How to build a shed for chickens own hands?

A subsidiary farm in the suburban area or a country house does not lose its relevance. In addition to growing vegetables, many are happy to hold a bird. A barn for chickens and a small place for grooming - that's all there is to it. Construction does not require large financial costs, and the simplicity of the design allows you to do on your own.

Place for construction

Before you build a shed for hens with your own hands, you need to choose a place on the site. It is important to follow a few simple rules:

• A barn must not stand in a low place. This will help to avoid flooding the foundation with meltwater and sediments. It is possible to organize a small embankment and conduct a drainage (dig through the perimeter of the groove for draining water).
• The shed should be built at a remote distance from the house. Specific sharp smell of chicken manure will not cause anxiety.
• For a comfortable keeping of the hens, a place should be provided for the fenced-in paddock. The bird will not pollute the territory of the country plot and will not be able to dig through the whole garden. Paddy is better to arrange on the leeward side.
• The construction should provide protection for the birds from wild animals, birds of prey and domestic "hunters" (dogs, cats).

The size

A shed for chickens is built on a certain number of birds. It is from this will depend on the size of the future building. For a small herd of 10-20 goals, it is enough to cover an area of 2 by 3 meters. If a large number of livestock is planned, calculate the area based on the fact that for every 20 birds 6 m ^{2 of} area is required.

Neglect rules can not be larger than 4 heads per 1 m ² density of chickens Will promote overheating of the bird, a decrease in productivity and even its death.

Chicken coop designs

A barn for chickens by design is a very simple construction. When choosing any variant of a building, they must withstand the necessary zoo-hygienic requirements for keeping a bird.

The room should be dry and warm, with the arrangement of the ventilation system. A barn for chickens can be built without windows. If there are windows, on the inside, it is better to close them with a grid. For a long time artificial lighting has been used to keep the bird alive. In addition to light, the lamps give additional heat, which is very important when keeping chickens and in the winter.

But most poultry farmers prefer to build a barn for chickens (photo in the article) in the original style. In fact, a chicken coop can become an ornament of the landscape and a highlight of the whole yard. Crafted hands can turn an ordinary farm building into a fairy-tale house and a work of architectural art.

Internal organization

The owner, starting to build a shed for hens with his own hands, must plan in advance what and where will be located inside the chicken coop. The following points are taken into account:

• Nasest equip at a height of not less than 60 cm from the floor. This arrangement will greatly facilitate the cleaning of the premises. If there are several levels, then the distance between them is maintained at 50 cm. The length of the poles themselves should correspond to the norm - 20 cm per individual.
• Nests should create a sense of security for the chickens. The best option would be the usual wooden boxes. It is possible to use wicker baskets, cardboard boxes. For medium sized chickens, dimensions of 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm are quite appropriate. As a filler for a nest, sawdust or straw is suitable, it must be periodically changed. The number of nests is one for 4-5 hens.
• Feeders can be bought ready-made in the store or made with their own hands from the handy tools: polypropylene pipes, polyethylene buckets or wood. The main requirement is that they should not be easily turned over by a bird. Feeders must be washed periodically.
• Drinkers should provide chickens with water 24 hours a day. When the heat is high, above 29 ^oh , the watering of the bird sharply increases.
• Illumination is arranged at the rate of: 6 m ² one light bulb with a power of 60 W. Suspend them at a height of two meters from the floor. With the help of electricity for laying hens, the duration of a light day (up to 14 hours) is increased during the autumn-winter period. This positively affects their productivity.

• Feed storage is an important issue. Basically, the sheds are built with a gable roof. This helps avoid collapse during heavy snowfall. The attic serves as an additional insulator against cold, it is on it and you can store food.
• Stock of litter can be stored in the chicken coop. This convenient layout ensures the preservation of heat in the winter and allows you to store all the necessary tools.

Warming of the building

The optimum temperature for keeping chickens indoors is 12 ^о -16 ^о . The range in which birds feel comfortable enough is from -2 ^o to +27 ^o . To solve the question of how to make a shed for chickens warm, you need to pay attention to the following:

• The floor must be wooden or adobe, but not concrete (cement), it is advisable to put a waterproofing layer under it;
• Windows are necessarily double, without cracks;
• The door is better single-winged, insulated from the inside (the insulation must be closed with a grid);
• The ceiling is made of wood and additionally covered with a mixture of clay and sawdust (you can with straw);
• The walls are best wooden (the space between the boards is filled with a heater) or adobe.

Paddock area

The optimal option for the site is the south side, protected from the wind by the side of the shed. The size of the paddock is calculated at a rate of 0.5 m ² per bird. If there is a possibility to increase the area of the enclosure, this should be done. To escape to the enclosure for chickens, special lazy sizes of 30 cm x 30 cm are arranged with the gangway.

Part of the site must be equipped with a canopy. This will protect the bird from too hot sun. The remaining part for protection from birds of prey is closed with a grid-rabitsa. To reduce the cost of construction work and ease of installation, you can use a fishing net with a large cell.

In no case should the cage be flooded with water. To solve the problem, it is recommended to arrange a small bias in the enclosure, so that the water flows by gravity from the site.

Material for construction

Before you build a shed for chickens, you need to choose the right material. To build a chicken coop, try not to use concrete, brick, slag blocks, natural stone. They are subject to dampness and are considered cold.

Typically, when equipping business premises use cheap, sometimes second-hand material. The general requirement is that any raw materials that have already been used must be in a normal state (not rotten) and do not pose a danger to the bird (chipped on boards or plywood can injure chickens).

Errors in construction

The main errors in the chicken coop equipment are:

• Wrong choice of location for construction;
• Incorrectly selected material;
• Arrangement of cold concrete floor ;
• Absence or incorrect calculation of ventilation;
• Errors in the calculation of the shed area (it is necessary to envisage a possible increase in the number of livestock).