We do the floor in the chicken coop with our own hands
The floor in the hen house is one of the main components of comfort when breeding poultry. The well-being and egg production of chickens depends on how good the maintenance for the birds is, whether the necessary minimum sanitary standards are observed in the construction of housing, whether there is insulation of the walls. Underfloor heating in a chicken coop is extremely important, and therefore many farmers are wondering how to insulate the floor with their own hands? After all, it is thanks to him that you can maintain the optimal temperature in the room, which will give a decent egg production even in winter cold.
Chicken coop floor
In winter, broilers, chickens and chickens should be kept in heated poultry house... If this is not possible, then it is recommended to set aside such premises as a warm garage, a polycarbonate greenhouse for keeping birds. Another option - before the onset of cold weather, you must choose a material and cover it with an earthen floor in the main room. All types of materials and their application can be studied in detail in a photo or video.
The device of chicken coops
Almost any poultry house - this is a simple shed without heating, and usually does not spend a lot of money on its device doing everything with your own hands. Very often wood is used to build a house. But then in such a shed the temperature should be from 10 to 15 ° C, so the chicken coop needs to be additionally insulated. For this purpose, it is recommended to use inexpensive natural materials, dried grass or wood shavings which are easy to carry out. warming.
The choice depends on climatic conditions and weather. When laying the cover in the house, put warm material on the bottom - this is rule # 1 and should not be broken. For example, a good option would be litter... It is changed as it gets dirty, but it is guaranteed to retain heat. If the winters in the region are very cold, you cannot do without heating devices in the poultry house.
Poultry cover
How to insulate the floor in a chicken coop so that it protects birds from bad weather and rodents that are dangerous? If you properly equip the sexual space, then in the cold season the birds will keep warm in the house, and in the summer they will keep the optimal temperature, which will make the chickens comfortable. so that their paws do not freeze and there is no pneumonia, the floors need to be made a little soft.
Some farmers do not understand why special floors in the chicken coop are needed, and simply opt for a regular chicken coop net, but this is wrong. The mistakes of negligent owners have been recorded in many videos.
There are several types of materials for flooring
- concrete;
- wood;
- Earth.
Each material has its pros and cons, so it is quite difficult to determine which floor to make in the hen house is better: they are all different in terms of the time of making the floors from them, and at the price if the dwelling for birds is made by hand. In newfangled poultry houses, you can also make an electric floor.This is very convenient when it becomes necessary to turn on the heating so that the laying hen incubates the eggs and does not freeze. The most difficult thing to clean is a floor made of wood or soil, which, during construction, can be simply poured onto the floor.
Earthen floor
The most common and economical method is earthen decking. Such a device is most in demand, but it has many disadvantages, such as a rapid decrease in temperature in cold weather and the lack of protection from predators, which, if desired, can easily penetrate the room. Also, a lot of parasites live in the ground, because the mixture of droppings, water and feed quickly turns into mud.
Based on this, we can conclude that such a coating device will not fulfill the main tasks. Additional strengthening with clay can help in this situation. Due to its properties, it will be able to provide reasonably good moisture absorption. This type of flooring will be stronger and more durable, as the clay will be compacted more and more every day. For sufficient waterproofing in the house, the layer of clay should be at least 10 cm, and if there are many chickens, then even more.
Concrete floor
Even a novice farmer is able to build a concrete flooring with his own hands, since the manufacturing technology is quite simple. Such a floor provides complete protection from the penetration of predators, but does not keep warm, regardless of the season. You can cope with this feature if you just lay an additional layer of natural material, due to which the chicken coop will cool down much more slowly.
Also, special dense material, for example, a drainage mesh, will not be superfluous. The concrete floors in the chicken coop are highly resistant to water and alkalis. Such a coating is non-flammable and can last up to 25 years, which none of the floors made of any other material can boast of.
Wooden floor
This type of flooring is the most suitable for both hens and roosters and chickens, because it is able to keep the optimum temperature and does not need to be specially insulated. The boards will not freeze in winter, which makes it possible to put the cages calmly. This material is the most environmentally friendly and easiest to build. But there are also disadvantages: the tree is highly flammable, fungi, parasites and pests act on it, which destroys its structure.
Such insulation requires special care. to minimize the effect of parasites on the tree, use a lime mortar. They carry out the treatment of floors, covering the surface. Most people insulate their chicken coops with wood. And to clean the room more conveniently, you can make the floor at a slight angle. Net perches can be used as sleeping places for chickens.
Building the floor correctly in the poultry house
If the material from which the flooring for the chicken coop will be made is determined, you need to read the manufacturing instructions and start construction. If you build a floor with your own hands, then material costs are noticeably reduced. If the chicken coop is supposed to be small, then an earthen floor can be used for it, if large - a wooden one. First of all, you need a foundation.
In this case, columnar is suitable for the poultry house, due to which the flooring is at a certain distance from the ground, which increases the life of the floors. If the floor is concrete, no foundation is required. Next, logs from a bar are placed on the pedestals so that they are parallel to each other. The space between the lags can be covered with insulation. Next, the boards are laid.
How to insulate the floor?
How to insulate the floor in a chicken coop correctly, based on various materials during construction? Wood coverings retain heat on their own, but if frost is expected, this is not enough. You can insulate the room using bedding in the chicken coop on the floor. They will be able to maintain indoor temperatures up to 26 ° C even in cold winters.It is not recommended to insulate the floors in the house with modern materials. Raw materials of natural origin, such as sawdust, peat or straw, are better suited. A thick layer of litter is laid on the floor, a new one is added as it gets dirty.
The best option for insulating the floor in a hen house is moss peat, because such a bedding does not allow the room to cool down and perfectly absorbs all moisture, thereby eliminating unpleasant odors. Laying hens produce good egg production on this type of litter. If it is decided to insulate the floors with sawdust, then shavings from a coniferous tree are best suited for this, since it has a bactericidal effect, absorbs moisture and does not cake.
Anyone can insulate the floors in the hen house, for this you just need to decide on the material and make a little effort, then the content of the birds will improve. It is necessary to understand well all the nuances of each material for the highest quality chicken room. In good conditions, chicks are less exposed to different diseases... Only after making a quality floor can you start breeding chicks. If the house is properly designed, the hens will feel comfortable at any time of the year, which will allow them to lay more eggs.
Ultimately, underfloor heating in a chicken coop is what is best for keeping birds healthy and productive. Questions about whether you need a well-thought-out floor in a chicken coop should disappear by themselves.