Today, more and more people are seriously thinking about breeding poultry. In addition to the fact that she does not need special care, you can still get meat and eggs from her. Before you start laying hens or broilers, you need to take care of creating favorable conditions for their existence, namely, to build a house for chickens.
Selection of materials
When choosing building materials, it is necessary to take into account not only your own financial capabilities, but also the climatic features of the region of residence. If do-it-yourself chicken houses are built from adobe, concrete or brick, then the thickness of the walls should be about half a meter. If, however, wood was chosen as the main building material, then it is quite possible to limit ourselves to a 20-centimeter wall thickness. All materials used must be environmentally friendly and do not contain any harmful substances. Birds can begin to peck at the mounting foam sticking out of the wall and get poisoned by it. All these nuances must be taken into account before you start building houses for chickens.laying hens.
Selecting location and sizing
Before starting construction, it is necessary to choose a suitable site on which the chicken house will be located. The site should not have ruts and pits in which moisture can accumulate. Dampness and slush significantly increase the disease rate of birds, so the site must be well-drained and not flooded during periods of heavy rainfall. In addition, chickens need good lighting, so their house should be exposed to the sun for at least a few hours a day. The sun will not only dry out the chicken coop, but will also have a positive effect on the well-being of its inhabitants.
Having decided on the place, you can think about what size the future chicken house will have. Its area directly depends on the number of the planned number of birds, because each individual should have about 1.2 square meters. m. In addition, each bird requires at least 1 linear meter of perch.
Design Features
To build chicken houses with your own hands, it is not at all necessary to be a professional builder. To do this, you need to have basic skills and know several design features. So, there should be no drafts in the chicken coop, but there must be a ventilation system that weathers ammonia fumes and provides fresh air. To avoid drafts, the boards are fitted as closely as possible to each other. During the construction process, care must be takenso that there are not even small gaps anywhere. To insulate the chicken house, a layer of mineral wool is laid between its walls, and the inner surface of the room is sheathed with roofing felt.
The countryside is inhabited by predatory animals that are not averse to feasting on fresh chicken. To prevent them from entering the chicken coop, the ventilation window is sealed with a metal grill. She can also fence the area for walking birds. To avoid possible undermining, the grid must be buried in the ground. To prevent unplanned flights of chickens and protect them from feathered predators, it is recommended to stretch a light plastic mesh over the corral. The roof of the building must be made of strong and durable materials. For these purposes, the welded rubelast, heated with a blowtorch and pressed to the base of the roof, is the best fit.
Interior arrangement of the house
Nests should be located in such a way that it is convenient for the owners to take eggs from there and periodically change soiled straw. It is undesirable to place them under perches, since in this case bird droppings will inevitably fall on the eggs. So that chickens can freely get food and water, but cannot scatter grain on the floor, drinkers and feeders should be placed at the level of their chest. The very design of the house should allow the owners to freely get to any corner of it.
Hobbit Home
One of the American designers, inspired by the Tolkien trilogy, came up with a brilliant idea for a house forchickens. To build such a home, you will need to make some effort, but the result is worth it. To build a house for chickens, a photo of which can be found on the pages of specialized magazines, you need to draw a plan based on the size of the future building. Only after that you should start sawing the rails on which the "hobbit" abode will be held. To protect the building from rodents, an adobe floor is constructed in it, along the perimeter of which it is recommended to drive metal sheets. The entrance and round windows for birds are hung with hinges and tightened with a mosquito net. The rounded roof is covered with roofing felt or shingles. The inside of the house is completely sheathed with wooden slats.
