Subsidiary farming on the territory of a summer cottage or a country house does not lose its relevance. In addition to growing vegetables, many people enjoy keeping poultry. Shed for chickens and a small place for walking - that's all you need. The construction does not require large financial costs, and the simplicity of the design allows you to manage on your own.
Building site
Before you build a chicken shed with your own hands, you need to choose a place on the site. It is important to follow a few simple rules:
- The barn should not stand in the lowlands. This will help to avoid flooding the foundation with melt water and precipitation. You can organize a small embankment and carry out drainage (dig a groove around the perimeter to drain water).
- Build a barn should be at a remote distance from a residential building. The specific pungent smell of chicken manure will not cause concern.
- For a comfortable keeping of chickens, a place for a fenced range should be provided. The bird will not pollutethe territory of the summer cottage and will not be able to dig through the entire garden. Walking is better to arrange on the leeward side.
- The building should protect the bird from wild animals, birds of prey and domestic "hunters" (dogs, cats).
Size
A barn for chickens is built for a certain number of birds. It is from this that the size of the future building will depend. For a small herd of 10-20 heads, an area of 2 by 3 meters is enough. If a large population is planned, the area is calculated based on the fact that for every 20 birds 6 m2 will be required2 area.
You can’t neglect the rules, more than 4 heads per 1 m22 chicken density will contribute to overheating of the bird, reducing productivity and even death.
Chicken coop designs
The chicken shed is by design a very simple building. When choosing any option, the building must meet the necessary zoohygienic requirements for poultry keeping.
The room should be dry and warm, with the arrangement of a ventilation system. A chicken shed can be built without windows. If there are windows, it is better to close them with a net from the inside. For a long time, artificial lighting has been used to keep birds. In addition to light, lamps provide additional heat, which is very important when keeping chickens and in winter.
But most poultry farmers prefer to build a barn for chickens (photo in the article) in the original style. In fact, a chicken coop can become a decoration of the landscape and a highlight of the entire yard. Artisanalhands can turn an ordinary outbuilding into a fairy house and a work of architectural art.
Internal Unit
The owner, starting to build a barn for chickens with his own hands, must plan in advance what and where will be located inside the chicken coop. The following points are taken into account:
- The perch is equipped at a height of at least 60 cm from the floor. This arrangement will greatly facilitate the cleaning of the room. If there are several levels, then the distance between them is maintained at 50 cm. The length of the poles themselves must correspond to the norm - 20 cm per individual.
- Nests should give the hens a sense of security. The best option would be ordinary wooden boxes. It is possible to use wicker baskets, cardboard boxes. For medium chickens, dimensions of 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm are quite suitable. Sawdust or straw is suitable as a filler for the nest, it must be changed periodically. The number of nests is one for 4-5 hens.
- Feeding troughs can be bought ready-made in the store or made with your own hands from improvised means: polypropylene pipes, polyethylene buckets or wood. The main requirement is that they should not be easily turned over by a bird. Feeders should be washed periodically.
- Drinkers should provide water for chickens 24 hours a day. When the heat is high, above 29o, the bird's watering increases sharply.
- Lighting is arranged on the basis of: for 6 m2 one 60W light bulb. Hang them at a height of two meters from the floor. With the help of electricity for laying hens increase the duration of lightdays (up to 14 hours) in the autumn-winter period. This has a positive effect on their productivity.
- Feed storage is an important issue. Basically, sheds are built with a gable roof. This helps to avoid collapse during heavy snowfalls. The attic serves as an additional insulator from the cold, and it is on it that food can be stored.
- Storage of bedding can be stored in the coop vestibule. This convenient layout keeps you warm in the winter and allows you to store all your essential tools.
Building insulation
The optimum temperature for keeping chickens indoors is 12o-16o. The range in which birds can feel quite comfortable is from -2o to +27o. To resolve the issue of how to make a chicken barn warm, you need to pay attention to the following:
- the floor should be wooden or adobe, but not concrete (cement), it is advisable to put a waterproofing layer under it;
- windows must be double, without gaps;
- the door is better single-leaf, insulated from the inside (the insulation must be closed with a mesh);
- the ceiling is made of wood and additionally covered with a mixture of clay and sawdust (possible with straw);
- walls are best wooden (the space between the boards is filled with insulation) or adobe.
Playground
The best option for the site is the southern side of the barn, protected from the wind. Walking sizecalculated at a rate of 0.5 m2 per bird. If it is possible to increase the area of \u200b\u200bthe enclosure, this should be done. To enter the aviary for chickens, special manholes measuring 30 cm x 30 cm with a ladder are arranged.
Part of the site must be equipped with a canopy. This will protect the bird from too hot sun. The rest is covered with netting to protect against birds of prey. To reduce the cost of construction work and ease of installation, you can use a fishing net with a large cell.
In no case should the enclosure be flooded with water. To solve the problem, it is recommended to arrange a slight slope in the enclosure so that the water leaves the site by gravity.
Building material
Before you build a chicken shed, you need to choose the right material. For the construction of a chicken coop, they try not to use concrete, brick, cinder blocks, natural stone. They are subject to dampness and are considered cold.
As a rule, when equipping utility rooms, cheap, sometimes used material is used. The general requirement is that any raw materials already used must be in good condition (not rotten) and not pose a danger to the bird (chips on boards or plywood can injure chickens).
Building errors
The main mistakes when equipping a chicken coop are:
- wrong choice of building site;
- wrong material;
- arrangement of a cold concrete floor;
- lack or incorrect calculation of ventilation;
- errors in calculating the area of the barn (it is necessary to provide for a possible increase in livestock).
