The health of the chicken population largely depends on how comfortable the living conditions the owner will create. One of the most important aspects is the construction of a warm chicken coop, a comfortable, comfortable home. With a year-round keeping of chickens, it is necessary to build a warm chicken coop for them, in which the pies can spend the winter. It's no secret that most breeds are very difficult to adapt to frost.
Warm chicken coop
What is the difference between a warmed house
It is best to build a chicken coop with your own hands: this will significantly reduce financial costs, and a self-made room will be much stronger, which means it will last longer. In winter, chickens do not receive enough vitamins, as a result of which the body's resistance is significantly reduced. The size of the house will depend on the number of chickens.
Today on the Internet you can watch a video in which experienced poultry farmers tell in detail how to build a warmed chicken house with their own hands without extra costs. The construction, designed for keeping birds in the winter, should be well insulated, its purpose is to protect the livestock from drafts. A warm building project must include a heating system. To ensure the optimum temperature in the chicken coop, two large window openings should be designed on the south side. This step will enable the chickens to receive maximum sunlight.
The optimal temperature regime during the cold season is at least 12 ° C. It is better to install metal-plastic structures that will close tightly. It is also necessary to make insulated slopes, this will save additional heat.
Requirements
For the wintering of laying hens, not as much space is required as in the summer. Landing density per 1 square. m - 4-5 individuals. From the above data it follows that to maintain a livestock of 20 chickens, it is necessary to build a room with an area of only 5 square meters. m
The project of a warm chicken coop must necessarily include an insulated vestibule. This will help isolate the entrance and reduce the flow of cold air into the room. Housing for chickens should be divided into separate functional areas for:
- sleep
- feeding;
- watering.
In winter, you need to carefully monitor the humidity in the room. At constant temperature jumps, humidity increases accordingly. It is very important to equip housing for chickens with a ventilation system. Straw or sawdust is laid on the floor for heating. When the biomaterial reacts with the droppings and begins to rot, heat is released into the air, and with it ammonia vapors, which can negatively affect the health of the laying hens.
Training
When drawing up drawings, you need to carefully consider the entire structure. One of the most important points in building a warm chicken coop with your own hands is the foundation. Without it, the building will not be able to retain heat. The localization of the building is also important. It is recommended to choose a place on a hill, so that when a large amount of precipitation falls, water does not accumulate, but flows down.
To lay the foundation, dig holes of 70 cm depth and put wooden formwork in them, and then pour concrete. After a few days, when the concrete dries up, you can start building. The video shows how to build a warm chicken coop with your own hands, how to lay the foundation correctly, and find out which material is best to use. The building itself is better made of wood: it retains heat better.
Layout
When drawing up drawings, you need to correctly arrange the functional areas. The internal structure of the chicken coop includes:
- feeders;
- drinkers;
- sleeping poles;
- nests for layers.
Perches should be located away from the entrance, ideally on the opposite wall. The sizes will depend on the number of chickens and their dimensions. The nests are located in the most secluded corner, protected from drafts. The number of nests depends on the production orientation of chickens.
The feeders and the drinking system are positioned so that they do not interfere with cleaning and do not stand in the aisle. Separate feeders should be installed for dry feed and wet mixes. A manhole must be made out of the building so that the chickens can freely go outside. It should be equipped with a lock so that the walking is under your control. On frosty days, you should not let the bird go outside.
Construction process
Initially, you should sketch the drawings on paper and only then implement the project. The numerous step-by-step photos of the manufacture of chicken coops with their own hands describe in detail the structure of the building. Before laying the foundation, you need to remove the upper turf layer, about 20 cm. Dig holes with a depth of 70 cm in increments of a meter along the entire perimeter of the building. The bottom is covered with gravel, then a brick is placed on it, which is poured with concrete on top. Layers of brick-concrete are repeated until the target level is reached. Wooden formwork must be wrapped with roofing material. Next, they build a frame, then lay the floor and make the walls. Wall insulation is carried out using mineral wool. Inside the building, a grid is laid in layers, then mineral wool, then again a tree. Then they move on to installing windows and doors. The roof is built gable, always with an attic.
It is better to prefer ventilation of the supply and exhaust type. For its installation you will need two PVC pipes. The supply pipe should be fixed as far as possible from the nests, and the exhaust pipe, on the contrary, as close as possible. To prevent precipitation from getting inside, the pipes are covered with umbrellas on top. From the inside, dampers are installed to control the air flow.
do-it-yourself warm chicken coop
Do-it-yourself warm chicken coop for 15 chickens without electricity. Inexpensive and practical
Do-it-yourself winter chicken coop with walking
Why IS THE WINTER HEAT IN THE CHICKEN? On the farm on your site
Heating system
To keep the chicken coop warm in the cold season, it must be insulated. You can do this in the ways described above. In addition, the room will have to be warmed up in any case. This is done using oil or infrared heaters installed on the ceiling. This heating method helps maintain the required temperature even in a concrete structure.
Heating can be done using a stand-alone stove, made by yourself or purchased in a store. The main thing is not to overdo it with illumination. In the winter, the daylight hours should be much shorter than in the warm period.
Illuminations
For chickens to fly normally in winter, 15 hour daylight hours are enough. An increase in daylight in the winter is achieved through artificial lighting. For this, you can use fluorescent lamps, LEDs, energy-saving lamps.
The recommended lighting power is 20 lux. The height above the floor is calculated taking into account the selected energy sources. Indoor temperatures can be increased with gas discharge lamps, which can completely replace sunlight.
Useful Tips
Starting to build a warm chicken coop with your own hands, you must correctly determine the size and shape of the room. It is recommended to lay the foundation with a margin if it is planned to increase the livestock. If it was planned to keep 20 chickens, but in the end there were 10 and the area is too large, it is necessary to protect the unused corner, in order to avoid heat loss.
It is better to choose a rectangular shape. In a long, narrow room, you can make the optimal placement of nests, perches and feeders with drinking bowls. This shape of the building contributes to the conservation of heat.
Conclusion
The most important thing in keeping chickens in winter is an insulated room with good ventilation. It is very important to ensure the optimal air temperature and humidity in the hen house in winter. Constant temperature jumps lead to increased humidity, which in turn can trigger an outbreak of infectious diseases among the livestock.
To make the room as comfortable as possible, it is necessary to create a building project, where all the data are laid, starting with laying the foundation and ending with the internal arrangement. The foundation is the main part of the winter premises, without it the building will not be able to retain heat.
It is recommended to build a chicken coop from wooden beams. This biomaterial will retain heat much better than bricks. No matter how well the walls, floor, windows and roof are insulated, the house should be equipped with heaters. You can use gas-discharge lamps, which completely replace sunlight, heat the room.
An equally important part of the arrangement is the ventilation system. The best option for a small area is the supply and exhaust system. Its design consists of two pipes, one of which works to remove air from the room, and the other to supply air. In a winter house, ventilation is needed to remove ammonia vapors resulting from the decomposition of floor litter from biomaterials and litter. All necessary calculations can be done independently or you can use step-by-step photo videos from the Internet.
Making a chicken coop for the wintering of birds with your own hands is not at all difficult. The main thing is to correctly do all the calculations and draw up a building plan.