We build a chicken coop with our own hands at the dacha. DIY chicken coop - Best tips for beginners! (66 photos). The idea of a good-quality chicken coop with a poultry walking area

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 who has necessary tools, materials, sufficient space for construction, and, of course, 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 airspace in 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 high temperatures air outside.

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 winter period it could be closed completely and opened only as needed.

Interior arrangement of the chicken coop

One of the most important elements of arranging a chicken coop are the perches on which the chickens spend time. most life. 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 is calculated " seats", 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 a 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 will be the installation of 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

Keeping laying hens at home is popular due to their simple care. However, in order for chickens to please their owners with good growth and productivity, owners will have to invest effort and money in providing them with decent care. One of the main conditions is a well-built chicken coop, in which the bird will feel comfortable, and feeding and cleaning operations will not require much effort.

The number of birds determines the required size of the chicken coop, and the period of maintenance (summer or year-round) determines the type of premises.

To keep chickens indoors, a small house with a perch and nests will be enough, but to get the best result, the chicken coop should consist of two parts - a house and a walking fenced area (aviary). For a small number of birds, a portable house made of boards is perfect, the convenience of which is that, if necessary, it can always be moved to a new place.

There are no strict limiting rules in the construction of a chicken coop; each owner can show his imagination and independence.

Selection of location and construction of drawings

A dry area with good lighting, located at a sufficient distance from the living space, is an ideal option for placing a building. A flat area and a small southern slope will be suitable, which will provide optimal light conditions.

Depending on the specific conditions, we build drawings of the future chicken coop. This will help you calculate the required amount of materials and not make mistakes during the work process. Here, the future poultry farmer is given a lot of scope for imagination - even an outbuilding can become original decoration site with a creative approach.

And in order not to invent anything from scratch, it will be very useful to familiarize yourself with photographs and detailed drawings of chicken coops that have already been tested by time. Magazines and newspapers, videos and photographs on the Internet, catalogs of companies offering ready-made models are a real storehouse of valuable and useful information.

Special literature and advice from those who already keep chickens will help you make the right decision. Below we will discuss the main points that you should pay attention to when developing your project.

Internal layout of the house

Perch. Wooden blocks are nailed between the walls of the building at a low height. The optimal distance from the floor to the bar is half a meter, although in practice perches are often made at different heights. It is not recommended to raise it too high above the floor - this can lead to injury to the bird. You need to leave at least 25-30 cm from the wall to the bar, and if you are nailing several bars at the same height, then make the distance between them approximately 35-40 cm.

Nests for laying eggs. The size of the nest should be no less than 30 x 30 cm, and the height of the walls should be about 40 cm. Wicker baskets or wooden boxes with a bedding of straw or wood shavings can be used as nests. You can place the nests directly on the floor, in a secluded corner, but it is better to raise them to a small height and arrange a staircase in the form of a wide board with cross bars stuffed on it. The number of nests is selected at the rate of one nest for 3-4 hens.

In small chicken coops it is convenient to attach a special structure to the wall. From the inside of the room it looks like a niche in which the nests are located, and from the outside it looks like a ledge in the form of a hanging box with a door. The door provides convenient human access to the nest and makes it easier to collect eggs.

In a large chicken coop, it is better to place the nests on the wall or in the corners of the room, but so that they can be easily reached - to pick up eggs or change the litter.

Feeder. To ensure that the procedure of feeding birds does not turn into a burden, try to position the feeders with maximum convenience. An excellent option is a retractable tray that is easy to clean and fill with food without even entering the bird’s house.

Windows and doors

The correct location of windows and doors is the key to comfortable use. Windows should provide the necessary illumination; often one small window is enough. It is better to place the door on the east side; its size depends on your height. A door that is too small will create inconvenience; focus primarily on this parameter.

Ventilation

Ventilation windows are made on two opposite sides, with one of them located in the lower part, closer to the floor, and the second just below the ceiling.

Design features

In order to save space, many owners build chicken coops in such a way that the space under the house can be used for walking birds. This solution is especially relevant when building summer chicken coops. However, this possibility should not be neglected when constructing insulated winter options.

Do you need a foundation for a chicken coop?

As a rule, poultry buildings are built from boards and are relatively light in weight. This circumstance allows you to save on the construction of the foundation. However, it is inadvisable to place the chicken coop directly on the ground, not only for reasons of safety of the building, but also for the purpose of ensuring safety. If there is no floor raised above the ground, the risk of animals entering the chicken coop is much higher. If you do not want to lose your yard, provide maximum protection against the entry of unwanted guests.

As a foundation, you can use concrete or iron pillars, larch beams, or a standard strip foundation.

Construction materials

Most often, the material chosen is inexpensive, or what is available. Some owners adapt dugouts for the chicken coop - in winter they retain heat well, and in summer they create comfortable coolness. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to protect the room from rodents, for which wooden sheathing is only a temporary obstacle. Concrete, stone and brick will cope with this much better, but they will not protect against dampness and cold.

For stationary heated chicken coops, you can use any materials, including brick or concrete. Solid buildings will require large investments, but they will pay off in the future.

Inexpensive options for winter chicken coops are frame buildings. Timber or log buildings are the most optimal; it is easiest to provide the necessary temperature conditions in them, and they will last quite a long time.

Video - Winter frame chicken coop

The best material for an enclosure is metal or plastic mesh. If there is fishing in your area predator birds, then it is better to cover the enclosure with a net and on top to protect the chickens from attack.

Video - Aviary in a chicken coop

For the roof of the house, slate or roofing felt, as well as boards, are suitable.

Video - How to build a chicken coop

Any construction option has the right to exist; the main thing is to choose one that does not require special skills and is not too costly in terms of construction time and financial investments. Our portal offers a description of several models for self-building chicken coops.

Room for summer keeping chickens

The simplest and most economical option is a plank house and an aviary made of chain-link mesh. The area of the house is calculated from the number of birds. For 5 hens, a shed of 1.5 m by 1.5 m will be enough, for 10 – 1.5 m by 3 m or 2 x 2 m. The aviary is attached to the chicken coop, the configuration and size depend on the capabilities of the territory. An approximate schematic solution is shown in the figure below.

Beautiful summer chicken coop, the layout of which allows for rational use of space, is presented in the following figure. The aviary and the chicken coop itself are under one roof, and the area under the house is also used for walking. Its dimensions can be adjusted, and the model is comfortable and beautiful in appearance.

Below is another option from the same series. The difference from the previous model is that the enclosure is closed with a mesh on top. This makes it possible to receive more sunlight, which is important for egg production and the health of the bird.

How do you like something so original? mobile chicken coop, made on a wheel frame? Made on the principle of an arched greenhouse. Everything is compact, beautiful, convenient. The main thing is that you can always take it with you when you move.

Summer chicken coops are not difficult to build. A stationary poultry house for year-round keeping of chickens differs from summer options in the need for wall insulation, and ideally requires heating.

When building a winter version, you should take into account the climatic conditions of the area where you live and select insulation for the walls. If these are glass wool slabs, then it will need to be hidden under reliable sheathing, however, just like polystyrene foam or other types of thermal insulation. Chickens love to peck at everything they can find, and if you skimp on sheathing, you can lose both the bird and the chicken coop.

For stone outbuildings, the best solution would be to connect them to the heating system of a residential building. This way you will be able to reduce heating costs and not worry about the safety of the poultry population. If hens are kept at normal temperatures, they will lay eggs well in winter.

Below are photos of winter chicken coops inside and out.

Insulating a winter chicken coop from the outside

A self-built chicken coop is just the first step towards home poultry farming. To succeed, you will need to study many nuances regarding the rules of maintenance and care, but construction is the very first and important stage. Make every effort to reap the fruits of your labor in the future.

Video - How to make a chicken coop - some practical tips

A good poultry house is a guarantee of excellent health and high productivity of your birds. Finding themselves in cramped conditions, dampness, cold and darkness, poultry will by no means be able to provide even the needs of the breeder’s family with meat and egg products, let alone bring him stable income,. this is why coop comfort is important. How to independently build and equip a chicken coop at the dacha, what needs to be taken into account during construction and how to insulate the structure for the winter - we will talk about all this later in the article.

How to choose a place to build a chicken coop in your country house

Finding a good place for construction will help the summer resident-poultry farmer in the future to get rid of negative factors that affect the decrease in egg production of birds, defects in their development and diseases.

Important! To protect poultry from helminthiasis, feed the livestock with a fresh decoction of chamomile flowers or garden sorrel leaves for 3 days every month..

When choosing the right zone, it is important to focus on the following recommendations:

Give preference to elevated and well-lit areas. This arrangement of the chicken coop guarantees an acceptable level of moisture inside the room, and also provides the light necessary for laying eggs. Moreover, water will never accumulate on the elevations during thaws and precipitation.
Avoid swampy areas, lowlands and places with high dampness, since cold air masses and excessive moisture always accumulate in them. And this is not best helpers when breeding chickens.
For a poultry house, look for a remote, cozy corner in your yard, where pets will not be frightened by the sounds of a busy road or other residents of the farm yard. It is desirable that people and animals appear in this place extremely rarely.
Try to ensure that the area chosen for the chicken coop corresponds to a rectangular shape, oriented from east to west.
In this case, the windows in this design should be planned from the south, and the northern wall should be protected by tall bushes or leaning trees. Plants will provide the bird with shade in the sun and protection from the piercing cold wind in winter. Besides, It is recommended to provide a walking area near the bird house.

It is fenced with a chain-link mesh or hedge, preventing living creatures from crossing the permitted boundaries.

Layout and dimensions

It is not advisable to build a room that is too large for raising chickens at the countryside. After all, in winter it will need to be heated and lit, and this will entail additional costs. In order for the future design to be practical and thoughtful, experienced poultry farmers advise initially doing the drawing work, designing all the details and nuances.
In order to determine the size of the poultry house, you need to understand how many birds it is designed for. If we are talking about one dozen birds, then 4 square meters will be enough, if 2–3, you need to expand to 10–12 square meters. When calculating required area You should pay attention to the type of chicken breed you like. For example, meat choughs require more space than egg choughs, so experts advise that when designing the area of a poultry house, proceed from the fact that for each square meter

There should be no more than 3 adult meat chickens or 4 laying hens. With a possible expansion of the livestock, it is possible to provide in advance small stock

area, but it is important to take into account the costs of maintaining the premises. But in order to save money, it is not worth reducing the bird territory, since this is fraught with undesirable consequences. The behavior of chickens largely depends on the color of the lighting. For example, blue lamps have a calming effect, orange causes urges to reproduce, green stimulates the production of growth hormone, and red dampens the impulses of laying hens to cannibalism and pecking eggs.

Be sure to consider a walking area near the chicken house, the area of which is calculated based on the fact that each mature bird requires at least 2 square meters of space.
Therefore, for 30 birds you need to design an area of 20 to 50 square meters. m.

When the dimensions of the future chicken coop and aviary have been decided, you can move on to their internal layout. Experts advise having a lot of windows in the room on the south side, which will save on lighting. It is advisable that they have windows for ventilation.

But these openings must be placed in such a way as to exclude the possibility of drafts during ventilation.

In addition, inside the poultry house you need to design an area for rest and feeding. In the first, nests and perches are placed, and in the second, sawdust, feeders and lamps are hung for lighting. It is also important to provide a corner for keeping hens and young animals.

The drawings should be taken very seriously, having first thought through all the details of the future construction. The work done will allow you to prepare the necessary materials and also avoid mistakes.

How to build a chicken coop at your dacha yourself

Before you take on Building tools, you need to take into account the requirements for the future chicken coop. According to experienced chicken breeders, these include stable dryness, warmth and good lighting regardless of the time of year.
Therefore, you need to think in advance internal system heating and methods of external wall insulation (for example, using mineral wool, polystyrene foam or polystyrene), and also provide for the possibility of shading window frames in hot weather. And only then can construction begin.

Important! To minimize the risk of window glass breaking, experienced poultry farmers advise protecting them with bars or plywood shutters.

Selection and construction of the foundation

In order for the future structure to be durable, it must be erected on a concrete foundation. In addition, this solution will protect the bird house from the penetration of rats, mice and shrews. But such a neighborhood is extremely undesirable, since these small rodents are carriers of infections and helminths.

In practice, several options for creating a foundation are used, depending on the type of poultry kept:

Floor laying

Any foundation requires a durable heated floor. Concrete, clay and soil are absolutely not suitable for its construction. In such an environment, favorable conditions for dampness and cold will arise, which will harm the health of birds, so it is better to give preference to wooden boards.

area, but it is important to take into account the costs of maintaining the premises. But in order to save money, it is not worth reducing the bird territory, since this is fraught with undesirable consequences. The owners of the longest chicken tails are Chinese Fen Huang breed roosters. Their tail feathers flutter to a record ten-meter length. In their homeland, such chickens are considered the personification of life wisdom, truth and good luck..

To lay a plank floor, initially dig a 20-centimeter recess. After that, fill it halfway with crushed stone, glass and brick fragments, and only then fill it with concrete mortar.

Some summer residents share their experience of protecting the poultry house from the penetration of unwanted guests from the ground using a galvanized mesh with small cells (no more than 12 mm) placed at the bottom of the pit. Both methods require an additional layer of boards.

You can put roofing felt or thick rubber on top as insulation. This variation will make cleaning the room easier and will withstand high-quality disinfection using chemical detergents.

Building walls

The material from which the walls of the chicken coop will be built is determined taking into account the time of its operation. That is, 25 mm boards are quite suitable for summer cottage structures. But for winter rooms you should choose brick, cinder block, shell rock or thick beams. Plan the height of the structure within 190 cm.
Even craftsmen with little experience in economic construction will be able to erect the walls of a chicken coop.

To do this you need:

Cover the foundation with a sheet of roofing felt, which will prevent moisture.
Lay out the first row of beams so that their ends meet in half.
Lay beams with a section of 10 x 15 cm on top. In the future, as the height increases, every 50 cm it will be necessary to construct logs with the ribs down. In this case, a space is expected to form between the joining building materials, which will then need to be sealed with insulation. It will not be superfluous between each new beam.
Lay out subsequent crowns of beams, attaching them to each other according to the “tenon and groove” principle.
Make a fastening from dowels (wooden rods). They are driven into holes made in the beams by drilling. It is important that the rod completely pierces the material and enters the next beam.
It is advisable to insulate the erected walls on both sides with glass wool, and additionally cover the outside with plastic or foam.

Important! If you plan to heat the chicken coop with a wood stove or potbelly stove, be sure to provide a concrete floor underneath it, as well as in a circle with a radius of 1 meter.

Roofing device

A shelter on a chicken coop can be made of varying complexity, depending on your existing construction experience. If it is not there, it is better to prefer the most basic single-slope option. But under a gable roof, chickens will be more protected from the scorching sun in summer and from the cold in winter.
And this will already affect economic factor maintenance of the premises during the heated period. In addition, many summer residents specially make gable roofs in order to store work equipment and other gardening utensils in the resulting space.

To build such a roof, you need:

Prepare the rafters and install them at an angle of 35 degrees (if you want a higher room, you can adjust the position of the parts to 45 degrees), and then attach them to the constructed walls.
Lay the ceiling out of boards, attaching it to the walls.
Cover the chicken coop with any roofing material, attaching it to the rafters (slate, tiles, metal profiles).

Making the ceiling

If you want Choughs to lay all year round, you definitely need to insulate the ceiling. After all, according to the laws of physics, the heat generated inside the structure will constantly rise upward. To avoid its leakage, it is important to eliminate all cracks and holes in the plank ceiling.

To do this, it is necessary to make a double-sided flooring of glass wool or mineral wool (at least 10 cm), and then sew up both surfaces with sheets of plywood, chipboard or clapboard.
Some craftsmen recommend additionally covering the insulation on both sides with a vapor barrier film. This is done so that the material does not erode or become damp. In this case, the protection will need to be attached to the beams using a construction stapler. At the same time, make sure that its smooth side is turned inward.

Important! At stove heating It is advisable to construct an L-shaped chimney. This option will protect the bird’s home from increased moisture..

Doors and windows

The number of windows in the poultry house depends on its size. It is advisable to do them in the upper zone on the south side, which will provide better lighting of the room during the day.

The shapes of window frames can be chosen to your taste, but, according to construction canons, their dimensions cannot be less than ¼ of the floor area. The main thing is that the windows do not let the cold in. Therefore, they also need to be insulated. And to prevent birds from breaking the glass, immediately place protective bars on them.

Doors to the chicken coop are made not only for free access for birds, but also taking into account the maintenance needs of the premises. Don't forget that you will need to clean and disinfect it regularly. Therefore, you should not have any difficulties entering the structure.

Wood is ideal for such purposes. If desired, the doors can be equipped with an automated system so that they close at a certain time.

Microclimate

To ensure that the laying of eggs in laying hens is not interrupted, it is important, regardless of the time of year and day, to provide the pets with dryness, warmth and 17 hours of daylight. And for this, the builder needs to pay attention to the thermal insulation of the walls, the heating system in the room, and also eliminate all factors affecting dampness. But let's talk about all this in order.

Ventilation

If good ventilation is not provided in the poultry house, the chickens will be at risk of dampness, which is a favorable environment for the proliferation of pathogenic microflora. Regular ventilation of the room will help solve the problem.

Professional builders draw the attention of beginners to several methods of ventilation in poultry houses:

area, but it is important to take into account the costs of maintaining the premises. But in order to save money, it is not worth reducing the bird territory, since this is fraught with undesirable consequences. The largest chickens in the world are representatives of the rare Vietnamese breed Ga Dong Tao. There are about 300 of these fighting birds left. They are distinguished by an overly hypertrophied crest, massive build and very thick legs. Each limb adult equal to the circumference of a child's hand.

Lighting

For high egg production, chickens need 14–17 hours of daylight. That is why, in addition to windows, additional lamps (LED, fluorescent, energy-saving or incandescent) must be provided in the poultry house. This solution will increase the egg productivity of laying hens by 30%.

It should be noted that in the warm season, when daylight lasts about 16 hours, there is no need for backlighting. It will be relevant exclusively from November to March.

At the same time, you should not pursue the goal of achieving record egg laying in black-billed whales by lighting the chicken coop around the clock. Constant light will only harm birds, because, regardless of the species, they need periodic darkness.

According to experts, it plays an important role in the processes of bone tissue formation and calcium absorption, which affects strength eggshells. The same applies to lamp power.
Experienced summer residents and chicken breeders advise limiting themselves to 1 60-watt lamp on an area of 8–10 square meters. If you prefer fluorescent ones, stop at 40 watts, energy-saving - 15 watts.

Temperature

For feathered pets to function properly, it is important to maintain a stable temperature at +12...+20 °C. To this end, the summer resident needs to seal all the cracks in the room in advance and take care of its insulation, as well as eliminate the possibility of drafts.

However, do not forget that in the heat the bird may stop laying eggs altogether. That is why in the summer, ventilation must be running in an insulated room.

It is unacceptable for the temperature in the poultry house to exceed + 24 °C during the warm season, because this is not in the best possible way will affect the quantity and quality of meat and egg products.

In regions with frosty, harsh winters, glass wool and polystyrene alone are not enough to maintain the desired temperature. There it makes sense to install additional heating devices or stoves. They should also be put into operation with the aim of maintaining humidity at a level of 50–60%.

Higher rates can trigger livestock mortality.

Arrangement of the poultry house inside

For the full functioning of chickens in the chicken coop, it is important to provide perches, nests, feeders and drinkers. In this case, an excess of items will only disturb the pets. the main task The breeder's goal is to create comfort for residents using a minimum number of attributes.

area, but it is important to take into account the costs of maintaining the premises. But in order to save money, it is not worth reducing the bird territory, since this is fraught with undesirable consequences. The carcasses of chickens of the French Bresse-Gali breed have the best taste, which since 1957 has been the only holder of the AOC quality mark. For the sake of this bird, the French annually organize a magnificent chicken show, where each producer is rewarded with a cash prize of 10 thousand euros.

Ideally, these are long poles with a diameter of 5–6 cm with a smooth, well-sanded surface. They are placed in the shaded area of the chicken coop opposite the front door. When installing a multi-tiered installation, you should make indents from the top row so that the choughs sitting on top do not stain the neighbors below with droppings.

Experienced poultry farmers recommend taking into account the characteristics of the breed of pets when constructing. For example, too high perches will not be available for large meat chickens, so it is advisable to place them at a level of 70 cm from the floor, and for all other varieties a height of 1.2 m will be acceptable.

When making poles, it is important to provide a distance of about half a meter for each chicken. If it is necessary to install parallel perches, it is recommended to leave at least 40–50 cm between them.

Nests

Their number depends on the number of livestock. It is advisable to build a nest for every 5 laying hens. Moreover, these attributes need to be installed not on the floor, but at a height of one and a half meters. A load-bearing wall is ideal for this.

You can use ready-made boxes as nests or make them yourself. The main thing is that the design corresponds to a height of 35 cm and a depth of 40–45 cm.

IN small chicken coop It is advisable to combine the nests in a row, separating them with plywood partitions. It is important that the entrance hole is not wide and has a small threshold, which will prevent the eggs from rolling out.

To save space, you can make multi-tiered structures. In this case, the upper nests must be equipped with a sloping roof. This is done to prevent bird roosting.

The inside of the nest is covered with hay or dry straw, and a dummy egg is placed to lure the hens.

Feeders and drinkers

Range farm goods for equipping poultry houses today surprises even the most demanding buyers with its wealth. But it is much cheaper to build a drinking bowl and feeder yourself. However, the origin of these containers does not matter at all for birds. The main thing is their practicality and convenience.

Experts advise choosing dry food wooden feeders, and for wet mash - metal or glass vessels. Lattice structures are ideal for fresh or dry herbs.

In addition, when choosing such utensils, you should take into account the shape of the containers. For example, rectangular flat trays with low sides are designed for feeding and watering chickens, since adults will climb inside and scatter the contents.

And trench-shaped structures with limiting removable gratings and special compartments for different types food should be placed outside the enclosures, providing access for pets to them. There are also variations of bunker feeders, which greatly facilitate the process of their maintenance (can be filled with a daily portion once).

For large poultry farms the best option The drinker is a nipple system. By the way, you can build it at home by drilling holes in a plastic bucket and equipping them with nipples.

In the chicken coop, feeders and drinkers are placed under lamps in a place away from the resting area. Depending on the mounting methods, they can be placed on the floor or suspended from a vertical support using brackets.
The main thing in choosing these containers is to comply with the following requirements:

vessels for feeding and watering chickens must be made in such a way as to prevent birds from getting inside, scattering the contents and contaminating it with their paws;
drinkers and feeders should be as easy to maintain as possible (after all, several times a day you will have to empty them of food residues, wash them and change the water as necessary);
These containers are considered ideal if they are not cramped for pets (the dimensions are calculated, leaving each adult a distance of about 15 cm), they are light, their shape and dimensions do not interfere with regular washing and cleaning.

area, but it is important to take into account the costs of maintaining the premises. But in order to save money, it is not worth reducing the bird territory, since this is fraught with undesirable consequences. Chickens, despite the prevailing stereotype about the limited capabilities of their brain, can remember about a hundred people, recognize their owner and orient themselves well in time.

Bath tray

What it will be does not matter to the chickens. The main thing is its presence, therefore in this case the breeder can use any volumetric container taking into account the size of the birds. Ideally, a plastic tray 25–30 cm high is suitable. It should be filled with a mixture of sand, ash and fine granite screenings.

Winter insulation of the room

High-quality external insulation of the structure, including window frames and the attic, will help save on heating birds. In this case, the need for internal heating devices will be relevant only on severe frosty days.
To heat such rooms, many summer residents prefer the following options:

Natural- involves the use of foam plastic (50 mm thick), mineral wool or glass wool. They are recommended to cover insulated surfaces on both sides. Also suitable for these purposes are fiberboard, chipboard, plastic, lining, boards, and plywood. The gaps in the windows and between the joint parts are treated with construction foam, and the board elements are impregnated with a special liquid to protect them from damage and aging. Also, many breeders try to warm their birds with a thick layer of bedding (straw from awnless cereal crops, sawdust, pine needles). On winter days, a layer of about 7–10 cm is recommended. Subsequently, the soiled layer is not thrown away, but sprinkled with a new one. During the process of physicochemical reactions, the decomposition of chicken manure is accompanied by the generation of heat, which helps to maintain the desired level of optimal temperature and disinfect the room. In addition, hay or straw is stored in the attic to save heat.
Electric- carried out with the participation infrared heaters, oily radiators or heat fans. Each of the units, to one degree or another, maintains the temperature regime of the room and combats excessive dampness. The only drawback of such heating is its costs. Many owners consider infrared heat lamps to be the most profitable of the listed methods of electric heating of a chicken coop, because during the heating process the room is also illuminated. In addition, such devices justify themselves with a high efficiency factor (98%). They heat not the air masses, but the objects underneath them. But for proper operation It is important to place them at a distance of at least 0.5–1 m from the heated object. Also, do not forget about fire safety techniques.
Gas- provide for the presence gas installations. Beneficial only on large farms. To heat several dozen chickens at the dacha, it is not advisable to buy an expensive boiler. And the system requires constant monitoring,
Wood-burning- carried out using an ordinary clay stove, potbelly stove or “buleryan”. Each of the devices justifies itself with good heat transfer and ease of operation. However, the installation of such structures requires special attention to comply with fire safety rules.
Water- provides for the installation of steam heating, but is relevant only in cases where the chicken coop is adjacent to a residential building. It is necessary to equip the premises with additional pipes. However, even experienced builders will be unable to deal with the upcoming work on their own, so it makes sense to turn to specialists for help.

area, but it is important to take into account the costs of maintaining the premises. But in order to save money, it is not worth reducing the bird territory, since this is fraught with undesirable consequences. Hindus have long feared chicken because domesticated chickens were considered sacred animals. At the same time, every resident of India hunted their wild relatives.

Yard for walks

Each variety of poultry requires space to roam for full development. To protect the birds from other birds that carry infections, this area should be fenced with netting on the sides and top.
To prevent birds from digging and trying to get under the fence, it is recommended to deepen the mesh by 10–20 cm.

The size of the enclosure is calculated based on the number of feathered charges. The main thing is that the walking area does not restrict their physical activity.

It is advisable to pre-sow the allotted area with any grass suitable for grazing chickens (alfalfa, clover, sainfoin, goat's rue, amaranth, lawn mixture, knotweed, barley, mustard).

It is also important to leave an ash area inside where the black whales will bathe. Besides, important detail The walking yard is a canopy where the children can hide from the sun or from the rain. Drinking bowls also wouldn't hurt.

Some breeders plant this area on the north side with tall bushes, which will provide the chickens with shade and protection from the wind.

Even craftsmen with little experience in outbuildings will be able to make a homemade chicken coop. The main thing in this matter is to think through all the details, collect the necessary material and get to work.

For those who live in the country from early spring to late autumn, it makes sense to have laying hens and feast on homemade eggs. In dacha conditions, it is quite possible to make a simple but comfortable chicken coop.

Design Features

You can order a chicken coop from a carpenter, buy it ready-made, or make it yourself. There are many types of structures, from a small portable version to a large-scale structure. When designing a chicken coop, you should choose a warm but cool place. The house with nests and perches should be raised above the ground, this will help protect the birds from the night cold and dampness.

Mini-chicken coops for several birds can be easily moved to another place. They can be made in the form of a stretcher, put on wheels, or simply moved in parts. Large plots of land can afford large chicken coops with spacious walking areas. Sometimes bird houses are built on several floors.

Free-range chickens lay eggs more happily. But anyone who dares to release them into the garden will be left without a harvest. The poultry owners found a way for the birds to get some exercise and preserve their vegetables. They build long corridors from the mesh into which birds can leave the coop and enter it from the other side.

With summer option summer cottage You can not complicate your life at all, make the simplest chicken coop, in the form of a triangle from several sheets of slate, and a small run covered with mesh. Those who like complexity can build a beautiful poultry house with a string of houses, windows and flower beds. Or a mini-house for broilers, similar to a real rural hut.

How to build it yourself

Before you start building a chicken coop, you need to know how many birds will live in it; the size of the future building depends on this. It’s quite possible to make a poultry house in the country with your own hands, you just need to follow the step-by-step instructions.

Preparatory work

In any construction, time is needed for preparatory work. This includes: selection of location, project, materials, preparation of drawings and calculations.

Selecting a location

The bird's health and egg quality will depend on the bird's comfortable condition. A correctly chosen location can further affect the egg production of chickens. On a hot summer day, laying hens will feel uncomfortable in the sun. It is better to place them under a shady tree. In the morning, the slanting rays of the sun should warm and dry the chicken coop, which has cooled down overnight, and for this it should be placed on the southeast side of the trees.

It is better to choose a place for poultry away from the garden to eliminate the risk of chemicals entering the room when processing garden crops. Sewage, cesspool and compost pits should also not be located near the chicken coop and run to avoid infection. If you attach a chicken coop to a summer house building, it is easier to heat and it is easier to look after the birds. Construction cannot be carried out in lowlands, as precipitation will land plot will flow down to the chicken coop.

It is better to plant a hedge around the birds' walk to protect them from wind and drafts. The bird can equally suffer from heat, cold and wind, so all these factors should be excluded. To make it easier to control the birds and close them at night in time, the chicken coop should be visible from the most inhabited places in the country. When the chickens come to rest, you just need to close the door behind them.

Project

Construction should begin with the preparation of drawings and calculations. At this point, the construction site must be determined, a sketch of the chicken coop must be drawn up in relation to the terrain and cardinal directions. It is necessary to indicate nearby buildings and trees, consider the level of shading, wind rose, and eliminate the presence of drafts. You can draw up a building drawing yourself, taking into account the characteristics of your site, or borrow it from the Internet.

The construction plan should include space for perches, drinking bowls, feeders and bird walking. Ventilation and lighting are thought out and designated. If you are planning a winter chicken coop, you should consider the heating system. The size of the building is determined at the rate of two hens per square meter plus 30% of the additional area for nesting. But in practice, birds are housed in larger numbers than required by regulations.

Construction process

During the construction process, all work is carried out in stages, focusing on drawings and calculations. On initial stage The terrain is marked and the foundation is laid.

Foundation

For several layers you can build a small portable chicken coop, it doesn't need a foundation. A larger project will require a foundation.

They come in three types.

Columnar. It involves the installation of pillars and the construction of a building using frame technology.
Pile. Piles are used as pillars, which are driven into unstable soils or on sloping terrain.
Tape. The most reliable foundation, it is poured with concrete around the perimeter of the entire building.

Simple country options most often use a columnar base; it is cheaper and easier to implement.

Holes should be dug along the contour of the future chicken coop to the freezing depth. Make the recesses at a step frequency of two meters. The volume of the support will be about 20 cm and rise 40 cm above the ground surface. The formwork can be constructed from a rough board, 60-80 cm high. Next, reinforce it with reinforcement, insert supports and fill it with concrete. You can start work from any corner of the future building. Cover the poured foundation with polyethylene and leave for a week until dry.

Floor

When the foundation is strengthened, the base part is tied. To do this, four 20 cm thick beams are laid on the roofing felt, creating a box. Using metal corners, the beams are fastened together.

Boards placed on edge (joists) are attached to the frame using nails. The areas between them are filled with expanded clay. Then, in order to protect the bird from rodents, the surface is covered with a fine-mesh mesh with a half-meter overlap, which will subsequently rise to the walls. A rough board is laid on top.

When constructing the floor, it is better to make a slight slope towards the door to make caring for the chicken coop easier in the future. When working with wood, you should remember that all wooden elements must be treated with antifungal and fireproofing agents. They insulate the floor when there are already walls.

Walling

The construction of walls should begin with the installation of side posts. In order to make a pitched roof in the future, the difference between the front and rear pillars should be about half a meter. It is important to remember that the roof slope should not be in the direction of bird walking.

Then the top trim is made using boards, they are attached to the racks with nails. Before installing the sheathing, you should find out the dimensions of the insulation. Thermal insulation layers are laid in the gap between the supports.

In the area of the door, window, opening for birds to exit, transverse guides are installed. When the frame is ready, the floor and ceiling are covered with edged boards.

Roof

To cover the roof, you need to prepare rafters. To calculate their size, measure the distance between the front and rear posts and add another thirty centimeters to the roof overhang.

The rafters, set on edge, are mounted to the top frame of the building. The distances between the rafters are equal to the width of the thermal insulation. The rafters are covered with polyethylene, lathing is made and the roofing is installed.

To insulate the roof, thermal insulation slabs are laid between the rafters. In northern regions, several layers of insulation can be used. A few centimeters of space should be left between the lining material and the thermal insulation for free air circulation.

Wall cladding

The walls are sheathed after roofing work. To the outside of the frame, bars are mounted to which boards, plywood, OSB sheets are attached, or whatever it was planned to use to cover the chicken coop. Insulation is laid between the racks.

The chicken coop is then lined from the inside. The area of the ventilation holes should be left without covering.

Construction and finishing of a chicken coop

The floor should be made of warm materials, and cement, ceramic tiles, and brick are not suitable for it. Chickens are prone to rheumatism; if the floor is cold and damp, they sit on their feet and stop walking. Wood is the most suitable material for a chicken coop. In order not to spoil the wood flooring with chicken manure, the floor is covered with a thick layer of sand and sawdust.

The roof should not be built from materials that become very hot in the sun or make noise from rain and wind. Chickens lay eggs equally poorly both from fright and from overheating.

Ventilation

For solid chicken coops, you can install a ventilation duct under the roof. Small bird houses can get by with two openings with dampers on opposite walls.

The best option would be a hood equipped with a fan. To install such a system, two square holes should be made on opposite walls. One of them should be forty centimeters lower than the other. A special fan is inserted into the hole.

Lighting

Chickens cannot see well in the dark, if they are cold or scared, they begin to huddle in a corner and crush each other. In such conditions, it is convenient to have adjustable lighting with smooth switching off.

Perches and nests

It is more convenient to make perches removable, so they are easier to care for, and placed at different heights. A wooden ladder should be brought to the perch; it consists of a wide board with cross bars.

It is better to cover the nests with straw and change it periodically. Hay is less suitable because it rots quickly. Nests should be darkened; chickens do not like to lay eggs in bright light.

In the chicken coop you need to install several wooden perches at a distance of 30-50 cm from each other.

Country house - beautiful place for relaxation, but this is also an excellent reason to change activities. It’s not for nothing that arranging a summer house and growing ornamental and garden plants are becoming a popular activity for city residents. However, today those who are planning to build a chicken coop in their dacha with their own hands do not surprise anyone. Moreover, thrifty owners choose solid buildings. If you build a poultry house slightly larger than a dog house, the birds will get sick or eat the food to no avail. Then you shouldn’t expect such desirable environmentally friendly eggs from them. Let's find out the secrets of good construction.

Finding out how to make a cost-effective chicken coop starts with allocating space for construction. Its design can largely depend on the location of the poultry house. There are basic principles that should be followed when making a choice:

Location. The poultry house must be located on a hill, because in the lowlands it will be more difficult for birds to walk: it is in such places that the moisture does not dry out longer, and the melting of the snow occurs with a delay.
Building orientation. The chicken coop must be correctly oriented to the cardinal points. The rectangular building is located along its length from east to west. The ideal placement of the poultry house would be when its windows face south and the door faces east. It should get into the windows as much as possible more light during the day. The length of daylight hours significantly affects the egg production of chickens. However, in hot weather the windows should be shaded.
Temperature. Both too high and too low temperatures are negative for chickens. Already at +25 C°, poultry productivity will drop by half, and if the temperature rises another 5 degrees, the chickens will stop laying eggs altogether. In case of heat, the windows of the chicken coop must be equipped with plywood shutters. In winter, the optimal temperature is +12 C°.
Peace. Chickens should feel calm, so for the chicken coop you need to choose a place away from active recreation areas. Protecting your chicken coop with a hedge is a good idea.
Square. The location should be selected taking into account the dimensions of the future building. There should be no more than two chickens per 1 m2 of chicken coop room. If chickens will live in the chicken coop during the winter, it is necessary to provide a vestibule as an element of insulation of the chicken coop so that cold air does not directly penetrate to the birds. For the vestibule, you also need to allocate space in the construction plan.

Experts recommend choosing a place with a reserve of space in case success in raising chickens prompts the owners to create, for example, quail farm. After all, such a farm is an excellent source of even additional income, but a full-fledged income.

A chicken coop is often called a ramshackle barn, but if you take a businesslike look at this building, it can be made much more attractive, and then it will be easier to find a place for it

To be healthy, chickens must have room to roam, which is why this chicken coop with a vestibule is a well-deserved success.

What does it cost us to build a house for chickens?

Let's agree in advance that we choose four-edged timber 100x150 mm as the material for the construction of our chicken coop. This is a low-budget option and construction from such material does not require professional skills.

Stage #1 – selection and construction of the foundation

We choose the dimensions of the upcoming building. It is better to draw up the project so that you can accurately determine the need for materials. We will proceed from the approximate weight of the chicken coop when deciding on the foundation.

A chicken coop on a columnar foundation looks very secure, neat and compact, despite the fact that everything you need is provided in it

The best option for a relatively light chicken coop can be considered a columnar foundation. Why?

Economic benefit. Cabinets made from old brick will be very cheap, and, if desired, you can even get by with ordinary stone. Cement, sand, gravel and a trowel are the main costs for such a foundation.
Protection. It will be difficult for rats and ferrets to enter the room, and ventilation under the floor surface can prevent rotting of the wood.

We will mark the foundation using thin but strong rope and metal rods. In full accordance with the project, we hammer rods around the perimeter of the building. We tie them with a rope, placing it near the surface of the earth. We check the accuracy of the markings made by measuring the distance diagonally with a regular tape measure.

We carefully remove the fertile layer of soil 15-20 cm inside the marking: it will be useful in the garden. Now we will make pedestals at the corners of the building and along its perimeter. The distance between them should be 0.8-1 m. We dig holes 60-70 cm deep and 50 cm wide (two bricks). Using a hydraulic level and ropes, we mark 20-25 cm above the ground - a guideline for erecting the pedestals.

A columnar foundation is most appropriate when building a chicken coop, since it is economically beneficial and the building on it will be protected from rotting and from predators

At the bottom of the pit, pour layers of sand and medium-grained gravel 10 cm thick. Place the first two bricks at the bottom of the pit, and put cement mortar on them, mixed at a ratio of 1:3. We place the next two bricks across the previous ones. So the cabinet should be laid out to the level marked with ropes. Cement mortar will help to level the cabinet exactly to the level.

In construction, there is a technological break of 5-7 days so that the solution has a chance to set. After this, the finished columns must be treated with a special protective mastic or simple bitumen. Coarse gravel should be poured between the bollards and the ground. They also cover the surface inside the perimeter of the building.

Stage #2 - erection of the walls of the building

For the process of laying timber, a standard technology has long been developed, which must be adhered to. A double layer of roofing material can be used as an insulator for the first crown from the foundation. The ends of the timber should be connected into half a tree. As floor joists we use 100x150mm timber, laid on edge. The optimal distance between the logs is 50 cm. We close the gaps with scraps of timber.

The walls of the building are erected by sequentially placing timber and connecting it at the corners of the building into a tongue-and-groove joint.

The second, third and subsequent crowns at the corners are connected using a tongue-and-groove system. Flax-jute fiber can be used as a sealant in locking joints and between crowns. If the timber from which the chicken coop is built has natural moisture, it is better to use wooden dowels to securely plant the crowns.

Their presence will protect the frame from distortion after shrinkage. You need to make holes for the dowels in the corners of the building and around the perimeter every meter or one and a half. They are made 2.5 beams deep and in a checkerboard pattern. The dowels should be driven into the wood “sunk” by about 7 cm. The minimum height of the walls being erected should be 1.8 m. Next, the ceiling beams must be strengthened, rafters installed and the roof laid.

Stage #3 – ceiling and roof of the chicken coop

You can make the roof of the chicken coop single-slope, but a gable design is the choice of far-sighted people. Feed and equipment need to be stored somewhere. Why not use a comfortable and dry attic space for this purpose?

Of course, it is better to make the roof of the building gable, then the food, equipment, and even the rowan fruits dried for the chickens for the winter will be safe

We strengthen the ceiling beams, lay the ceiling with any boards and insulate it. Expensive roll insulation can be replaced with expanded clay or coal slag. Before insulation, you need to take care of the ventilation of the room. To do this, you should knock together two wooden ventilation ducts. We fix them at opposite ends of the building. One end of the ventilation channel is located flush with the ceiling, and the second is approximately 40 cm below it. Tin dampers on ventilation pipes will help regulate the temperature in the room.

Stage #4 – laying and insulating the floor

Freezing and blowing of floors should be avoided. Therefore, double floors can be considered the best option. In this case, we will use a board 25 mm thick. The subfloor should be made of dry unedged boards. A layer of vapor barrier is laid on the boards, followed by 100x100mm bars. We fill the gaps between the bars with insulation, after which we lay the finished floor from edged boards.

If you can use any boards for the ceiling, then for the floor savings are only appropriate when laying the subfloor: the finishing floor should be made from a tongue-and-groove board

We equip the poultry house from the inside

Well, we figured out how to build a reliable and warm chicken coop, now we need to properly organize the room inside. If we talk about the necessary elements of the internal structure of a chicken coop, then the perch is just one of them.

When calculating perch requirements, you need to know that each bird will need at least 30 cm of perch. Knowing the number of feathered inhabitants of the chicken coop, we calculate the quantitative need for perches. It is better to make them from rectangular timber 40x60 mm. The perches need to be rounded, otherwise they will injure the birds. Perches should be placed at a distance of 50 cm from each other at a height of 60-80 cm from the floor, but not above each other. Trays placed under the roost will make cleaning the coop easier.

Properly organizing a chicken coop from the inside is no less important than ensuring its proper construction: chickens need perches, drinking bowls, feeders, and places for laying hens

Laying areas should be located in a part of the coop where the chickens can feel safe and secure.

Don’t forget that we built a chicken coop for laying hens, which means that we need to provide them with all the conditions for them to lay eggs. To do this, you can equip them with boxes with sawdust in a place where the chickens will feel peace and security.

Feeders and drinking bowls should be filled, clean and located on a hill. Cleanliness and order in the chicken coop can be ensured more easily if the floor is covered with sawdust or straw. The sloping floor will also make cleaning easier. The chicken coop can be additionally insulated for the winter. mineral wool and foam plastic.

To learn how to build a chicken coop with your own hands using other methods, we suggest watching the following videos.