How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

Recently, the breeding of poultry is gaining more and more popularity. Chickens allow not only year-round to have domestic eggs, but also meat. Feather of chickens can be used as a filler for feather pillows and blankets. However, in order not to run into serious problems, this idea should be well thought out at the initial stage, paying special attention to the construction of the chicken coop.

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

How to choose the right option?

A well-built chicken coop for laying hens is not a barn, but a separate small, warm building, with the most correct and close to natural conditions for keeping and breeding birds. In the right “house” it is convenient not only for chickens. The owner can easily clean up, feed and care for the animals.

An ideal option would be a chicken coop, consisting of 2 parts. The first is represented by a closed, comfortable room, and the second is an aviary fenced with a special net for walking birds. You can also purchase or make your own portable models of chicken coops, however, they are not suitable for keeping a large number of layers.

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

When designing an individual chicken coop, it is necessary to take into account the following subtleties:

  • thermal insulation device is necessary, especially when keeping birds all year round;
  • the security of the building must be at its best, this will prevent the loss of chickens and eggs due to predator attacks;
  • ventilation is needed to ventilate the chicken coop and a constant supply of fresh air, however, there must be no draft, otherwise many animal diseases cannot be avoided;
  • to increase the production of eggs by chickens, it is necessary to organize artificial lighting at some time of the day.

Nevertheless, there are no strict rules in the construction of a chicken pen, and everyone can independently design an object that is suitable in size for 500, 1000, 10 or 200 birds.

Device and drawings

It is not very difficult to arrange a chicken coop on your own and even a beginner can do it. First of all, you should decide on a plan for the future construction and draw up a schematic drawing with dimensions. You can take ready-made drawings, however, it is better to prepare them yourself based on individual requirements and dimensions.

When determining the size, one should take into account what the maximum number of birds is planned to be kept, and start from this figure in the calculations. It is optimal to settle 4 chickens per square meter.

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

When the design of the future chicken coop is determined, you need to prepare the materials:

  • gravel, water, sand, formwork, concrete and metal mesh;
  • gas block, brick or log house;
  • floor boards;
  • slate or roofing material;
  • insulation (for example, isover);
  • plywood for interior design;
  • windows (can be made independently, can be ordered individually in specialized firms);
  • ventilation;
  • chain link fence;
  • wires and lamps;
  • dimmer or 2 switches;
  • hardware.

All the necessary materials can be purchased at any hardware store. The internal arrangement of the chicken coop depends on individual needs, but must necessarily have perches, feeders, nests and equipped places for feeding.

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

How to build?

The work plan must be followed which looks like this:

  • choice of location;
  • foundation device;
  • floorboard flooring;
  • walling;
  • roofing;
  • window insertion and ventilation device;
  • work on the internal improvement of the chicken coop.

Having prepared the drawings and all the necessary materials and tools, you can start building a chicken coop with your own hands. Particular attention should be paid to the choice of a place for the construction of the building. It should be located on a hill, away from excessive moisture and drafts.

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

The foundation begins to be arranged with the preparation of the soil. To do this, the top layer of the earth is removed (20-30 cm) and covered with gravel and sand. The formwork is prepared, a metal mesh is laid on it and concrete is poured. This type of foundation is the most solid, although other support options can be used. The floor is covered with boards, if desired, you can pour a small (up to 10 centimeters) layer of expanded clay under the floor. This will insulate the room and make the temperature in it more comfortable for laying hens.

Walls can be built from various materials. If the walls are erected from a log house, then there is no need for their additional insulation, they already maintain a fairly comfortable temperature. Brick or aerated concrete walls are best insulated both outside and inside.

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

The roof of most chicken coop projects is gable. This allows moisture not to linger on it. The roof can also be insulated by placing isover or mineral wool under the slate or tile. The number of windows in the building is calculated from a ratio of 1 to 12, in relation to the floor area. It is advisable to supplement the windows with mosquito nets, which will prevent insects from entering the chicken coop.

Ventilation openings are equipped in the wall and allow you to create the correct circulation of fresh air. After completing all the external work, you can proceed to the interior decoration of the chicken coop.

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

How to arrange inside?

The equipment of the chicken coop from the inside is one of the most critical stages of construction. First of all, you should decide on a list of what must be in the right chicken coop and this:

  • sleeping places;
  • nests;
  • cups for feeding;
  • capacity for water procedures;
  • place for walking.

Separately, you should deal with lighting. The main thing in the arrangement of wires and lamps is to place them as high as possible to avoid injuring the birds. The fixing elements must be securely fastened and not have sharp accessible parts so that the chickens do not get hurt on them. When arranging lighting, one should be aware of one feature of domestic laying hens – they are very poorly oriented in the dark and if the light is sharply removed for them, then not all of them will be able to settle down for the night and fall asleep in an uncomfortable position on the floor. First, the main light is turned off, and then, after the chickens have settled in their places, they are turned off completely. Therefore, it is necessary to provide for the main bright light and an additional one with a dim lamp, or install a dimmer that allows you to smoothly adjust the intensity of the lighting.

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

The sleeping place is represented in the chicken coop by a perch. This is a universal object that birds use not only for rest, but also for sleep. According to some reports, domestic chickens spend about half of their lives on the roost, so it should be comfortable and safe.

Perches are made from wooden bars, even branches of large trees.

The bed must meet the following requirements.

  • Strength. A bar that is too thin can break under the weight of the birds, causing injury to them.
  • Security. Before installation, the cutting must be processed with a planer and, if necessary, brought to smoothness with sandpaper. All sharp corners must be removed, otherwise the birds can damage their paws and “de-leg”.
  • Sufficient landing area. In the warm season and off-season, one chicken should account for at least 20 centimeters. In the cold season, this figure is reduced in order to closer the laying hens so that they do not freeze.

The installation of plastic structures is not justified, since plastic does not have the environmental friendliness and strength of wood and, if broken, can injure birds with sharp edges.

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

For the device of the nest, you should choose a convenient and spacious place. The egg production of chickens will depend on the correctness and convenience of installing this item in the chicken coop. It is necessary to place them in secluded corners into which daylight does not penetrate. The nest can be made from a suitable size wooden or plastic box. For an adult chicken, it is better to take a nest 40×60 centimeters.

Inside the nests, a thick layer of straw is laid and changed regularly. It is not recommended to put these structures under the perches – the chickens will crap and endlessly pollute the straw inside.

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

The feeding area can be arranged in 2 ways.

  • Feed can be poured to chickens in a certain place, directly on the litter. Thus, the natural need of birds to fumble in search of food is satisfied. The only condition is to locate the feeding place as far as possible from the active habitat of chickens.
  • Arrangement of special feeders. You can either make them yourself from improvised containers, or purchase them in a specialized store. But this method has a number of disadvantages. Chickens are not very neat creatures and love to delve into food, so you will have to clean such a β€œkitchen” very often. Also, the birds are quarrelsome and often cannot share food, which can eventually end in a fight and an overturned feeder.

Water tanks in the chicken coop are a must. It is better to give preference to modern automatic drinkers, which serve new portions of water as needed.

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

All birds love water procedures and chickens are no exception. However, poultry do not use water, dust or sand for these purposes. In order for the laying hens to comfortably perform hygiene procedures, it is necessary to install a large container with sand. During the β€œbathing”, chickens get rid of parasites that they could pick up, for example, lice, which, when the process is neglected, can be very difficult to remove. Therefore, do not neglect the installation of a bath in the chicken coop.

In order for hens to lay eggs and be healthy, they need fresh air and sun, and therefore a specially equipped paddock for walking. You should not send domestic chickens to β€œfree swim” around the yard, as they can make a lot of mess and cripple themselves in a short time. And if there is a garden, then it’s better not to let the birds near it at all, because they will peck, eat and dig everything around. But keeping birds indoors, without walking, is fraught with serious health problems.

How to equip a barn inside, device and drawings, how to build a poultry house

To equip the correct paddock, you should do this:

  • from the side of the door – the entrance to the chicken house – a walking area is fenced with a net;
  • columns are dug in along the perimeter and a metal mesh is attached to them;
  • make the fastening carefully, avoiding the formation of sharp edges that can harm the bird;
  • be sure to bury the net in the ground 40 centimeters. This measure will protect chickens from predators who can dig a passage into the corral;
  • the height of the fence is 200 centimeters. Domestic chickens are excellent flyers for short distances and will easily jump over a fence 150 and even 170 cm high.

To independently build a house for laying hens, you do not need a lot of expenses and special knowledge and skills in the field of construction. However, you should take into account the characteristics of these birds, then you will be able to create favorable conditions for them to live and reproduce.

For information on what should be in the chicken coop for laying hens, see the following video.

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Anna Evans

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