You can properly arrange ventilation in your own chicken coop yourself, very quickly and relatively inexpensively. The main thing is to remember that this installation must ensure the flow of fresh air from the street and the removal of harmful ammonia vapors outside. The poultry house should always be comfortable, quiet and warm, otherwise the chickens will stop laying eggs and begin to get sick.
Why does a home chicken coop need ventilation?
Many summer residents and rural residents raise chickens.Birds are kept in chicken coops. Such premises are built from brick, concrete blocks or wood materials, equipped with perches and nests for laying hens, and the floor covered with straw or sawdust. Electricity is installed in the poultry houses and ventilation is provided. The chickens are provided with optimal conditions in which they can live and lay eggs comfortably.
The air in the chicken coop should be fresh. The poultry house must be kept clean so that the chickens do not get sick. Too musty air can lead to the spread of infection and death of birds. If the chicken coop is ventilated using windows or doors, then in winter it will be cold inside the room, and chickens, as you know, stop laying eggs at sub-zero temperatures.
The optimal solution is to equip a hood in the poultry house. With the help of ventilation, fresh air will always flow into the chicken coop, and the temperature inside the room will remain comfortable for the normal functioning of chickens.
Types of systems
Ventilation in a chicken coop is easy to do with your own hands. It is better to install a ventilation system in the poultry house at the time of construction. If the chicken coop has already been built, it is not difficult to equip it with a simple hood made of plastic pipes.
Types of ventilation in the poultry house and characteristics:
- Natural. This system does not require large financial costs. Consists of two windows or openings located at the top, on opposite walls of the room. From the slightly open window, air will constantly flow into the chicken coop, and then exit into the hole on the opposite side.
- Circulation. To set up this installation you need to buy at least two plastic pipes. Fresh air will flow from the street into one and exit near the floor of the chicken coop. Vapors rising upward will be removed from the house using another pipe.
- Mechanical.This installation will require small financial costs. Ventilation of the room using this method will be carried out using an electric fan or hood. Of course, such equipment will not work in poultry houses without electricity. First you need to wire the chicken coop.
Each poultry farmer decides for himself which specific ventilation system to choose. The most common is circulation. With this installation, fresh air regularly enters the room, and vapors are discharged outside. And to install ventilation, you only need two plastic pipes, which can be bought at a hardware store.
Primary requirements
When arranging ventilation in a poultry house, you must adhere to certain rules. Firstly, the birds in the chicken coop should be comfortable, warm and not damp. This means that the hood must eliminate the appearance of drafts and ensure a minimal but uninterrupted supply of fresh air in any weather and any season.
Air masses should not stagnate in the room; vapors must be removed outside. The air flow speed should be 2-6 meters per second.
Secondly, the ventilation installation must be silent. Chickens react strongly to sudden and loud noises. Stress can cause decreased egg production. Thirdly, the ventilation unit should not become clogged. It is important that the poultry farmer has the opportunity to clean the air duct at any time.
How to make ventilation in a chicken coop with your own hands
Typically, poultry farmers install a ventilation system in the poultry house themselves. There's nothing complicated about it. Using a sketch or a simple diagram, you can make an indoor hood for chickens with your own hands.
Natural ventilation
With this method, ventilation of the room is carried out using two small windows located at the top, on opposite walls. Through one window the air will enter the house, and through the other it will be discharged outside. It is advisable to place small rectangular folding windows that open inward in the chicken coop near the ceiling.
Open-loop or circulating system
Most often, a hood is installed in poultry houses to ensure constant air circulation. To equip it, you need two pipes with a diameter of at least 20 centimeters and a length of 2 meters. Air will enter the house through one duct, and out through the other. To install two pipes, two holes are made in the roof for the diameter of the pipe. They should be located on walls opposite each other. It is advisable to install the inlet pipe away from perches and nests.
One of the lines will be intended for the supply of fresh air. The pipe is installed in such a way that it does not reach the floor by 25-35 centimeters and rises above the roof by 45-55 centimeters; a rain deflector can be placed at the top. The second line is intended to remove vapors to the outside. The pipe is installed under the ceiling. The top should extend outward at least 35 centimeters. The bottom of a correctly installed pipe is 25 centimeters from the ceiling.
When installing ventilation, you may need elbows with an angle of 90 degrees, fasteners, deflectors, and dampers. For a chicken coop, simple plastic sewer pipes are usually used, which can be purchased at any hardware store.
Mechanical hood
You can install a supply and exhaust mechanical ventilation system in the chicken coop.With its help, fresh air will regularly enter the room, and dirty air will be removed outside. The supply (supply) is usually equipped at the bottom of the room, and the outlet (exhaust) is at the top. In some electrical appliances, cold air from the street is heated in heaters. The system itself consists of pipes and devices involved in air processing, located in one housing. Such an installation is expensive. It is advisable to use it only on large poultry farms.
For personal farming, it is easier to buy an exhaust fan and install it in the top window. If necessary, the device can be turned on for a couple of minutes a day.
For the winter
The poultry house should not be too hot in summer and too cold in winter. We must always remember that if the temperature in the chicken coop is below 10 degrees Celsius, chickens may stop laying eggs. Typically, heating of the room in winter is provided using electrical appliances and bio-litter. Under such conditions, a lot of ammonia vapor is formed in the poultry house. Too stuffy air can cause birds to feel unwell.
In winter, the room must be ventilated, otherwise the chickens will suffocate in ammonia fumes. True, if you open a door or window, there is a risk of letting a lot of cold air into the room and catching the birds. It is better to build circulation ventilation in the poultry house from two plastic pipes in the summer. This installation will ensure a constant supply and exhaust of air. It is important that the temperature in the chicken coop at any time of the year is 20-25 degrees Celsius.
Typical installation mistakes
You can build a ventilation unit in a poultry house yourself. The main thing is to avoid making a number of mistakes. First, the air ducts must be firmly secured so that they do not vibrate from the wind, make noise, or frighten the chickens.Secondly, the hood should be located at the top, near the ceiling. The flow of fresh air should go through another pipe, lowered to the floor.
Thirdly, the air ducts should not be damaged. For ventilation, plastic pipes without cracks or holes are used. A properly installed ventilation unit will help create comfortable conditions for chickens in the poultry house.
