Choosing the right location for your chicken coop will greatly simplify construction. There are a few key points to keep in mind when making your choice.

Chicken coop on the fence

• Orientation. It is important to correctly orient the poultry house to the cardinal points. The rectangular building is located from east to west along its length. Ideally, the place for the windows is marked on the south side, and the door on the east. With this arrangement there will be a maximum amount of light falling into the windows.
• Location. Ideally, the chicken coop should be located on a hill. Moisture in the lowlands lasts longer and it is more difficult for birds to provide good walking.
• Temperature. Both heat and cold have equally bad effects on birds. At temperatures above +30 degrees, birds stop laying eggs. During the summer, 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. Give preference to a place away from home or road. A good idea would be to build a hedge around the chicken coop.
• Square. Choose a location taking into account the size of the poultry house. Each square meter of the building should be inhabited by no more than two chickens. A poultry house for 10 chickens will occupy a minimum area of ​​5 sq.m. It is important to provide space for a vestibule. This is a good element of insulation and winter period cold air will not penetrate directly to the birds.

Preparatory work

Having decided on the location, it is worth working out the drawings. Good example poultry house drawing in the photo.

Chicken coop layout for 10 chickens

You can see a sample marking of the area for the enclosure, entrance and vestibule, location of nests and drinking bowls. As well as the approximate dimensions of the building. In the minds of many, a chicken coop is like a dilapidated shed. However, housing for birds may well become a decoration for a summer cottage.

It is important to stock up on the required number of beams and boards. It is easier to build from wood, the material is quite easy to use and environmentally friendly, moreover, a building made of wood always fits organically into the landscape.

Setting up a chicken coop for 10 birds

To arrange the enclosure you will need several meters of metal mesh. In addition, you need concrete and brick for the foundation and insulation in the form of roofing felt. You can also use mineral wool.

It is advisable to properly insulate the walls of the chicken coop

Tools required for construction:

• hammer;
• saw;
• nails and screws;
• shovel;
• ruler with level.

Construction of a chicken coop

Foundation

Making a chicken coop for 10 chickens with your own hands is not as difficult as it seems. We have already decided on the tools and the necessary materials, prepared rough drawings. You don't need to be a professional engineer to sketch out a rough construction diagram. It is important to indicate the correct dimensions, location of windows and doors, and mark the enclosure.

Construction needs to start from the foundation. Even for a small poultry house it is necessary - the foundation provides good ventilation of the floor and protects against the penetration of rats and ferrets. The simplest option is a columnar foundation. Even old bricks and stone are suitable for it. The place for the foundation is marked using a thin rope and wooden or metal rods. In accordance with the drawings, we drive rods into the ground around the perimeter. We tie it with rope.

It is better to remove the top layer of soil, 20 centimeters.

Pillars of stone or brick are built along the perimeter, which will become a reliable support for the structure. The maximum distance between the pedestals is one meter, and the depth of the hole under each is about 60 cm. Brick pedestals can protrude 20-30 cm above the surface.

Floor

The next point is creating the floor. A warm double floor is important for the health of chickens.

Another option is a mesh floor. It's easier to clean and has a pull-out tray underneath

It is done as follows: a “rough” floor is immediately placed on the foundation. It is easy to make from any materials or construction waste. A wooden beam, a thick layer of insulation, and then the main floor are laid on top of it. The boards must be smooth, without cracks. Recommended thickness 25 mm.

This design will provide the necessary ventilation and protect against freezing and blowing.

Walls

A chicken coop for broilers must have reliable and durable walls with a height of at least 1.8 m. Otherwise, the birds will feel limited in space. A good option for walls is a timber frame. According to the drawings, openings for windows are left. The fixed beams are sheathed with boards on both sides. It is also necessary to place insulating material (sawdust, mineral wool) between the boards.

Frame for chicken coop walls

The outside walls can be painted any color. Painting will serve as good protection against erosion and will save you from insects that spoil the wood. Windows should be easily removable and closed with shutters in case of heat or severe frost.

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.

Roof

Ideally, it is better to make the roof gable. This will provide sufficient space for storing equipment and feed. When drawing drawings, think about this point. After the ceiling is laid, it needs to be insulated. Expanded clay is good for this. The ventilation of the room is thought out in advance. Ideal ventilation will be created by 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 40 centimeters below it. The dampers will help regulate the temperature in the chicken coop; in cold weather, they can completely close the ventilation opening. Slate or tiles are usually used as roofing material. It is important not to forget to lay roofing material under the roofing material.

Ready-made chicken coop with a gable roof

Finishing work

Creating a chicken coop for broilers with your own hands Special attention is also given to the interior space. It would be a good idea to indicate the location of perches and feeders on the drawings of the premises. Perches are a necessary element in arranging a chicken coop. When making calculations, 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 of perch. To make perches, it is best to use 40x60 mm timber. To avoid injuring the birds, the poles must be rounded.

Simple nests made from plastic buckets

An original feeder made of plastic pipes - the food will always be clean

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 equipped with feeders, nests and drinkers. A wooden box filled with sawdust or hay can be used as nests. To make cleaning the chicken coop easier, the floor can be covered with sawdust.

Aviary

The aviary plays an important role in the daily life of birds. This will simplify construction and help take into account all the details. The size of a good aviary is at least twice the size of the poultry house. If possible, place it in an area with green grass - the birds will receive healthy food during their walks.

The enclosure can be built using beams covered with metal mesh. In one of the sections there is a gate with a reliable bolt. Since chickens are birds, although not quite flying ones, it is better to make the ceiling out of mesh. The interior space can be supplemented with several perches, drinking bowls and a feeding area.

Aviary made of wood and mesh with dimensions

A chicken coop for 20 chickens and an aviary for it are built according to the same principle, but with larger dimensions. It is important to take into account that for such a number of chickens, the minimum area of ​​the poultry house itself will be 10 sq.m., and the aviary will be about 20 sq.m.

An example of a fairly profitable modern farming business is breeding meat breeds chickens Many poultry farmers choose broilers. This breed of chicken can gain a lot of weight if fed well. However, in addition to intensive nutrition, it is important to maintain the correct conditions for keeping poultry, taking into account some of the specifics of their rearing, fattening and stocking density. To do this, you need to understand in detail how to build a chicken coop for broilers.

First, you need to understand what distinguishes a broiler chicken coop from buildings for ordinary laying hens. It is important to understand that, first of all, the distinctive features are based on the different process of keeping laying hens and broilers. Laying hens are more restless birds than broilers, and the latter are more voracious. They also do not need to be allowed to go for walks. In addition, ordinary chickens are bred mainly for their eggs and kept for a long time; broilers are slaughtered within 2-3 months, so they do not need places for nests, which is the first and one of the main distinguishing features of such chicken coops.

Specific features of broiler chicken coops

• do not require nesting sites;
• minimum space requirements;
• warm structure;
• ventilation of the room and absence of drafts;
• lighting of natural and artificial types;
• comfortable floors;
• places for cells.

Advice! Feeders in broiler coops and drinking bowls should be placed in different corners of the building.

Video - Chicken coop for broilers

Methods of breeding broilers in chicken coops

There are two ways to keep broiler chickens in chicken coops:

• cellular;
• floor

The choice of method depends on the number of future poultry. Due to low costs, floor housing is preferable for large numbers of birds in private farming. In large-scale industrial poultry farming, cage breeding is now increasingly gaining popularity.

Benefits of Cell Breeding

Keeping broilers in cages significantly saves space in the room. Consequently, the cost of electricity used to heat the chicken coop, its lighting, and ventilation is reduced. Due to limited contact of birds with each other (neighborly contact), the risk of infectious diseases is reduced. Rational consumption of feed leads to savings due to the fact that the bird does not scatter it on the litter. Restriction of movement leads to accelerated growth of the bird's weight.

On a note! Keeping them in a cage speeds up fattening by 3-5 days.

Advantages of outdoor breeding

The main advantage is that there is no need to buy cages and equipment for them. This method also allows you not to remove poultry droppings on a daily basis, but to do it less often due to floor bedding. There are no problems with the paws, which develop when kept in cages. The quality of chicken meat is higher.

Broiler chickens are placed in a special box - a brooder, where they feed and receive the necessary heating and lighting.

A newly born chick needs a warm, bright atmosphere and regular feeding. In the natural environment, chicken contributes to this, and when home care It is recommended to use a special room for birds - a brooder. It is very easy to build it yourself: at home or in livestock farm. In this article we will take a closer look at how to make a brooder for chickens with your own hands.

How to choose a suitable place?

The choice of area for construction should be based on the following key points:

1. The chicken coop should be located away from noisy roads.
2. It is better to erect the structure on a dry, elevated place.
3. The shadow of trees and nearby buildings should not fall on the windows of the chicken coop and its southern part.
4. The building should be tilted slightly in a southeast direction.

Let us explain the reasons for these recommendations. Many meat breeds are sensitive to loud noises and nearby traffic will make broilers nervous, which will reduce weight gain. An elevated place will help keep the room dry. In low-lying areas, water from rain and melting snow can accumulate, which will increase the dampness inside the chicken coop and contribute to the formation of mold, the growth of bacteria, and increased illness in chickens. The best option– sandy soil. If your site is swampy or clayey, then before construction it should be dried and sprinkled with a layer of sand. The shade from the trees will block the light and reduce the temperature balance inside the coop. Tilting the building to the southeast will make it more exposed to sunlight.

Advice! If there are strong winds on your site, then it is worth building a fence or planting a hedge of weaving plants on the side of the wind so that there are no drafts in the chicken coop.

During installation in practice, much fewer problems arise than at the design stage. An error in the design can make the process significantly more complicated. However, if the project is designed correctly, the correct drawings are selected and good materials are purchased, then it can be implemented in a relatively short time with little money.

Do-it-yourself installation has a number of advantages:

1. Only you are responsible for quality installation work, doing everything conscientiously and firmly.
2. You save on installation costs and gain experience that will help you in the future operation of the structure.
3. During the installation process, you can refine the design data based on your new ideas.

At the design stage of the chicken coop, it is important not to make those gross mistakes that may require reworking the entire structure of the building or create additional installation problems. Let's look at the most important design mistakes in broiler chicken coops.

Lack of rodent protection

When designing, you must take into account that the chicken coop must be raised at a distance from the ground. The insulation layer must not be allowed to come into contact with the ground. This can lead to a threat from rats, which are able to chew through the tree and climb inside. It is recommended to fill the lower zone between the insulation and the soil with broken glass. Mice simply will not be able to dig close. Also, direct contact with the ground can pose a risk of flooding.

The appearance of rats near the chicken coop becomes a big problem. Gnawed holes and stolen eggs are not the biggest troubles from their neighborhood. Many farmers are interested in the question: how to deal with rats in a chicken coop? In this article you will find the most effective ways getting rid of rodents.

Prices for rodent protection

Rat protection

Using unsuitable materials

Experts do not recommend using isoplats, plasterboard sheets, PVC plastic, or chipboard for cladding. They have the ability to accumulate moisture, which makes them easily destructible materials during heavy rainfall. At the same time, they can release toxic substances that are dangerous to birds. Mold can also form, making chickens sick.

What you should pay attention to when installing a broiler chicken coop:

1. The chicken coop must be safe - protected from rain, hail, snow, and predators.
2. Have a good foundation.
3. Be fireproof.
4. Be built from environmentally friendly materials.
5. Well insulated.
6. Have a ventilation or ventilation system.
7. Do not have drafts or cracks.
8. Heat with combi or wood stoves.
9. Be well lit.
10. Sit on a hill.

On a note! You can often hear that a broiler can grow in 1.5 months. up to 1.5 kg. This is not entirely true if you intend to raise birds at home. This growth can be achieved in factory-farmed poultry farming using antibiotics and growth hormones. In fact, broiler chicken for 1.5 months. reaches approximately 800 gr.

Necessary materials and tools for construction

To build a wooden insulated chicken coop you need to have the following approximate list of materials:

• wooden beam 100x50 and 100x100 mm;
• insulation;
• roofing felt;
• cement;
• brick;
• nails;
• pebbles;
• crushed stone;
• board 20 mm;
• construction resin;
• metallic profile;
• mineral wool;
• staples;
• self-tapping screws;
• roulette;
• building level;
• saw;
• screwdriver;
• drill;
• hammer.

Prices for timber

Wood, plywood and brick are usually used to construct wall coverings. The foundation requires sand, slag, cement and wood formwork. Roofing material and slate are used for the roof. Wood slats are used for partitions and rafters.

Video - DIY chicken coop

Chicken coop drawings for broilers

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the most interesting drawings of chicken coops for breeding broiler chickens.

The first option involves a large spacious enclosure, a place for perches and a vestibule.

In the second picture you can see the calculation drawing for a broiler cage with a feeder.

The following drawing is made in projection and also assumes a large closed enclosure.

If you plan to seriously engage in broiler poultry farming, then the version of the drawing for two tens of thousands of birds will be interesting.

For many farmers, a drawing for making a multi-tiered version of cages will be extremely useful.

In the last picture you can see a detailed detailed drawing of a broiler chicken coop.

Drawing No. 6 - Detailed design of a chicken coop

How to make a chicken coop for broilers with your own hands: tips for beginners

1. It is better to make the flooring in the form of concrete or clay concrete screed. Before pouring it, you should sprinkle the perimeter of the future building with a mixture of broken glass, sawdust or shavings.
2. Water barrier film helps to insulate the roof and keep the chicken coop free from moisture.
3. In northern latitudes, the thickness of the main walls of the chicken coop should be from 20 cm.
4. Don't forget to make windows in the chicken coop. Good ventilation will help keep your bird healthy. You should also take into account that the size of the windows should be at least 1/12 of the base area of ​​the chicken coop.
5. Take the time to put mosquito nets on the windows and vents. Midges and mosquitoes are very attracted to the smells of chicken droppings. For chickens, they pose a mortal danger because they can get into the nostrils, which can cause the bird to suffocate.
6. The bird develops better under yellow lighting, which is characteristic of sunlight in nature. Regular incandescent light bulbs meet this requirement.
7. Make ventilation holes in the walls (20 cm from the floor) and ceiling. This will significantly reduce unpleasant odors indoors and increase air circulation. In winter, they are closed to maintain a constant temperature inside.

Instructions for building a chicken coop for broilers

Drafting

The first step at this stage is to determine the size of the planned structure. It is necessary to take into account the number of birds that will live in the chicken coop, and the features building materials used during the construction process.

If the area for construction is limited, the requirements for the bird landing area should be taken into account. This breed of chickens does not need a lot of space to roam.

When planning a site for construction, you can use these recommendations for planting birds. In addition, a multi-tiered cage system can be used to save space. In this case, the upper tier should not be raised from the floor by more than 1.5 m.

Pouring the foundation and laying the floor

Before pouring, we dig a pit to a depth of 40 cm. Next, we lay supporting horizontal beams made of 100x100 wooden beams at a distance from each other in the formwork of 20 cm and fill them with sand-cement mixture. If you plan to use it exclusively in the spring-autumn period, then an option with a depth of 20 cm is allowed.

Prices for cement and basic mixtures

Cement and base mixtures

Our foundation should rest for 3 days. After they have passed, we check how dry it is. It may take some more time. Once you are sure that the foundation is dry, you can begin installing the floor.

The most suitable flooring material is wood, since it can retain heat for a long time and protects against sudden temperature changes. For waterproofing purposes, before installing a wooden floor, we lay sheets of roofing felt around the entire perimeter. We place the first crown, aligning the ends of the beams. Then every half meter we place logs on the edge. The space between them must be filled with insulation. Then we install the floorboards using the tongue-and-groove method.

You can insulate the floor using a bedding of hay mixed with peat or sawdust. The thickness of such litter should be up to 40 cm. It is important to remember that this type of litter contributes to the accumulation of ammonia vapors that are released from the droppings. These fumes are poisonous and the chicken coop must have a ventilation system.

Advice! A slightly sloping floor will help with cleaning the coop as water will drain into one corner along with dirt.

Video - Arrangement of a chicken coop for broilers

Construction of walls

The next step is building the walls. Important value walls are heat retention. It is recommended to make them from a frame made of beams. We install the walls at a height according to your drawing, leaving openings for windows and ventilation. Upon completion of fixing the beams, it is necessary to cover them on both sides with boards or plywood.

Advice! Windows in the coop for normal brightness natural light should be equal in area to a tenth of the total floor area.

The walls can be not only wooden, but also made of brick or concrete. In this case, their insulation is even more important.

Insulating walls in a chicken coop

Before starting work on upholstering the wall frame with plywood or boards, you should understand which side the insulation layer will be attached to. It is better if it is on the outside, as this will protect the walls of the chicken coop from freezing, and they themselves will not become a cold accumulator. Insulation with a thickness of at least 5 cm is laid between the frame beams.

In order to eat fresh eggs and poultry all year round, it is necessary to properly insulate the house for laying hens, providing them with a comfortable winter. In our article you will find step-by-step instructions for insulating walls, floors and roofs. And also everything about installing a heating system in a chicken coop.

Thermal insulation material used for wall insulation:

• sawdust and shavings;
• straw;
• mineral wool;
• Styrofoam;
• polymer filler;
• foam rubber

Prices for mineral wool

Rockwool mineral wool

The most commonly used is mineral wool. The choice is determined by its high elasticity, which allows you to seal all the cracks. To avoid moisture ingress, it is covered with a vapor barrier and windproof film, secured with a construction stapler and slats are stuffed on top. For external decorative upholstery, you can use boards or siding.

Cheap and effective materials are moss and pine sawdust. The first one perfectly absorbs moisture and fights unpleasant odors. In the second case, the disinfectant and insecticidal properties are enhanced. Of the two options, we recommend choosing the latter. Sawdust is close to mineral wool in its thermal insulation properties. To slow down the decay process and reduce the risk of fire, they are mixed with copper sulfate, slaked lime and boric acid. The thermal insulation mixture is laid between two layers of boards, which are installed at the stage of wall construction. A factory analogue of this method of insulation can be a wood block.

Roof structure

When our walls are erected, we begin to build the roof. We make the roof from hard wood and lay roofing material around the perimeter. Do not forget to treat wooden structures so that insects cannot settle in them and increase their moisture resistance.

First we lay the flooring, then we attach the ceiling beams of the gable roof at an angle. The design of the gable roof makes it possible to avoid the accumulation of snow and rain, which additionally protects against high humidity in the room. The flooring must be insulated. There's nothing complicated about it. Expanded clay or ordinary coal slag can serve as insulation. We attach roofing felt sheets to the beams, then cover everything with slate or similar roofing material.

An important element in the roof of a chicken coop is the ventilation pipe. Its diameter is usually 20 cm. The length of the pipe must be at least 2 meters. We make a hole in the roof of the required diameter into which the pipe is inserted. In the chicken coop it is recommended that she protrude 20 cm.

On a note! The optimal air humidity should be 60-70%, and the temperature 12°C -16°C.

Interior work

The chicken coop construction process is almost complete. The final step is to complete interior work, such as laying electricity, installing a heating system, if required, installing cages for broilers, feeders, drinkers, laying out bedding.

A Buleryan stove, electric heating, or even pyrolysis boiler equipment can be used for heating. It is recommended to plaster the walls and cover them with lime. In the future, whitewashing should be done when replacing a batch of birds. Rodents and dangerous predators often sneak through cracks and uneven areas in floors. Check and be sure to seal with cement-sand mortar anything that poses such a threat.

Feeders are available in two types: hanging and floor-mounted. If in the first case only a few chickens can feed from one feeder, then the second type allows many birds to feed at the same time.

On a note! For normal intensity of artificial lighting, it is better to hang lamps at a height of 1.5-2 m from the floor, based on the calculation of 3-5 W per 1 sq.m of floor area.

Inside the chicken coop should be equipped with special baths with sand (or fine clay) and ash. Chickens can swim in them. This is necessary to maintain their feathers in normal condition and protect them from ticks and other insects. The baths can be made from ordinary plywood or any container with a wall height of 15-20 cm can be used. You can add a little garden lime to the mixture.

Before starting chickens, the floors can be sprinkled with fluff lime. 0.5 kg of lime is enough for 1 sq.m. The bedding is placed on top with a thickness of about 5 cm.

How to make your own feeder for broiler chickens

We will need a large diameter polyvinyl chloride pipe. Prepare a tee, plugs and your tool with which you will cut the pipe. First, we cut it into pieces: 70, 20, 10 cm. We put a plug on a 20-centimeter piece, which will become the lower end of our feeder.

We put the tee on the top with its side. We insert the longest pipe and close it with a plug. We insert a 10-centimeter section into the remaining part of the tee. We attach the made device to the cage with the bird and pour food into it.

How to make drinking bowls for broiler chickens yourself

It is not at all necessary to buy store-bought drinking bowls. Let's try to make a nipple on our own in a few minutes. We will need: a plug, a plastic pipe - 1 m, a nipple.

First of all, we will drill small holes in the pipe at intervals of up to 25 cm. As a result, you should get at least 4 drinkers. We make a thread in the pipe by screwing a thread-cutting tool into it. We connect the two parts of the pipe. We place a prepared plug on one end to prevent water from draining. On the other we place a knee at an angle of 90°. The reservoir will be a small piece of pipe, which we will connect to the unoccupied end of the elbow.

Broiler drinker

We wrap the nipple well with a sealant and screw it in to the edge. This completes the creation of the drinking bowl. All that remains is to test the structure for possible water leaks and seal them.

Broilers are special meat breeds, the peculiarity of which is rapid weight gain during intensive fattening.

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

The floor method implies the presence of broilers and is most often used in small subsidiary farms with a population of up to 30 birds. When kept in cages, the chicken coop can be smaller in size, but equipped with a good system.

The main elements of the chicken coop design are:

• Indoor area;
• Tambour;
• Aviary.