Correct Arrangement Of The Chicken Coop Inside With Your Own Hands, Video And Photo

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

How to equip the chicken coop inside correctly and functionally?

Many summer residents want to start breeding poultry. For example, chickens will provide you with eggs and meat, but it is not so easy to equip them with suitable housing. In this article we will tell you everything about arranging the chicken coop from the inside so that your pets do not need anything. You will find out what it takes to build a good, solid chicken coop.

Content

• 1 Preliminary preparation
• 2 Foundation and floor - the basis of the structure
• 3 Natural enemies of your poultry
• 4 Walls and roof
• 5 How to equip a room inside step by step
• 6 We distribute the internal space rationally
• 7 chicken pen
• 8 Video about the correct arrangement of the chicken coop

Preliminary preparation

The first thing you need to do before starting work is to calculate the required building space. To do this, you need to know exactly the number of chickens that will live in the chicken coop. The more birds, the more space they need. It is believed that the minimum area for 2-3 chickens is at least 1 sq. But do not forget that a bird (both a laying hen and a meat one) needs a comfortable space, which is about 3 square meters. Try to calculate from this indicator.

After you have calculated the required area of the building, sketch out its plan on paper. On the Internet you can find many ready-made schemes, among which you will probably choose the most suitable one for your summer cottage. It remains only to adjust the footage to your area.

Choosing the right place for your house is very important

When drawing up a plan for a chicken coop, be sure to consider the presence of an aviary designed for walking birds. Its area must be calculated based on the calculation of at least 1 sq. for one chicken. The more space the better:

1. Laying hens need to move more to keep their shape. This helps them maintain and increase their wear. An egg-laying chicken should not gain a lot of weight, otherwise it will simply stop laying.
2. Meat chickens are designed by nature in such a way that high mobility allows them to build muscle mass. This is exactly what is required of them, since they carry few eggs, but are valuable for their meat.

When choosing a place for a stationary chicken coop, give preference to a hill. If there is none on your site, create it artificially: pour a slide of soil, broken brick, gravel or rubble. Cover the top with a thick layer of clay mixed with broken glass (this will save your pets from the invasion of rodents). Cover the clay with sand, soil or turf, at least 15 cm.

Foundation and floor - the basis of the structure

You have chosen a suitable place, equipped it, created a building plan. Now you can proceed directly to construction.

Do I need to fill the foundation for the chicken coop? It depends on your personal choice. And the choice should be based on the characteristics of the landscape, climate and the building itself. Sometimes you can do without a foundation, but if you decide to make a solid structure, then a strip and columnar foundation will be the best options. They will cost you much less than, for example, a slab, and besides, they are easier to execute. If you have the opportunity to do without pouring the foundation, then be sure to use it: these will save you from additional waste of time, money and effort.

Chicken coop layout drawing

The simplest option is a frame chicken coop. To build it, you will need several sized slabs that can be easily cut out for doors and windows. You do not need to install the foundation, you just need to make a fence of iron sheets around the perimeter of the structure. Drive them into the ground to a depth of 30 to 50 cm so that rodents do not make their way inside.

In order to equip the floor in the chicken coop, you do not need any special materials. The main thing is that its surface is clean, and dirt can be easily removed from it. Use any kind of floorboard, and on top lay a layer of sawdust or straw up to 10 cm thick. When this litter gets dirty, just remove it and put a new one. In winter, during cold weather, increase the thickness of the litter layer. Warmth is very important for laying hens, especially if you plan to hatch the chicks.

Natural enemies of your poultry

Walls and roof

What walls would be most suitable for a chicken coop? If you choose based on considerations of strength, it is better to build from stone, cinder block or brick. Such a structure will stand for a long time, but it will be very cold, it will have to be additionally heated.

Walls made of timber or logs will be much warmer, but they will not cost much less than stone or brick ones, and their construction will take a lot of time. The easiest way to use frame technology is to install the frame and sheathe it outside and inside with boards or slabs. Distribute insulation between them, which can be used as:

• slag;
• straw;
• sawdust;
• gravel;
• mineral wool.

For a large chicken coop, it is better to make a gable roof. This design will not allow the room to become damp: snow will not linger on the surface, and rainwater will drain from the coating. In addition, you will have additional space in which you can store garden tools, building materials or feed.

Be sure to insulate the roof. Any material can be used for the roof.

Personally, I can say, incredibly lucky, because I didn't have to build a poultry house. In my garden there is an old temporary house, which was once a residential house, but has now become a convenient refuge for poultry. All I have to do is to equip the perches and places for the feeders and drinkers. A distinctive feature is a small brick stove that allows you to heat the entire space. Therefore, my chickens feel great both in summer and in winter.

Try to insulate the walls of the hen house so that the bird is comfortable both in summer and in winter.

If you have a building on your site that is very easy to adapt for keeping poultry, be sure to take this opportunity. This will save you time and money.

How to equip a room inside step by step

When you are building your own poultry home, you need to consider good indoor lighting, which means taking care of the windows. It is best to position them on the south side and use opening structures to ensure a regular supply of fresh air.

The windows in the coop should not be large. The optimal ratio of the total area of the windows to the floor area is 1 to 12. Outside, be sure to close the windows with a fine mesh. Insects can serve as food for chickens, but with the same success they will bring on themselves parasites that will adversely affect the health of pets.

Provide hens with the required number of nests

Remember that the most suitable light duration for layers is 15 to 17 hours. In the summer you won't have to worry about this, but in the winter you will need to provide additional lighting. For this, you can use any lighting, for example, lamps with shades. The main condition is for 1 sq. you need 5 watts of lighting. The most intense lighting should be on roosts, feeders and drinkers. In the evening, the lights must be turned off: the birds must sleep in the dark.

Be sure to make ventilation of the supply type. In the summer, during the hot period, it will not only help cool the chicken coop, but also remove unpleasant odors from it. If your coop has a large area, a fan may be required.

We distribute the internal space rationally

This part of the coop setup is very important. It depends on it how comfortable it will be for the bird to live in the prepared structure.

The roost is the most important place for a chicken, as it spends half of its life on it. For roosting, it is best to choose bars about 5 cm in diameter. The length should correspond to the length of the wall to which you will attach the timber. Round and sand the edges of the pitcher well so that the hens don't get hurt.

The roost is installed at a height of at least half a meter from the floor. The poles are arranged in the form of steps relative to each other at a distance of 35 cm. The upper pole should be at least 25 cm away from the wall.

Correct arrangement of the perch

When calculating the required length of the poles, take into account that each chicken will need at least 30 cm of space.

An obligatory attribute of the chicken coop in which the layers live is the nesting site. In order to equip it, you can use an old box, basin, basket - no matter what material. The main thing is that the nest is deep enough. The bottom should be lined with straw or sawdust. Determine how many nests you need by the number of chickens: 1 nest for 5 birds.

Chicken enclosure

It is not enough to build a chicken coop where there is free space. It is necessary to correctly orient it to the cardinal points. And this is not fashionable feng shui, it is really important. The door is best positioned on the east side so that the birds get enough vitamin D3 from the rays of the rising sun. One part of the pen should be on the north side to keep it cool on hot summer days.

To equip the enclosure hedge, use metal posts, covered with galvanized mesh from the inside. Bury them deeper, at least 20 cm. Chickens love to rake the soil, and can easily dig a hole large enough to escape. Catching fugitives around the neighborhood is not the most joyful thing to do, take my word for it.

A properly equipped pen will protect your bird from many troubles

The height of the fence of about 2.5 m will be enough to prevent the chickens from flying over. Roosters of some breeds can easily take this height, but do not worry: they will not go far from their harem, and will return to the pen very soon.

If you decide to leave the natural earthen surface in the pen, keep in mind that over time, the soil flavored with dung will turn, under the influence of precipitation, into liquid mud, which the chickens will carry into the chicken coop. This will affect not only the quality of the eggs, but also the health of the layers.

You can make flooring from wooden planks. Lay stones over the area of the corral, on them - wooden blocks treated with antiseptic and tar, with a section of 15X15 cm. To allow the chickens to dig in the ground, install a large container, for example, a bath or trough, and fill it with a mixture of dry coarse sand and ash.

Video about the correct arrangement of the chicken coop

As you can see, building and equipping a chicken coop for your poultry is not difficult at all. Hopefully our tips will help you get the job done right. If you have experience in arranging such structures, please share it in the comments. If you have any questions on this topic, ask them, and we will be happy to answer you.