Chicken coop for 20 chickens: projects, construction and arrangement

Every farmer who keeps chickens on his plot knows perfectly well that this poultry needs to be provided with the most comfortable conditions. Only under this condition can you get good eggs and high-quality meat. For laying hens, it is necessary to build a reliable chicken coop, in which they will be comfortable and safe. Today we will learn how to equip such an erection, designed for keeping 20 chickens.

Building Requirements

It is quite possible to build a high-quality and reliable barn for chickens with your own hands. However, it is very important to consider that such a building must meet a number of requirements. Only if they are observed, the structure will turn out to be really strong and comfortable for poultry.

Let us consider in detail what requirements apply to a barn for chickens.

• Optimal temperature. Laying hens must live in ideal temperature conditions. In addition, drafts should not “walk” inside such an erection, since they are harmful to the health of the bird. However, this does not mean that in summer it should not be cool in a small barn – temperatures above 25 degrees of this living creature are not suitable. In such an environment, chickens simply stop laying.

• Humidity level. It is very important to remember that high humidity levels adversely affect chickens. In such conditions, they can get sick. This implies one important requirement – the chicken coop must have windows or ventilated pipes mounted under the roof.
• Lighting. Equally important in the chicken coop is proper lighting. Its level will have a direct impact on the egg production of the bird. Thus, the warm yellow light creates a very good atmosphere and also makes the layers calmer. In addition, the light bulbs in the chicken coop should be kept in shades for safety purposes. Windows in the chicken coop should be closed with special bars or partitions made of wood.

• Peace. As mentioned earlier, a calm environment is very important for laying hens. So, excessively bright lighting, complete darkness, too loud sounds or incomprehensible noises can seriously scare the living creatures. This sometimes leads to a state of chronic restlessness in chickens. In order for the birds to feel completely safe, it is advisable to place the building in a remote place of the site. A noisy road should not pass nearby, as well as other animals should not move. Many experts advise turning to a hedge – it will not only create a cozy shade, but also protect chickens from insect attacks or strong winds.

• Protection from other animals. So that other animals (primarily predators or rodents) do not get into the chicken coop, you should protect the foundation and walls of the structure with wire or metal with sharp details. Remember that almost all rodents are carriers of very dangerous infections, so you should additionally take care of the presence of mousetraps and other traps.
• Environmental friendliness of materials. Chicken coops should be built from safe and environmentally friendly materials. They should not adversely affect either the living creatures themselves or the environment. That is why in most cases these structures are made of safe wood, which does not contain chemical components.

Projects

A chicken coop designed for keeping 20 laying hens can have a different design. That is why, before starting construction work, a project plan for the future construction should be prepared. Let’s take a look at some interesting options.

In many areas there are tall poultry houses, consisting of two main parts – the innermost room, made in the form of a neat house with a gable roof, as well as a courtyard for walking birds, fenced with lattice material. Small but wide wooden steps can lead to the door leading to the inside of the chicken coop. Such a structure will not take up much space, but laying hens will be able to live and walk in it without going beyond safe limits.

The chicken coop can also be a rectangular structure with a small pitched and flat roof. According to the plan, such an erection may consist of a room where the chickens will live, as well as a walking area closed with bars. Such a structure is very similar to the one described above, but has some differences – in this chicken coop, the bird ladder is located inside the mesh structure, and the walking area is equipped with a large mesh door. On the side of the building there may be one large box with two compartments intended for laying hens. To make it easier to clean the perch, such an erection can be equipped with a retractable tray installed at the bottom of the “house”.

For a small number of chickens, it is quite possible to make a simple design with two slopes. If the chicken coop has such a structure, then the precipitation will slide along its roof without penetrating inside. If you plan to use this structure as an all-season, then it will require additional insulation. In this case, it is permissible to insulate the roof with mineral wool. Further, this base should be sheathed with inexpensive chipboard sheets.

There are a lot of options for the execution of a chicken coop for 10-20 chickens. In any case, you will first need to draw up detailed drawings indicating all the dimensions of the structure. Only having an accurate plan will it be possible to build a strong barn for layers that will last long enough.

How to build with your own hands?

Many farmers build their own chicken coops. The implementation of these works can not be called difficult. The main thing is to follow all the instructions. Do not neglect any of the stages of work.

First, you should highlight the list of tools that will be useful to the master when building a chicken coop:

• a hammer;
• nails and screws;
• saw;
• screwdriver;
• roulette;
• shovel;
• plane;
• ax.

In addition to tools, it will be necessary to purchase the required volume of building materials. Their number can be calculated when drawing up the scheme / project of the chicken coop.

In any case, you will need the following components:

• board;
• wooden bars;
• plywood;
• old window frames;
• you can find an old wooden door in the country;
• suitable insulating material;
• cement;
• crushed stone;
• roof;
• ventilation pipes.

Many of these items can be found in your summer cottage. Most often, these are old frames and doors that remain from the previous buildings located on the available land. These elements are perfect for making a barn for layers. Having compiled all the necessary diagrams and drawings, it will be possible to proceed to the preparation of the foundation of the chicken coop. Please note that for the construction of a chicken coop, you should choose places located on a certain hill. Thus, you can protect the future poultry house from the penetration of destructive dampness into its interior.

The foundation is not a mandatory component of the chicken coop. But if you still decide to make it, then it is recommended to choose from the following options, which are ideal for poultry houses.

• Column base. Such a foundation will be an excellent solution when constructing a frame chicken coop. Pillar bases are usually made from block materials or concrete mix. Supports (pillars) must be fixed along the perimeter of the planned building.

• Pile. In most cases, a pile foundation is equipped when it comes to areas with heaving or swampy soil. At the same time, the piles themselves must be installed in the recesses made in the ground, along the perimeter of the future building. If you have chosen a pile-grillage base, then it can be used when building a more impressive poultry house from blocks.

• Tape. This version of the foundation is rightfully recognized as one of the most popular and frequently encountered. It can be used regardless of the size of the chicken coop you plan to build on the site. This base is prepared using a concrete mixture (it is recommended to use the M500 brand product), reinforcement and edged board.

Of course, if the poultry house is not all-season and will be used only in summer, it is not at all necessary to build it on a foundation foundation. It will be enough to build a simple wooden box located on an earthen floor.

Consider the process of preparing the foundation using the example of a columnar option:

• dig recesses at the corners of the future erection with a depth of about 50 cm and a shovel width;
• fix wooden bars with a width of about 3-5 cm in the dug pits;
• further, both the bars and the pits themselves will need to be covered with rubble;
• after that, a cement mortar is prepared and poured to ground level, strengthening the bars;
• in a day it will be possible to proceed to the manufacture of walls, because the cement will already “grab” by that time.

After that, you can proceed to the device wall structures of the house.

This is where a plan of action might come in handy.

• First you need to make the first crown of bars.
• The number of perpendicularly arranged bars will directly depend on the size of the finishing materials – if the finishing sheets are narrow, then additional beams will be needed. All parts must be fixed with self-tapping screws.
• After that, on the outside and inside of the chicken coop, sheathing should be installed from sheets of chipboard, fiberboard or plywood.
• Between the individual layers of wall structures, insulating material, for example, mineral wool, should be laid. Of course, if the chicken coop is planned to be built only for summer use, then it will be possible to carry out all the processes without installing a heater.

The next structure to be equipped will be the roof of the poultry shed. It is permissible to finish it with different roofing materials. Most often, people choose slate, ondulin and roofing material for this. There are many ways to build a chicken coop roof – each master chooses the best option for himself. As for the structure of the roof, most often they design single or gable models.

Of course, a single-sided structure is the easiest to make, and it is cheaper. However, the modern gable version looks more aesthetically pleasing and is warm. Such components are prepared as follows:

• first, rafters are laid on top of the wall bases;
• then a frame structure is nailed to them;
• an insulating material is installed on the prepared frame (if necessary);
• the last layer of the resulting “pie” will be the roofing material.

It is very important to properly equip the floor in the chicken coop. It is mainly made of concrete, boards or earth.

So, concrete options are one of the most reliable. They will not allow predators to get into the poultry house. However, a concrete floor will cost a tidy sum, especially when compared with other solutions. In addition, in a chicken coop with such a floor, it will be cool at any time of the year. A simple earthen floor will cost the cheapest. If you use a special deep bedding, then such a base will also be warm. However, a house with an earth floor can easily be entered by predators who want to feast on poultry, such as ferrets.

The wood floor is warm. In addition, with such a base, other dangerous animals will not be able to get into the barn, and wooden flooring is cheaper than concrete. Let’s take a closer look at how to equip it in a small poultry house for 20 chickens:

• for such work, boards will be required, the length of which will be equal to one of the sides of the structure;
• it is permissible to choose almost any material itself (it can be very cheap);
• so that the wood floor does not rot, it will be necessary to put such details as logs made of bars on it (the necessary air circulation will occur under these components, which will prevent the boards from dampening);
• the wooden floor in the chicken coop will need to be treated with special antiseptic agents (many users prefer a composition called “Senezh”);
• further, a bar frame should be placed on the floor;
• you will need to put boards on it, carefully adjusting to each other so that there are no gaps (if these parts cannot be joined, then the edges will need to be finalized with a planer);
• the completed floor in the house can be smeared with drying oil – with this tool it will last much longer.

One of the most important parts of a chicken coop is the roost. It is also possible to make it yourself. Consider a number of nuances that must be kept in mind in the case of self-production of these elements.

• For each chicken, you will need about 25 cm of a bar – if there are 20 chickens in the house, then perches will be needed, the total length of which will be 5 m.
• Usually these parts are mounted in the form of a ladder or placed horizontally. In no case should the perches be fixed on top of each other, because the hens sitting on top will definitely dirty the birds below.
• Initially, consider in which particular section of the chicken coop it will be easier and most convenient for you to clean up, since it is under the perches that all bird droppings will be collected.
• Make perches from a wooden beam with a width of 3-5 cm. Using a planer, it will be possible to round off all the edges of these parts so that the birds can use them comfortably and safely.

The chicken coop should be well ventilated. Such a system can be made in the form of simple exhaust holes or in the form of a full-fledged box mounted under the roof structure.

How to arrange inside?

The internal arrangement of the chicken coop is an important stage in the preparation of this structure for the “introduction” of birds. Basically, the following important elements are located inside the poultry houses:

• nests – they are placed in the far corner of the construction;
• perches (we talked about the nuances of their self-production above) – as a rule, these parts are placed parallel to the nests;
• drinkers and feeders;
• a tray filled with sifted ash or sand mixture;
• heating units, if we are talking about the arrangement of year-round structures;
• equipment responsible for the ventilation of the room;
• lighting devices.

Absolutely all the components that are present inside the chicken coop, it is important to install in such a way that they do not interfere with the passage, and also do not block access to each other. Also, nothing should get in the way of cleaning the laying hen barn.

Useful Tips

It is not recommended to build a barn that is too large for 20 chickens. If there is a small number of birds, then in such an environment they can easily freeze. There is no need to construct a foundation if the chicken coop is planned to be operated only in the summer. If the building area allows, it is worth placing a compact bath filled with ash in the chicken coop. In it, the chickens will clean their feathers, as well as get rid of various parasites.

If your site is absolutely flat, then you should independently equip a small hill on it, on which the poultry house will be located in the future. Such a mound can be made of stone or chipped brick. Experts do not advise building chicken coops from block materials or bricks, as they are very cold, especially when compared to wood. In such conditions, the chickens will not be very comfortable, which will certainly affect egg production.

It is desirable to supplement such buildings with gable roofs. Such designs are much more effective in maintaining a comfortable temperature in the chicken coop. In addition, it will be possible to build a kind of attic in them, where the owners can place food or the necessary tools. When arranging a comfortable chicken coop for 20 chickens, you need to remember that they will need a suitable place for walking. In this case, it is permissible to allocate a zone with a width of 2 m and a length of at least 7 m.

The floor in the chicken coop is recommended to be laid out from two plank layers (if a wooden floor is being constructed). In addition, it is better to put a waterproofing material on top of the first layer – the usual roofing material will be the most budgetary option. When you complete the independent construction of a “home” for 20 layers, you will need to competently caulk all the cracks in the building. Do not forget that this poultry is very afraid of drafts.

Successful projects

A chicken coop can not only become a great place for chickens to live, but also a bright detail of landscape design. For example, you can build a neat structure from boards painted with dark chocolate paint, and then complement them with a snow-white frame made of wooden slats. A gable brown roof, as well as a small window with a white frame, will look spectacular on this building.

In search of non-standard solutions, you can turn to the original designs in the style of the wild west. For example, it is possible to place 2 structures close to each other, separating behind a spacious place for walking chickens. Build in such chicken coops small balconies and small canopies over the entrance.

How to make a chicken coop for 20 chickens with your own hands, see the next video.