards on both sides. It is also necessary to place insulation material (sawdust, mineral wool) between the boards.

Outside walls can be painted in any color. Painting will serve as a good protection against erosion and will save from insects spoiling the tree. Windows should be easily removed and shuttered in case of heat or severe frosts.

It is important to pay extra attention to them, because the abundance of light in the chicken coop directly affects the egg production of chickens.

Ideally, the roof is better to do dvuhskatnoy. This will provide sufficient storage space for inventory and feed. When drawing drawings, think about this moment. After the ceiling is laid - it is necessary to warm it. Expanded clay is well suited for this. Ventilation is thought out in advance. Ideal ventilation will create two wooden boxes located at opposite ends of the chicken coop. To do this, one end of the box must be flush with the ceiling, and the second one is 40 centimeters lower than it. The temperature in the hen house will help to regulate the flaps, in cold weather they can completely close the ventilation opening. As the roofing material is usually used slate or tile. It is important not to forget to lay a roofing material under the roofing material.

Finishing work

Creating a hen house for broilers with their own hands, special attention is paid to the internal space. It would not be superfluous to designate the location of perches and feeders on the drawings of the room. Perches - a necessary element of the arrangement of the chicken coop. When calculating you need to remember that each bird needs about 30 cm of personal space. That is, for 10 chickens you need at least 3 meters perch. For its manufacture perches is best to use the bar 40x60 mm. In order not to injure the birds, the poles must be rounded.

Proper placement of perches - 60 cm from the floor and at a distance of at least 50 cm from each other. Placing perches on top of each other is unacceptable.

The chicken coop for broilers is supplied with feeding troughs, nests and drinking bowls. As nests can be used a wooden box filled with sawdust or hay. To facilitate the cleaning of the chicken coop the floor can be filled with sawdust.

Aviary plays an important role in the daily life of birds. This will simplify the construction and help to take into account all the details. The size of a good enclosure is twice the minimum size of the house. If possible, place it on a plot of green grass - birds will receive healthy food while walking.

The open-air cage can be built with the help of bars covered with metal mesh. In one of the sections is the gate with a reliable bolt. Since chickens are birds, although not quite flying, it is better to make them from a net and a ceiling. Internal space can be supplemented with several perches, drinking bowls and a place for feeding.

A chicken coop for 20 chickens and an open-air cage for it is built on the same principle, but with large sizes. It is important to note that for such a number of hens the minimum area of the house will be 10 square meters, and the enclosure - about 20 square meters.