Internal structure of a chicken coop for 10 chickens. Livestock farming: how to build a chicken coop for ten chickens with your own hands

In recent years, many people, having settled in suburban areas, are returning to their roots - farming and raising livestock. Poultry keeping is very popular. And this is not surprising, because only 10 laying hens will allow you to get about a dozen nutritious and environmentally friendly eggs every day. It’s quite easy to build a chicken coop for 10 chickens with your own hands. Even a novice master can cope with this task.

The main thing is to take into account all the nuances and features of this structure, so that discomfort does not lead to a decrease in egg production and diseases of the birds. To do the job correctly, you need to know what the building should look like. Do-it-yourself chicken coops, photos of which provide great scope for creativity, are built on the basis of drawings and projects.

Regardless of the total area of ​​the site, the poultry house must have certain dimensions, the calculation of which is made taking into account the number of chickens that are planned to be housed in it. Birds should feel comfortable. According to the standards, there should be about 1 m2 per 2-3 individuals. Based on the calculation, the area of ​​a do-it-yourself chicken coop for 10 chickens should be at least 5 m2.

A do-it-yourself chicken coop for 50 chickens should have the following dimensions:

• house area – 50: 2 x 1 = 25 m2;
• enclosure area – 50 x 1 = 50 m2.

Knowing the standards, it is easy to calculate the area for the required number of birds. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the breed of chickens. So, for large individuals (broilers), the area of ​​the house can be slightly increased. If you plan to breed small birds, the walking area can be expanded by reducing the size of the house.

When building a chicken coop for 10 chickens with your own hands, the drawings must include the following elements:

• entrance;
• non-breeders;
• shelves for nests.

If you plan to keep chickens all year round, it is advisable to attach a small vestibule to the main room to prevent cold air from entering the house.

As an example, you can consider a do-it-yourself chicken coop for 20 chickens, which has the following dimensions:

• width of internal space – 2 m;
• length – 5 m;
• wall height – 2.3-2.5 m;
• vestibule area – 3 m2 (1.5 x 2 m).

Preparation for construction

Before you make a chicken coop with your own hands, you need to choose the right place. If the building is located in a low-lying area and is regularly flooded by rainwater, the birds may get sick, which will have a negative impact on their egg production. Therefore, it should be taken into account that:

• the structure should be located on a high, level place, well protected from winds and drafts;
• the entrance to it and the hole for chickens are equipped on the south side.

In order to build a winter chicken coop with your own hands, you will need:

• timber beams with a cross section of 5 x 5 cm;
• pillars with a diameter of 0.1 m;
• board at least 2 cm thick;
• reeds for roof insulation;
• clay for flooring.

In addition, it is necessary to prepare crushed stone, cement and sand to make a concrete mixture.

A do-it-yourself chicken coop, the drawings of which are attached, must have an aviary with walls made of metal mesh or chain-link.

Before installing the building, according to the project, it is necessary to dig holes for the pillars with a depth of about 0.7 m. The lower part of each pillar is pre-impregnated with an antiseptic solution, and after it dries, it is covered with resin, pinotex, bitumen mastic or other materials, which will prevent rotting of the wood and extend the life its operation.

Then the pillars are installed in the pits (verticality is checked using a plumb line). The free space in the holes is filled with a concrete mixture made of cement, sand and crushed stone in a ratio of 1:4:6. The dry substance is diluted with water to form thick sour cream.

The pillars are connected to each other by a beam with a cross-section of 5 x 5 cm, nailed both on the outside and on the inside, and left until the cement mixture dries.

Sheathing, floor and roof installation

When building a chicken coop for 20 chickens with your own hands, the drawings provide for double skinning. This will make the room warmer and more suitable for birds to live in, even in the winter.

Experts do not recommend using synthetic materials (for example, plastic panels, etc.) for cladding, since the fumes emitted by them can negatively affect the health of feathered pets. But planed boards and sawdust, peat, expanded clay as insulation will come in handy.

When making sheathing, it is necessary to ensure that the gaps between the boards are minimal. When the walls are ready, they can be lined with roofing felt or cardboard for additional protection from wind and rain. Lining is used for the same purpose. Iron sheets should be installed along the perimeter of the walls, digging them into the ground to a depth of 30 cm: this will prevent predatory animals from entering the chicken coop.

Do-it-yourself chicken coops, photos of which can be found in specialized publications, must have well-equipped floors and ceilings. The best option for a poultry house is an adobe floor, the basis of which is natural clay. Straw, sand, cement and other materials can be used as an additive.

The floor arrangement in the poultry house is carried out as follows:

• within the building, a layer of soil of about 0.5 m is removed;
• pour a layer of sand at least 10 cm thick into the pit and compact it well;
• crushed stone is laid on the sand in a layer of 10 cm, compacted;
• Prepare a thick mixture from clay and sand (2:1), with a minimum amount of water, lay it on crushed stone and level it with a spatula;
• compact the floor using a hand tamper, periodically sprinkling the surface with coarse sand and trying to drive it into the clay mixture.

When the tamper no longer leaves marks on the clay, the floor is ready. As the clay dries completely, the floor is covered with a fine metal mesh, which will protect the feathered pets from predators, and lined with a wooden board.

On top of the floor there must be a bedding made of fine straw, sand, a mixture of sawdust and peat, straw with peat, etc. Dirty bedding is regularly replaced with a new one.

Do-it-yourself chicken coops (photo) for 10 chickens must be equipped with a high-quality roof. If the roof has cracks, the room will be cold in winter, and in bad weather the birds will be showered with rain.

The best option is considered to be a gable roof made from rafters and sheathing. Reed is suitable as a roof, but in its absence, traditional materials can be used - roofing felt, slate, etc.

The ceiling is made of boards or fiberboards and insulated with mineral wool or sawdust.

Poultry house interior design

In chicken coops for laying hens, you create roosts and places for nests with your own hands. Both the first and second are necessary for the full life of birds. Chickens spend most of their lives on perches, so they should be made of smooth, even perches that prevent injury to the birds’ paws. The ideal diameter of the poles is 5 or 6 cm. Perches can be made from bars with a section of 5 x 5, 5 x 6 cm, with rounded corners.

Many owners of private estates and summer residents prefer to raise their own chickens in order to eat only natural eggs and meat. To do this, it is not necessary to build an entire poultry farm; it is enough to build a small chicken coop with your own hands for 10 chickens. How to correctly calculate the amount of materials needed and where to start the work process? Read this and other information on the topic further in the article. Let's look at the features of making a winter chicken coop, and also highlight the main nuances of arranging a poultry house for a small flock.

How to correctly calculate the size of a chicken coop for 10 chickens. Drawing up a drawing

A chicken coop is a specialized agricultural building that is intended for birds to spend the night and is equipped with nests for laying eggs. So that the chickens bring good profit, regularly lay and did not get sick, their house must be properly planned and equipped. To do this, before constructing a poultry house, it is necessary to make correct calculations, develop construction project, with the calculation that 3 - 4 laying hens require an area of ​​approximately 1 sq. m. In order for a beginner to build a good, comfortable chicken coop for 10 chickens with his own hands, you can borrow the drawings from the Internet. When choosing one option or another, the master needs to pay attention to the height of the proposed building, so that it is optimal for the owner’s height. It is also equally important to take into account the location and arrangement summer cottage so that the chosen design fits into the landscape of the yard and does not cause discomfort in everyday life.

When calculating the size of a chicken coop for 10 birds, it is very important not to make mistakes in the calculations, because if the dimensions of the building are incorrectly oriented, the birds can be very cramped and this will negatively affect their existence. It is equally important to take into account the fact that summer and winter poultry houses have different formulas for calculating area. For example, for a flock of 10 chickens in winter, 2.5 sq.m. is enough; in cold weather, birds tend to stay in heaps, and in summer time A larger area is required, because on the contrary it is too hot. By preparing drawings yourself or looking for best option on the Internet, experts recommend paying attention to designs with an aviary for walking, its dimensions are minimally 2 * 6 m, with a poultry house width of 2 meters.

Choosing a place to build a chicken coop with your own hands for 10 chickens

When choosing a place to install a ready-made, factory-made chicken coop, or when building it with your own hands, you should choose the right location. To do this, you should pay attention to several important rules that professionals highlight.

• It is not recommended to locate the poultry house in low-lying areas; on the contrary, it is important that it be located on a hill. This way, in the event of heavy rainfall, the chicken coop will not be flooded, and the droppings will not be spread throughout the private area.
• The best site to locate a building for chickens will be the south side, so at any time of the year the chickens will receive a sufficient amount of sunlight.
• The building should be in a quiet place, protected from loud sounds, so that the birds are completely calm.
• When choosing a place for a poultry house, keep in mind that it should be located at a distance of more than 4 meters from the fence.
• It is equally important to properly separate the chicken coop from wells, fables and boreholes. It should be located more than a meter away from sources of water.

One of the main rules that should also guide owners who want to build a chicken coop with their own hands for 10 chickens is the creation of a solid foundation, because it is not at all recommended to place it on the ground. The selected area must be dry, as high humidity can destroy birds.

The main stages of building a winter mini chicken coop at the dacha with your own hands

In order to build a chicken coop for 10 chickens with your own hands (photo, which can be found in various versions on agricultural sites), the master needs to prepare tools and materials for the work. It is worth noting that the choice of materials for construction depends on the capabilities of the owner. This can be wood and its raw materials (beams, boards, chipboard, OSB, etc.), brick, as well as expanded clay concrete blocks, etc. But you should not choose sheet iron for this purpose; it practically does not retain heat, and due to temperature changes, abundant condensation forms on it. As a rule, the most popular material in this area is wood, which we will focus on. The table describes the main stages of work on the construction of a winter chicken coop. Now let's make a list of the necessary building materials and tools. Their range includes:

• wooden blocks and boards;
• container for mixing the solution;
• cement;
• sand;
• slate for roofing;
• Rabitz;
• mineral wool for insulating the structure;
• screws and nails;
• drill;
• a set of materials for lighting and ventilation equipment (pipe, light bulbs, switches, electrical wire).

Practitioners prove that a do-it-yourself winter chicken coop for 10 chickens is an order of magnitude cheaper than a purchased, factory-made design.

DIY summer chicken coop for 10 chickens

A do-it-yourself summer chicken coop for 10 chickens can fit into the dacha setting as accurately as possible, because you can choose any materials for its construction that will help diversify the building. But many owners prefer to build temporary poultry houses from available resources in their possession, so as not to waste money. Summer options differ from winter poultry houses in the presence of a walking aviary, and the main building itself is constructed in a similar way, you can simply eliminate the process of insulating the building.

A walking area for small livestock should be approximately 15 square meters. To make it, the craftsman needs to assemble a frame from wooden beams, connect it to the chicken coop, and then cover it with mesh, leaving separate doors for the entrance. It is recommended to attach the mesh itself from the inside, so it fits more tightly to it, and practically no predators will be able to penetrate into a mini chicken coop for ten chickens, made with your own hands on a small budget.

It is customary to build stationary, permanent buildings from stone materials for a large number of livestock, so wooden boards, plywood and lining are considered common. Summer poultry houses can be made portable, which, by the way, is very convenient. In them, the floor is not attached to the base and is not concreted. In temporary structures, windows are also covered with mesh; it is worth clarifying that their dimensions must be large enough so that the air can function well inside the room in hot weather.

Features of the internal arrangement of the chicken coop

In a territory such as a dacha, a do-it-yourself chicken coop for 10 chickens is not an innovation, but rather a pattern. But it is important not only to correctly assemble its structure, but also to equip the building inside. After all, it is known that birds lay eggs well and gain weight when high-quality lighting and optimal temperature conditions. Therefore, owners need to take care of the availability of a sleeping place for laying hens, an area for eating, a walking area, nests, a water supply system, ventilation and lighting.

Birds use specially installed slats as a sleeping and resting place. For 10 pets, it would be correct to install several perches, because the birds should feel free and not crowded. When installing a jumper of this type, you should pay attention to the strength of the fastening so that the birds do not get hurt or injured.

Nests are considered an important attribute in a chicken coop.

To make them, use a variety of empty containers, pots, wooden boxes, etc. They are installed, as a rule, on equipped shelves, after which the bottom is covered with either straw or sawdust. When placing nests in the house, remember that hens prefer to lay their eggs in secluded places, so avoid direct sunlight.

As for lighting, at night there should be a dim light in the chicken coop; it is not recommended to turn off the light bulbs completely, because laying hens lose their orientation when it gets dark and cannot find their nest. Thus, we can say that the creation of a chicken coop, as well as its equipment, must be done in stages, taking into account the number of chickens, and correlating it with the size of the building. For detailed information Watch the video on how to build a chicken coop for 10 chickens with your own hands:

Connoisseurs of domestic eggs and poultry can produce their favorite product themselves, without special skills or equipment. A miniature poultry farm will not be a burden on the family budget, but will require a little attention and can be built in a few days using the most popular materials.

What is a chicken coop

• walking space;
• feeding areas;
• laying eggs.

Poultry farming practice shows that the minimum population of a poultry farm for effective rearing is 8-10 females and 1-2 roosters. With such a number of birds, you can count on providing a family of 3-4 people with domestic eggs, and the productivity of one brood will be enough for about 1.5-2 years.

But let's return to the layout of the miniature chicken coop. Veterinary standards regulate the planting of domestic egg-bearing birds in an amount of no more than 3 birds per 1 m2. For meat breeds, it is allowed to keep from 5 to 7 birds in the same area; denser planting is explained by the limited space for movement, which ultimately has a beneficial effect on the taste of the meat. Laying hens require more space, because the normal development of the reproductive system of birds requires physical activity, although it is possible to organize walking even in a very limited area.

So, if we are talking about egg-laying breeds, for 10 chickens you will need a room measuring from 1.5x2 to 2x2 m. In this case, it is better to make the chicken coop two-tiered: the lower platform is intended for walking and fattening, on the top there are perches for sleeping and nests for laying eggs . For breeding poultry of meat breeds, chicken coops are best suited in which the birds are placed inside sections of 3-4 individuals per tier, and the cages are located vertically one above the other. It may seem that it is much more rational to put broilers in a single-tier cage with a horizontal layout, however, when placed outside, such a chicken coop will inevitably cause difficulties with heating and insulation, and will take up too much free space inside the room.

Internal or free-standing?

The issue of outdoor or indoor placement of a small poultry farm is worth separate consideration. Strictly speaking, all chicken coops are, in fact, internal, because open structures are only suitable for summer keeping poultry. For meat breeds this is not a problem: in one summer you can raise 1-2 broods, providing yourself with frozen meat and chicken stew for the year ahead. However life cycle laying hens take much longer, so with the arrival of cold weather, they will inevitably have to be moved to a heated room, or take care in advance of insulating and heating a small chicken coop located on the street.

One of the most rational solutions is to add a chicken coop to one of the walls of a residential building. In this case, you should definitely take care of sound insulation, because it only seems that poultry does not make much noise. In fact, rustling and scraping sounds at night will create discomfort for residents, and we must not forget that birds tend to sing even at night. Nevertheless, this arrangement option has the right to life, if only for the reason that it is possible to partially or completely get rid of heating costs.

If a decision is made to build a separate poultry house, its design must be stable and based on at least massive brickwork, although the ideal option is reinforced concrete MZLF. Main building material wood is used, namely timber and edged boards of the second or higher grade. For covering blank walls you can use sheet materials, such as OSB or moisture-resistant plywood. You will also need a plaster mesh with a 40 mm mesh or a regular “chain-link” and any available type of roofing with waterproofing.

The main requirements for organizing a poultry house are considered to be the area, volume of the room, intensity of air exchange, lighting and temperature. Also prerequisite is to ensure maximum asepticity of the premises, that is, the arrangement of the poultry house should include simple removal of waste products and cleaning of main surfaces.

Standards for keeping meat and egg-laying poultry vary. The main difference lies in the temperature regime: if for broilers it is necessary to maintain the temperature at a level of + 25-30 ° C, depending on the breed and age, then laying hens feel quite comfortable at + 20-22 ° C and maintain productivity up to + 12...15°C in winter. It is also worth knowing that egg-bearing breeds are able to calmly tolerate even severe frost during walking, while for broilers, even a short-term stay at temperatures below +15°C is fraught with stress and disease. For both types of poultry, it is recommended to maintain relative humidity at a level that is comfortable for humans, that is, 45-60%.

For both broilers and laying hens, the optimal daylight hours are at least 14 hours. More is possible, however, it is necessary to provide about 6-7 hours of darkness, or to equip a sleeping place without additional lighting. Broilers can do quite well without sunlight; it is enough for them to organize a warm zone with infrared illumination, where the temperature is 2-3 °C higher than the nominal one. But for laying hens, the opportunity to walk in the sunlight is critical; without this, the egg shells become fragile due to insufficient absorption of calcium.

Opinions vary regarding air exchange standards. Experts believe that ventilation should provide at least 7-8 m3 fresh air for each individual per day, while the experience of small farms shows that the life cycle of a bird proceeds relatively normally, even if at least 2 m3 of fresh air enters the poultry house for 10-20 birds every hour. In any case, even a small chicken coop should have an organized ventilation system, the intensity of which is regulated as the behavior of the bird is observed.

Construction details

We will describe the process of building a free-standing chicken coop for egg-laying breeds, the design features of which can be easily transferred when organizing a poultry house inside any suitable room. You should start from the foundation: the site on which the miniature poultry farm will be located must be cleared of vegetation, the top layer of soil removed to a depth of 20-30 cm. The floor in the chicken coop is built in parallel with the construction of the foundation. The best option A mound of sand and gravel mixture or a clay bed is considered.

Along the perimeter of the prepared site you need to dig a trench for the foundation. Rubble masonry in full brick or a concrete strip can be used as it; there is not much difference, because the whole structure will ultimately turn out to be extremely light. It is advisable to provide a backfill of 10-15 cm of mixed crushed stone and sand, this will provide the foundation with additional resistance to frost heaving and flooding. As a result, a massive parapet should form around the perimeter, rising 10-12 cm above the adjacent ground.

A frame structure will be optimal for a chicken coop. One part, usually facing north and west, should have a blind corner where perches and nests will be equipped. The opposite corner is assembled into a frame made of timber to secure the mesh fencing of the walking area.

Construction should begin from a blind corner part. To form it, you need to knock down three frames from a 100x40 mm board. One frame has the shape of a rectangle with a width slightly less than the size of the rear part of the foundation and a height of 2.5 m. The other two have the shape of a rectangular trapezoid with a width of 1.2 m, while one of the side walls should have a height of 2.2 m. Inside the frames you need to step 60 cm, install additional racks of the same section.

After the wall frames are knocked down, they are fused into a single structure, joining to form open corners. The frames can be fastened together with metal corners or corner gussets made of boards. On the open side, the walls are pulled together by two crossbars at the bottom and at the top; before this, it is imperative to align the geometry of the frame and check the diagonals.

The frame is sheathed on both sides: first completely from the inside, then from the outside after laying insulation and installing a windproof membrane. Of the outer walls, the back one needs to be sewn up first, aligning the ends of the slabs in the plane of the frame of the adjacent walls according to the rule. Next, a 40x40 mm beam is screwed along the protruding edges of the slabs, and the corner cavities are filled with mineral wool. At the final stage, the side walls are sheathed with slabs on the outside.

The frames of the open part of the poultry house usually do not require additional jumpers; they are simply covered from the inside with a chain-link mesh with a mesh size of no more than 40 mm. It is better to place the door in the front of the house, this creates two additional posts to support the lower part of the roof. The door is easily knocked down from the same 40x40 mm timber; for rigidity, it is enough to add one diagonal lintel. When the base of the walls is ready, you need to lay a 100x50 mm board on edge on top of the poultry house, making cuts where they support the walls.

The roof beams are installed in increments of 70 cm and secured to the walls with metal corners, after which the bottom of the ceiling is hemmed with a fiberboard sheet, mineral wool is placed between the boards, wind protection and transverse roof sheathing are installed, then the roof is covered with slate, corrugated sheets or any other available material. To create a continuous thermal circuit, all joints between the plates and possible cavities are filled with polyurethane foam.

Interior arrangement

Inside the frame part, 40 mm timber is placed along the surface of the walls in two horizontal lines with an indentation of 150 mm. The lower beam must be located at a height of at least 120 cm from the floor. The beams serve as a support for two floorings that form a ceiling under the berth, while a niche is formed below to accommodate drinking bowls, feeders and other additional equipment. All wooden surfaces should be painted with alkyd enamel in two layers; it is advisable to use light colors of paint for easier cleaning. It is necessary to make an exhaust hole 10 cm from the ceiling and install a simple damper in it.

Inside the sleeping area, it is imperative to place several frames made of thin timber, acting as perches for sleeping. After this, the front part of the niche is sewn up to form a hole measuring 50x50 mm. This wall can be made folding for more convenient cleaning, for example, by fastening a sheet of plywood on the door hinges to the upper crossbar of the frame, and gluing EPS boards from the inside in two layers. A protective shell, for example made of MDF, must be glued on top of the insulation, otherwise the birds will peck at the foam.

From the inside, the entire floor must be covered with a mixture of sand and fine gravel. This substrate is changed 1-2 times a year and can be used to fertilize and mulch the soil. The birds climb to the sleeping area along a ladder - an ordinary inclined board with slats nailed across in increments of about 25 cm. In the walking area, near the walls, it is convenient to place an ash bath, blocks of limestone and shell rock, and additional drinking bowls. The main place for eating is in a closed niche, which is also where warm zone, where radiant heating is turned on in the off-season.

For laying hens, you need to equip one nest for every 5-7 birds. An ordinary plywood box with dimensions of at least 50x30 cm is suitable for this. The bottom of the box is double and inclined, a difference of 2-3 cm is needed for the eggs to roll down freely. In the lower corner of the box on the groove side, you need to nail a wide inclined bead, and the bottom should be trimmed so that the clearance is at least 45 mm. In summer, nests can be placed in the lower niche, separated from the feeding area by an opaque screen. In winter, nests are installed inside the sleeping area.

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Keeping chickens at home is not only fashionable, but also profitable. Chicken eggs are a healthy and tasty dietary product, and the meat is much easier on the stomach than pork or beef. To ensure that chickens do not get sick, grow quickly and lay eggs well, it is necessary to build a chicken coop that will provide the birds with comfortable conditions. To build a chicken coop with your own hands for 10 chickens, you need not only diagrams and materials, but also an understanding of the needs of the bird and the optimal conditions for keeping it.

Homemade chicken coop

To figure out what a chicken coop should be like, you need to understand why it is needed. The bird spends the night in the chicken coop and lays eggs, so it must protect from rain, cold, dampness, rodents and predators. Chickens do not clean up after themselves, so the coop should be high enough so that you can clean it of droppings. In addition, it is necessary to provide places for nesting and resting.

No less important characteristics of the chicken coop are lighting and ventilation. Lack of lighting will lead to a decrease in fertility, and poor ventilation will weaken the health of the birds and they will begin to get sick.

Video: chicken coops for 10 chickens

Preparing to build a chicken coop

During preparation, you need to determine the location for installing the chicken coop and think about it interior architecture and appearance, as well as decide on the material for the roof, walls and insulation. To build good chicken coop for 10 chickens, do-it-yourself drawings must be developed taking into account the characteristics of the site and your height.

Using ready-made drawings will simplify construction, but complicate bird care.

• It is not advisable to make the area of ​​the chicken coop less than 4 square meters. m.;
• there should be 2–4 nests in the chicken coop;

• feeders must be placed along the wall opposite the perch;
• the feeding system must have a door for cleaning and loading from the outside;
• feeders and drinkers should rise 5–10 cm above the floor;

• the floor should be smooth but non-slip;
• the perch is installed at a height of 40–60 cm;

• the total area of ​​windows should not be less than 10% of the floor area (optimally 20–30%);
• The chicken coop should be adjacent to a fenced area (aviary) for walking at the rate of 1–2 square meters. m. per bird;
• A ladder must be installed between the chicken coop and the walking area.

Choosing a location for the chicken coop

For When constructing a chicken coop, a small elevation, sheltered from the winds, is suitable, preferably on the south side of the house, in this case the birds will get more sunlight and there will be no drafts in the chicken coop. Never build a chicken coop in low areas. When it rains, the water will wash away the chicken droppings and spread them throughout your property. This can lead to various intestinal diseases in humans, as well as colds in birds. The distance from the chicken coop or aviary to (the border of your site) should not be less than 4 meters. If you take water from a well or well, then the distance from them to the chicken coop should be at least 40 meters.

Drawing up drawings

A do-it-yourself chicken coop for 10 chickens, drawings of which can be found on the Internet, does not take into account the characteristics of your site, so you can draw up your own drawing based on it. To draw up drawings, a few sheets of squared notebooks, a pencil and a ruler are enough. In the drawing you need:

• draw the outlines of the chicken coop and indicate its dimensions;
• draw the location of internal elements;
• indicate the height of the walls.

This will help you in determining the amount of building materials and preparing the foundation. When drawing up the drawing, think about what material you will build the walls from and how you will attach them to the foundation. Numerous forums for poultry farming enthusiasts and novice farmers will help you with this.

Material selection

The optimal materials for building a chicken coop are boards and. They are inexpensive and easy to work with.

If you have surplus, then you can build walls from it, or select some other material. The only material that is not suitable for building a chicken coop is sheet iron. The best quality is mineral wool, which will not block the escape of moisture to the outside if something happens to the ventilation. Mineral wool has only one drawback - it is afraid of water. You can use regular straw instead.

Having purchased the necessary building materials and decided on the shape, size and architecture, you can begin construction. To build a chicken coop with your own hands for 10 chickens, invite an assistant. Many jobs are much more convenient to do together.

Foundation

Any type of foundation is suitable for a chicken coop, but the easiest to make is a strip foundation. Dig a hole 30 cm deep, the length and width of which is 20–30 cm greater than the dimensions of the chicken coop. Compact the ground and pour a crushed stone cushion 10–15 cm thick. Install formwork on it around the perimeter of the chicken coop, laying down waterproofing - pieces of roofing felt. The width of the formwork is equal to the width of the wall, and the height should raise the floor above ground level by 15–30 cm. Two weeks after pouring the foundation, wooden walls can be erected. If you decide to build brick walls, then you need to wait 4 weeks.

Walls and roof

These jobs do not require any special qualifications. If you want your building to be no worse than do-it-yourself chicken coops for 10 chickens, photos of which are posted on the Internet, invite a professional carpenter or mason, however, the chickens still won’t appreciate it. If you make a roof from transparent polycarbonate, you will seriously improve it, which will have a positive effect on the egg production of birds and their general condition.

Interior architecture

To create a perch, use square bars or straight branches from trees 4-7 cm thick. Do not use round or polished bars for them - it is difficult for birds to stay on them, which is why they will not sleep well. This will negatively affect their general condition and egg production. To make nests, you can use any wooden boxes measuring 30x30x40 cm (width, height, depth).

Once construction is complete, lay clean straw on the floor of the coop. Ventilate using plastic pipes with a diameter of 50 mm. The pipe should rise above the ground at least two meters, then pass through the wall and go down to the floor of the chicken coop. On the opposite wall it is necessary to provide a small openable window for ventilation.

The video below will help you build and arrange a chicken coop with your own hands.

Video: DIY chicken coop

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Today, many people keep poultry on their property. The most popular are, of course, chickens. For such living creatures it is necessary to build a high-quality and comfortable “home”. If we are talking about arranging a small area, then you can put a small barn for 10 birds. You can do it yourself.

Kinds

For a small number of birds (5-10) it is quite possible to build a small, but no less comfortable barn. Such constructions are excellent solutions for small areas where it is not possible to erect a large structure.

Let's look at what types of small chicken sheds exist and what structure they have.

• Chicken coop with free range area. This building is a small house for chickens, which stands separately. At the same time, birds can roam absolutely freely across the existing area. This type of chicken coop has one serious drawback - it is quite difficult to keep the chickens under control, which is why they can damage various objects on the territory, for example, flower beds. In addition, having built such a house for laying hens, you need to be prepared for the fact that their droppings will be scattered throughout the area.

• Combined. Many farmers are turning to combined types of chicken coops. These buildings are optimal if you are pursuing the goal of keeping birds fully and correctly. The main thing is to build a room of the correct dimensions, and also to allocate a sufficient area for walking chickens.

• Closed type. Basically, these types of small-sized poultry sheds are constructed from old greenhouses that are no longer used for their main purpose. The main difference between closed chicken coops is that they have to be constantly cleaned of dirt. They are best suited for organizing a summer “home” for laying hens.

• Cells. If the area of ​​your site does not allow you to build a full-fledged chicken coop even for a small number of birds, then on one of the walls of the barn or house it is possible to install small hanging cages in which you can keep laying hens. These objects are placed at a modest height and arranged in several rows (on top of each other). With such a solution, the area allocated for walking remains unoccupied, or a small-sized enclosure for chickens is organized there. Such “dwellings” for poultry have proven themselves well in keeping meat breeds.

• Mobile. Mini-sized portable chicken coops are very popular today. Most often, they are compact summer houses that can be easily moved from one place to another or transported using small wheels. Mobile options are designed to accommodate no more than 10 chickens. They are usually created from light and non-fragile materials.

Projects

Construction of a high-quality and durable chicken coop is impossible without first drawing up a detailed project. Extremely important stage V in this case is to prepare a diagram and drawing of the future building - they must be accurate. Only having it in your hands detailed drawing chicken coop, you can imagine the end result.

It is also worth remembering that a well-designed drawing of a poultry barn will make it possible to develop a plan of necessary actions. To obtain good result, experts do not advise turning to ready-made diagrams and plans. It's better to do the design yourself. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the site where it is planned to conduct construction work. Although if there is very little experience in these matters (or none at all), then it is permissible to rely on ready-made drawings. Using them, you can find out many different subtleties of building a barn. If chickens find themselves in a very cramped space where they are completely uncomfortable, this will certainly negatively affect their productivity.

For example, for 3 chickens you will need to allocate free space of 1 square. m (by sanitary standards). If we draw an analogy, we can come to the conclusion that for 10 birds you will need to make a chicken coop no larger than 2x2 m.

Where to place it?

The chicken coop must not only be designed correctly, but also located in a suitable place on the site. When all the dimensions of the building are known, you can proceed to selecting a suitable area for its construction.

In this situation, you should adhere to the following rules:

• choose a place that is dry - in conditions of high humidity, birds can become seriously ill;
• the surface of the shed should be at a slight slope - this is necessary so that in conditions of frequent rains, accumulated water leaves the structure as quickly as possible;
• it is extremely important to make sure that the chosen location is well lit by sunlight;
• It is advisable to locate the space for walking hens on the south side of the site.

Under no circumstances should you place the poultry house directly on the ground. Remember that such a construction must have a fairly strong foundation.

Selection of materials

It is equally important to wisely choose the appropriate materials for building a small chicken coop. The service life of the construction, as well as its level of safety, will depend on this criterion. It is advisable to build lightweight poultry houses from wood. This natural building material is environmentally friendly. It contains no hazardous substances that can harm humans or animals. It's very easy to work with. In addition, not very large sums are usually spent on insulating a wooden structure, since wood itself is a warm material.

It must be taken into account that wooden walls must be made of considerable thickness. In this case, they will not freeze if you use the poultry house during the winter season. The width of the walls should be approximately 20 cm.

If you are planning to build a permanent poultry house for all-season use, then it is better to make it from brick.

Such a construction will be strong and reliable, but it will definitely need to be insulated. Otherwise, the chicken coop will turn out to be cold and the chickens will be completely uncomfortable in it during the winter season. In many situations, brick bases are lined with wood inside. As a result, acceptable conditions for keeping poultry are created.

The only material that cannot be used in the construction of a chicken coop is sheet iron. As for insulation, high-quality mineral wool would be an ideal option. It will not prevent excess moisture from leaving the room if any problems arise with the ventilation system. Mineral wool has only one drawback - it does not tolerate contact with water. An alternative material is ordinary straw.

Construction stages You can build a small poultry house designed to house 10 chickens with your own hands. If you have already made the necessary plans/drawings, you have chosen appropriate place for the construction of a house, and also purchased everything necessary materials

, then you can proceed directly to construction work.

Foundation

It is necessary to independently prepare simple tape bases in accordance with the following rules:

• first you will need to thoroughly clear the building site, and also remove the top 25-55 cm layer of soil;
• then you will need to dig a hole for the foundation with a depth of about 30 cm;
• you will also need to prepare a special “cushion” of sand and gravel;
• to assemble the formwork, you need to stock up on boards (the width of the formwork should be approximately 25 cm);
• lay waterproofing material under the formwork (roofing felt will do);
• do not forget to make reinforcement using special rods;
• Now you can proceed to pouring the foundation.

You can build a poultry house from wood only after it has completely hardened. But we must not forget that the size of the prepared area must necessarily correspond to the dimensions of the future “house” for chickens.

If you want to build a columnar foundation rather than a strip one, then first you will need to make a correct and accurate marking of the construction site. It is made using metal rods and rope. After this, pipes are installed along the perimeter of the planned construction, placed at intervals of a meter from each other. It must be taken into account that the supports should not protrude from the soil by more than 25-30 cm. They are strengthened using a mortar of cement and bricks.

Walls

The next stage in the construction of the poultry house will be the production of high-quality walls. For buildings designed to support 10 heads, it is best to prepare drawings of future floors. Most often, the walls of such buildings are made of wood (of course, there are other options, but wood is the optimal solution). Wood is often used for covering wall bases, for example, made of brick. At the same time, we must remember that all the resulting joints and cracks will definitely need to be filled with heat-insulating materials, otherwise they will become “cold” bridges - through them the cold from the street will penetrate into the bird shed.

In addition to boards, it is also possible to install plywood sheets or lining. An excellent material for constructing poultry house walls is special adobe brick. As mentioned above, mineral wool will be the ideal insulation in this case. It is also permissible to lay clay combined with straw.

The timber for preparing the walls must be laid in accordance with the standard scheme. Roofing material can be used as an insulating material to separate the foundation and the bars. Usually it is laid in a couple of layers. In most cases, floor joists are also made of timber. They must be laid edgewise. In this case, the cracks and voids must be sealed with residual parts from the bars and special flax-jute fiber.

Roof

Having completed the construction of the walls of the poultry house, you can move on to the construction of another important component - the roof. The preparation of this design should be taken especially seriously if you are making a small chicken coop designed for year-round use. In winter, chickens should live in a room with a high-quality roof.

The arrangement of the roof of the poultry house has some features that need to be kept in mind during construction work.

• It is advisable to design a roof of a gable structure - it will provide excellent protection for the construction from accumulations of snow and water.
• Many people wonder what roofing materials are acceptable to use to finish the roof of a barn. Basically, they buy cheap tiles, roofing felt or slate for this.
• We must not forget about the thermal insulation of the roof structure. To do this, you can lay mineral wool or chipboard sheets.

The good thing about a gable roof is that it allows you to create a small attic. As a rule, people store bedding for chickens and various feeds in such rooms. In addition, it is permissible to place equipment necessary for caring for poultry there. Having completed the installation of the ceiling beams, you need to move on to laying the ceiling covering. In this case, it is permissible to use boards, and for insulation, expanded clay or special coal slag is most often chosen.

How to arrange it inside?

Having completed all stages of constructing a poultry house for 10 birds, you should start working on its internal arrangement. This often takes a lot of time.

When carrying out such work, it is advisable to adhere to the following recommendations.

• It is imperative to build high-quality and reliable ventilation in the chicken coop. In such buildings there must be an influx of fresh air. This component is equipped by installing two pipes: one of them is the supply pipe, and the second is the output pipe.
• In order for the light from the sun to penetrate into the poultry house in sufficient quantities, it is necessary to supplement the building with windows of suitable dimensions.
• Provide a good roost for your chickens. The diameter of the perches should be approximately 3-4 cm. It is advisable to leave free gaps of 35 cm between them.
• To make good nests, you can turn to various materials at hand. For example, these could be boxes or crates.

Even at the stage of building a chicken coop, it is worth deciding in what specific place the bird will feed. It is advisable to make this area as comfortable as possible for laying hens. Calculate the feeder length parameter based on the specific number of birds. For example, at least 15 cm should be allocated for one chicken. Of course, if there is such an opportunity, it is better to make a small reserve of length. Build additional feeders. They can be made from old boxes. They are usually placed at a height of 15 cm above the floor. Please note that they should always contain gravel. Laying hens require this material to form eggs.

It is advisable to equip the chicken coop with a gable roof, but a single-pitch design is also acceptable. It must be made in such a way that its slope is not directed towards the area for poultry walking. When designing a poultry house, you should keep in mind that over time the population may increase and the chickens will need more free space. As a rule, mini-chicken coops are built on a columnar foundation. It will be an ideal solution for lightweight construction. In addition, after its preparation, you will not have to wait until the poured concrete has set 100%.

As mentioned earlier, the coop should have window openings. The building can be equipped with several small or one large window. You cannot leave the poultry house without these elements. When designing a chicken shed, you need to remember that it will need frequent cleaning. That is why it is so important to think over the height parameter of this building - you should be able to clean it as conveniently as possible. If, before starting construction work, you have already stocked up on ready-made drawings, then you need to check how they fit specifically to your site. Do not forget about the height of the future construction.

Electric lighting should be installed in the chicken coop. It is advisable to fix them above the feeders, but not above the perches. Such devices will come in handy when it’s winter outside the window, and with it short daylight hours. When designing an aviary for walking birds, take care of its high-quality fencing. This way you can protect the bird from visits from predators.

Place feeders and waterers opposite perches. Make sure that the constructed structure does not have cracks or holes, since animals dangerous to chickens can enter the house through them. It is advisable to build a fencing for the house from metal sheets or slate. These parts need to be dug well into the ground. Bird nests must be installed in areas of the chicken coop where there is darkness. Most often we are talking about areas opposite perches. Nests can be made from baskets, plastic boxes or made of wood. There should be drinking bowls and feeders not only in the barn itself, but also in the area reserved for chicken walking.

When building a summer chicken coop, do not use material such as metal profiles, since it gets very hot at high outside temperatures. As a result, the barn may not create the most comfortable environment. Place chicken coops in places on the site where there is no excess noise and there is no roadway nearby. This is explained by the fact that chickens are more comfortable in peace and quiet. Excessive noise frightens these animals, which can affect their health and egg production.

You should not build a barn that is too large and spacious for 10 chickens, because in such an environment a small number of birds will simply be cold. It is best to build chicken coops on a site with a slight elevation. If your site has a perfectly flat surface, then a high point on it can be built artificially using crushed brick or stone. You should not keep chickens in an enclosure all the time - these birds do not really like to be constantly in a cramped environment. The bird must be released from the enclosure at least once a day, otherwise it will get sick and lay poorly.

If you notice that your chickens are becoming overly aggressive and have started plucking each other's feathers, you may want to slightly reduce the intensity of the artificial lighting. This way you will be able to calm the living creatures.

Successful examples

A well-made chicken coop made from safe and reliable materials will not only last a long time, but will also be very productive. Appearance Such a structure can be almost anything. In many areas there are original options that decorate the surrounding space.

For example, “fairytale” poultry houses, made in the style of a witch’s hut or a small two-story house from a medieval village, look truly amazing on the plots. These buildings may have a non-standard structure with small rounded turrets. Such options look especially interesting if complemented with various decorative items. For example, these could be small fountains in a retro style or drapes made of wild grapes. Of course, not every farmer has the time to build such structures step by step, but if you decide to add similar specimens to your plot, you can rest assured that they will make it brighter and more original.

In search of more traditional solutions, you can design a wooden chicken coop with a walking area. This small building should be fenced off using mesh material. A gable roof can be decorated with green roll covering - it will harmonize with the background of green grass. Such a chicken coop can be supplemented with one medium-sized window.

A small wooden chicken coop, made in the form of a carriage on large dark wheels, will look very interesting on the site. If you paint the building blue or light green, it will look even more interesting. Complete this design with small windows with heart-shaped cutouts and a corrugated roof to match the color of the walls.