Warm chicken coop device
The health of the chicken livestock largely depends on how comfortable living conditions the owner creates. 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 an insulated poultry house
Best to build do-it-yourself chicken coop: this will significantly reduce financial costs, and a room made by yourself 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 videos in which experienced poultry farmers tell in detail how to build an insulated chicken coop with their own hands at no extra cost. A building designed for keeping birds in winter must be well insulated, its purpose is to protect the livestock from drafts. A warm building project must include a heating system. To ensure the optimal temperature in the hen house, you need to design two large window openings on the south side. This step will enable the chickens to receive maximum sunlight.
The optimal temperature regime in 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
Layers do not need as much space for wintering as in summer. Planting density per 1 sq. m - 4-5 individuals. From the above data, it follows that to keep 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 must be divided into separate functional areas for:
- sleep;
- feeding;
- drinking.
In winter, it is especially necessary to carefully monitor the humidity in the room. With constant temperature jumps, humidity rises accordingly. It is very important to equip housing for chickens ventilation system... Straw or sawdust is placed 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, you should dig holes with a depth of 70 cm and put a 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 better 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;
- laying nests.
The perches should be positioned further 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 the chickens.
Feeders and watering systems are positioned so that they do not obstruct cleaning and do not stand in the aisle. Separate feeders should be installed for dry feed and wet mash. 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. On numerous step-by-step photos of making chicken coops with their own hands, the structure of the building is described in detail. Before laying the foundation, you need to remove the top sod layer, about 20 cm. Around the entire perimeter of the building, dig holes 70 cm deep in one meter increments. The bottom is covered with gravel, then a brick is placed on it, which is poured over with concrete. Layers of brick-concrete are repeated until the target level is reached. The wooden formwork must be wrapped with roofing material. Next, a frame is built, then the floor is laid and the walls are made. Wall insulation is carried out using mineral wool. Inside the building, a mesh is laid on the wall in layers, then mineral wool, then wood again. Then they move on to installing windows and doors. The roof is built with a 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.
Heating system
In order for the chicken coop to remain warm in the cold season, it is necessary insulate... This can be done 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 to maintain the required temperature even in a concrete structure.
Heating can be carried out using a self-contained stove, made by hand or purchased from a store. The main thing is not to overdo it with illumination. In 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. The increase in daylight hours in winter is achieved by artificial lighting... To do 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 carriers. The room temperature can be raised with gas discharge lamps, which can completely replace sunlight.
Useful Tips
When starting to build a warm chicken coop with your own hands, you need to 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 of them and the area is too large, it is necessary to fence the unused corner 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 drinkers. This shape of the building helps to retain 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 jumps in temperature lead to an increase in humidity, which in turn can provoke 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 the laying of the foundation and ending with the internal arrangement. The foundation is the main part of the winter room; without it, the building will not be able to keep warm.
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 and heat the room.
An equally important part of the arrangement is the ventilation system. The best option for a small area is a supply and exhaust system. Its design consists of two pipes, one of which works to remove air from the room, and the second to supply air. In a winter house, ventilation is needed to remove ammonia fumes from the decomposition of biomaterial litter and manure. 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.