How to make a summer chicken coop with your own hands

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Sooner or later, each owner of a summer residence will have to face the construction of buildings for household needs. Especially if he decided to start breeding poultry. In this case, a chicken coop on a personal plot is simply necessary. The main thing is to remember that only in a properly equipped room can you grow a strong and healthy livestock of broilers.

Do-it-yourself summer chicken coop in the country

In order to independently build such a structure with your own skillful hands, you need desire, a little free time and imagination. Let's figure out how to build a chicken coop in the country, in which the birds will live together and reproduce productively.

Where to start building a chicken coop

The main thing in any work is drawing up a clear plan of action. Before you build a summer chicken coop yourself with your own hands in the country:

• carefully plan all stages of work,
• choose a suitable plot of land,
• develop a building drawing,
• prepare all the necessary supplies and construction materials,
• proceed with the construction.

In principle, to build a summer chicken coop in the country, especially a temporary one, you can use any materials that retain heat well. The main thing is to remember: the productivity of chickens largely depends on the correct lighting, so you need to try to choose the location of the future building in such a way that as much sunlight as possible gets into its windows throughout the day.

They usually start planting a bird in the spring, so the simplest option is suitable as a temporary chicken coop. If the plans do not appear keeping hens in cages, it is necessary to build in advance a summer chicken coop with a walk in the country. To do this, it is enough just to fence a small area adjacent to the structure with a net, where it is then planned to release the livestock for a walk during the daytime. If the chicken coop at the summer cottage will be with a walk, you must immediately take into account the area of ​​the extension when drawing up the drawing.

A cramped uncomfortable booth or a full-fledged bird house?

For most people, a chicken coop in the country is a tiny house, outwardly somewhat similar to a cramped dog kennel or barn, where a person is very uncomfortable. Such projects take place as temporary, but it is highly undesirable to use them constantly.

What for? If you can always make a large spacious summer chicken coop for broilers with your own hands at the dacha, where it will be convenient not only for chickens, but also for their owner.

Do not forget that such premises constantly need basic maintenance: cleaning from the waste products of birds, feeding the birds and collecting the eggs they have laid. It is very problematic to do this in the booth, it is enough to look at the photos of such small chicken coops to be sure of this.

In addition, you should never exclude the fact that, having decided to breed poultry during the summer season, you can get so carried away that there will be a desire to establish a round-the-clock production of chicken meat, and this can be done only in a strong, spacious, and most importantly - warm chicken coop... Therefore, you should not waste time, money and effort on the construction of dubious buildings, it is better to equip a real multifunctional poultry house.

Do not be afraid of such a loud name: once you have spent your financial and time resources on setting up a capital dwelling for birds with your own strength and hands, you can provide yourself and your loved ones with useful products for many years.

If there is a small garden house on the personal plot, you can easily convert it into a chicken coop, if this is not possible, you will have to build a building from scratch.

Choosing the place and area of ​​the future chicken coop

When planning summer chicken coops for broiler chickens, it must be borne in mind that one individual needs 1 sq. m of free space, therefore, most likely, the farmer will have a choice: either to reduce the number of livestock, or the number of beds.

Each farmer is forced to look for a way out on his own, but you should try to find a middle ground. Even if at the moment there are 5-6 chickens on the farm, it is not a fact that next year there will be no desire to increase the number of livestock. Often, due to the fact that amateur poultry breeders are trying to save on space, they are unable to carry out the correct planting of individuals, respectively, productivity is significantly reduced. There is no need to repeat other people's mistakes, and everything will be fine.

In support of the above, on the video, you can observe the productivity of layers in already existing summer chicken coops (it does not matter whether they are temporary or capital), approximately equal in area. As statistics show, in 2 identical rooms, for example, 15 sq. m, under the same conditions of keeping, the egg production of a herd of 15 chickens is 2 times higher, in the hen house where 25 individuals live.

So, the size of the future outbuilding was determined, the drawing was drawn, now it's time to find a suitable place. As an example, we will have a do-it-yourself chicken coop for broilers in a rectangular country house with an area of ​​15 sq. m.

The first condition is this: a chicken coop, made with your own hands, must stand on a certain hill. Second - the capital summer chicken coop for broilers should be correctly positioned in relation to the cardinal points:

• long wall - from east to west,
• windows - to the south,
• the entrance is to the east.

By arranging the room this way, you can significantly save on heating and lighting the chicken coop. And if in the summer it will not be especially noticeable, then in winter the egg production of chickens will pleasantly surprise.

It is imperative to equip the house with plywood shutters to regulate the intensity of sunlight. In summer, too much natural light can cause hens to overheat and reduce egg production.

The optimum air temperature in the chicken coop is 12 ° C, but if it rises a little, it's okay. Even if this figure reaches 25 ° C, the chickens will continue to lay, however, 2 times less. But 26-30 ° C is already a critical temperature at which egg production completely stops. This must be taken into account when drawing up a project for a capital structure.

Building the foundation for the poultry house

So, the main preparatory points have been settled, it's time to decide on the most preferable material from which the summer cottage will be erected:

• The four-edged cant has an ideal balance between price and performance. The cost of the material is inexpensive, working with it will not be difficult even for a person who, for the first time in his life, decided to make any building with his own hands.In other words, timber is an excellent material for self-construction, and it should be used as the main one.
• Walls can be sheathed with either plywood or OSB sheets; some farmers even use wall panels and siding for this purpose.
• Roof cladding is best done with flexible tiles, ondulin sheets or old slate.
• To trim the corners and perimeter, you will need inch boards, nails and screws. It is advisable to additionally impregnate the wood with fire retardant protection.
• If the chicken coop will be with a walk, you need a netting netting and frame beams for creating an aviary.

The beginning of any major construction is the foundation. Its type can be absolutely any, but many poultry farmers advise choosing a columnar one. The method is the simplest, inexpensive and pre-fabricated, unlike, for example, rubble or tape. In addition, pests such as rats and other animals will never start under the chicken coop, standing on the pedestals, and the floor ventilation will provide reliable prevention of wood rot.

It is better to make the pillars with your own skillful hands from old brick or ordinary stone. These building materials can be purchased for a penny, the main thing is desire.

Let's start creating the foundation:

• You need to start with the markup. They take metal rods and strong twine. Based on their drawings, they hammer the rods around the perimeter and pull the rope over them, so that it almost lies on the ground. In order to make sure that the markings are accurate, you can measure the diagonals using a tape measure and compare the results with your calculations.
• They remove the fertile soil layer. This is about 20-25 cm. This land is no longer needed, so you can use it at your own discretion, for example, scatter it over the rest of the personal plot.
• In each corner and in some places of the perimeter, they dig out along a recess (the width of the sides is 0.5 m, the depth is 0.2 m), in order to then place fundamental pedestals there. The distance between them should not be more than 1 m.
• They come up to a stretched rope and, using a hydraulic level, raise it to a height of 25 cm from the ground. Then a 10-centimeter layer of sand is poured into all the recesses.
• Stands are built - bricks are laid in rows, fastened together with cement mortar. The last brick should touch the rope. If the height is not enough, they simply put a small layer of cement mortar on the brick and level it.
• Leave the foundation to freeze for several days. As soon as the solution sets well, each cabinet is treated with bitumen or special mastic, which is on the shelves of any hardware store.
• They take coarse gravel and fill it with the space formed between the soil and the brick pedestals. The same materials cover the entire territory from which the fertile soil layer was removed at the very beginning. The gravel will ensure the safety of the bricks and serve as a kind of drainage.

Arrangement of walls, floor and roof

When erecting a room from bars, standard technology should be used.

The scheme of preparing the chicken coop for flooring:

• The 1st crown is isolated from the foundation using roofing material, the ends are connected in half.
• Lay the floor logs 50 cm apart.
• The gaps are closed with scraps of material.
• The remaining crowns are laid, which have lock corner joints.
• In the intervals between the crowns and the locks, a special insulation between the crowns is laid, which can be used as a linen-jute cloth.

To avoid freezing and blowing through the floors, you can lay them in several layers. As the main material, ordinary inch boards are perfect.

The scheme for laying warm floors is as follows:

• Black floors are covered with dry unedged boards.
• A layer of 10 cm wide blocks is laid on top (they will perform a vapor barrier function).There will be a small space between the bars, which must be filled with insulation.
• Any edged board is laid with a final layer.

It is desirable that the underfloor heating has through vents, which will be reliably closed for the winter, and provide additional ventilation in the room.

We lay the walls

The timber is often wet (this is a natural phenomenon for a tree), if you have just such a material, additional wooden dowels will be required for the construction of walls. Under them, every 50 cm, it is necessary to make holes with a depth of 2.5 beams. Do not forget to observe the checkerboard order so that the pins do not interfere with each other. In such a simple way, it is possible to prevent the appearance of distortions in the structure. Wall dimensions: height - at least 180 cm, length - according to the project.

It is imperative to make a passage for chickens with a hinged door on the back of the chicken coop in the wall so that the birds can move freely between the street and the house. If the option is used when the door will go into the aviary, it is better to make the unlocking system remote, for example, using a spring and wire. In this case, you do not need to go into the aviary every time to open or close the door.

We make the roof

Having completed the erection of the entire structure, they proceed to fastening the ceiling beams, install the rafters and lay the roof:

• If flexible shingles are used for this, then plywood must first be laid on top of the rafters and only then the base material.
• If the roof is made of slate, metal tile or ondulin, before laying it, you first need to crate their inch boards, lay a waterproofing layer on them, and then the roofing material.

The optimal roof design for a hen house is gable, since it has a number of indisputable advantages, judge for yourself:

• ease of construction,
• availability of free space for attic equipment,
• a form that prevents stagnation of water after rain and melting snow.

It is also necessary to take care of the presence of an attic in the future room. There it will be possible to store bird food, work equipment and much more, for example, nettles and other natural sources of vitamins that birds love so much.

When building a roof, the ceiling surface is covered with any boards available on the farm, and then insulated with coal slag or expanded clay (these are the most budgetary insulation options).

We must not forget that before insulating the ceiling and laying the roof, it is necessary to equip the building with a ventilation system. The easiest way to do this is with 2 wooden boxes. The first is installed at a distance of 50 cm below the ceiling level, the second - on the opposite side of the room, but already directly at the ceiling level. In order to be able to influence the temperature regime of the room with the help of ventilation, each ventilation pipe should be equipped with a tin flap.

Aviary for walking poultry

To provide the birds with free range, but at the same time limit the territory of the enclosure, you will need a wire mesh, for example, the one that remained from plastering work, and bars to create a frame. You can choose any size, based solely on the characteristics of the site and personal preferences. It is advisable to make the height in human height in order to be able to enter there without bending over, and to exercise control over the walking.

Fix the structure against the back wall of the hen house with metal corners. Do not forget to make doors in the aviary. Such a walk can be disconnected from the hen house at any time and moved to another place or removed completely.

These simple recommendations will help you quickly and easily build a building for a summer chicken coop in the country with your own hands. At the same time, it is important not to forget that the interior arrangement of the premises plays an important role for the growth and development of birds.

We create comfort for layers

Having finished with the construction of the chicken coop in the country, they proceed to the arrangement of its interior. To provide the birds with a decent level of care and maintenance, it is necessary to provide for all the subtleties. It is only when poultry lives in comfort and love that it quickly gains weight and lays beautiful tasty eggs.

The first thing to think about when equipping a summer or all-season chicken coop in the country is perches... Each chicken should have a 30 centimeter perch. To make it, a rectangular bar is suitable, the dimensions of which are as follows:

• width - 40 mm,
• height - 60 mm,
• length - at least 300 mm.

Before installation, it is imperative to round off the corners of the perches, otherwise the birds may be accidentally injured. Alternatively, you can use thick tree branches instead of bars. The distance between the perches should be approximately 50 -70 cm. A more detailed layout of the perches should be drawn up individually, depending on the size of the chicken coop and how many hens will live in it.

Sawdust boxes are another must-have for broilers that every simple summer good chicken coop should have. Feathered there will be warm and comfortable. Do not forget to install feeders and drinkers inside the chicken coop. To keep the device clean longer, it is advisable to place it on some insignificant hill.

To have a more detailed idea of ​​how to equip bird houses, you can see photos of existing chicken coops and choose 1 option from the available ones as an example.

Finally, when they build a chicken coop in their country house, the following recommendations are taken into account:

• To protect the hens from neighboring cats and dogs, as well as other animals that can penetrate both the enclosure and the main room, it is necessary to close the base of the chicken coop more tightly.
• In a region with a hot climate, it is imperative to make a zone in some part of the aviary where there will always be a shadow, for example, with the help of a cloth curtain or other improvised items.
• If the design of the enclosure is relatively light, then instead of cleaning it up when the birds dirtied its entire territory, you can simply unscrew the screws and move the frame 1-2 m to the side or roll it on 3 round logs. It is best to sow the land from the past enclosure with lawn grass.
• If you make the perches inside the house removable, cleaning will be much more convenient.
• To the choice flooring in the chicken coop should be approached very responsibly. Droppings and dirty wet chicken feet will quickly render cheap materials unusable and will need to be changed very often.