Step-by-step instructions for building a winter chicken coop with your own hands

Setting up a winter chicken coop is quite a difficult task for a farmer. With the correct implementation of this procedure, it will be possible to keep chickens in winter. In this case, it is necessary to strictly adhere to a certain sequence of actions - calculate the area, select materials, select insulation products. The arrangement of nests, feeders, and drinkers is of no small importance.

What is the difference between a winter chicken coop and a summer one?

In order for the birds to survive the winter without problems, it is necessary to build an all-season chicken coop. Birds are highly sensitive to frost. Therefore, when arranging a frame poultry house, important features should be taken into account:

1. Humidity. This is one of the main enemies of chickens, especially in low temperatures. In such a situation, the pet's respiratory tract suffers. Therefore, the chicken coop must be completely dry.
2. Lighting. In winter, chickens face a lack of lighting. Therefore, the winter chicken coop should be equipped with a large number of windows. They are certainly insulated. Artificial lighting is also required.
3. Size. For winter, you should not make a chicken coop that is too large, as it is difficult to heat.

Choosing the optimal location

To choose the optimal site for construction, you need to focus on the following features:

1. It's quite damp in the lowlands. Therefore, the room should be located on a hill.
2. Birds need peace. Therefore, the poultry house is built away from noise sources.
3. The well-being of birds depends on the amount of sun. Therefore, the windows of the poultry house should face south.
4. It is harmful for birds to overheat. Therefore, in hot weather the windows are shaded.
5. The chicken coop should be placed not far from human habitation so that the birds can be monitored.
6. It is recommended to place the building on dry and sandy soil.
7. The area for the chicken coop should be reliably protected from the wind. Trees and bushes are used for this.
8. A walking area should be located near the chicken coop.It should have shelter from the sun, wind and other unfavorable climatic phenomena.

The wrong place for birds is bad for their health. Chickens become weak and sickly, do not lay eggs well, and have difficulty fertilizing eggs.

Size calculation

When choosing the size of the poultry house, it is recommended to take into account the number of birds. The area of ​​winter construction depends on this.

For 10 chickens

To set up a mini-chicken coop at your dacha, a barn with an area of ​​10-15 square meters is suitable. This is enough for the birds to be fully active. The room must have at least 1 window and a ventilation grill.

For 20 chickens

For such a number of chickens you will need a full-fledged barn. Its size should be 18-20 meters. The height of the walls is about 2 meters. Walking area - 2x3 meters.

For 30 chickens

For 30 chickens, the same option is suitable as for 20. For such a number of birds, a room of 20 square meters will be sufficient.

For 50 chickens

For this number of chickens you will need a fairly large room - about 50 square meters. The height should not exceed 2 meters. The site occupies an area of ​​3x4 meters.

For 100 chickens

The chicken coop project for 100 chickens has a considerable area exceeding 50 square meters. Such a large room needs high-quality insulation.

Material for construction

For a building to be durable, it is necessary to use high-quality materials:

1. For the foundation you will need a mixture of sand and cement, roofing felt, and gravel. You also need wooden formwork, screenings, and a mesh with small cells. In addition, it is worth preparing a thin rope, tape measure, rods, and pegs.
2. For the walls you need to take wooden beams, staples, brick, plywood, cement, foam blocks.
3. To construct the roof, you can use slate, plywood, fiberboard or chipboard.You can also use roofing felt, roofing felt, wooden slats and beams. Slate is considered the most suitable option.
4. For the floor, you should use floor joists, wooden boards, beams. Chipboard or fiberboard sheets are also suitable.
5. Ventilation will require pipes and dampers.
6. For nests and perches, it is recommended to use slats, sectional partitions, fiberboard, and shavings.

In addition, it is worth arming yourself with means for attaching feeders, a stapler, a jigsaw, and a hammer. It is also recommended to prepare the nails.

Before using wooden boards or plywood, they should be treated with an antiseptic compound. After which the material must be sanded with sandpaper.

Preparatory work

Before erecting a winter chicken coop, it is worth performing preparatory work. First of all, it is recommended to correctly select a place for construction, make an accurate drawing of the building and calculate the amount of materials required.

If the site has clay or marshy soil, drainage work must be performed. If this procedure is ignored, the supporting base of the structure will quickly fail.

How to build a chicken coop for the winter with your own hands

In order for the construction of a chicken coop to be successful, it is necessary to strictly follow the rules for carrying out all work.

Poultry house foundation

The construction technology is determined by the material from which it is planned to build the chicken coop. The columnar structure can be a pile, with a small recess, or a strip structure. It is used as a rigid base for heavy brick walls. The foundation for light buildings made of beams or logs can be made in the form of blocks or pillars.

Floor

The floor can be made of wood or concrete. However, in such a situation it will be necessary to insulate it. Sawdust is used for this.

It is better to use boards for the floor. To do this, you should perform the following steps:

1. Upholster the bottom layer with unedged boards. Place vapor and waterproofing on top.
2. Place the bars at a distance of 65-80 centimeters.
3. Place insulation between them.
4. Place edged boards on top and fit them tightly.

Frame

Before making the frame, you need to decide on the roof structure. Usually it is made lean-to. In this case, one of the walls is made higher.

Construction of the frame involves the following work:

1. Place timber on the surface of the foundation. It should be secured with anchor bolts. The bars are fastened together with metal corners.
2. Place the timber vertically in the corners and attach it to the lower belt.
3. Attach the upper horizontal belt to the vertical bars. On the outside of the frame, make a sheathing of small planks or slats. Thermal insulation material is laid on it.
4. The rafters for the roof are placed on the upper belt.

Roof

It is recommended to nail a sheathing made of unedged boards or plywood leaves to the rafters. It is worth fixing a vapor barrier film over it. It should be laid overlapping, sealing the seams. Thermal insulation material and waterproofing are placed on top.

Then the transverse strips are nailed to the rafters. When using a soft roof, it is worth laying plywood or OSB, and then laying roofing felt. If slate is used, wood cladding is not required.

Insulation of walls and floors

Insulation materials are selected taking into account the budget. The most affordable option is polystyrene foam. You can also use mineral wool. In this case, you should first lay a double-sided membrane. Expanded polystyrene is considered the most comfortable option. It is produced in the form of even and smooth slabs. However, this material is quite expensive.

Natural materials will be almost free. For this, a mixture of sawdust and clay is used.However, the quality of such insulation is much lower.

Setting up a winter chicken coop

After building the premises, it is worth paying attention to the internal arrangement of the winter chicken coop.

Making perches

This design will require beams with a cross section of 4x4 or 6x4 centimeters. It is important that they have a round shape. Therefore, the bars should be cleaned until smooth to avoid damage to the paws.

When using several perches, the distance between the slats should be 30 centimeters in width and 20 centimeters in height. A small ladder should be attached to the lower tier.

Nests

It is best to equip nests in remote corners of the room. For this, wooden boxes are used. For 5 chickens it is worth providing 1 nest. If you plan to raise exclusively laying hens, you can make more nests.

Feeders and drinkers

Feeders are arranged in length. The size is selected taking into account the number of chickens. There should be about 10-15 centimeters per bird. At a height of 15 centimeters from the floor, it is worth making 2 more box-shaped feeders. They are filled with gravel or shells. The poultry house must have drinking bowls.

Ventilation in a winter chicken coop

For a normal indoor microclimate, ventilation is required. Its functions can be performed by a plastic pipe. It is placed under the ceiling, passes through the roof and exits at a height of 1 meter. The inflow is carried out through the cracks. If they are well sealed, it is worth mounting the pipe into the wall a little higher than the floor.

Lighting the chicken coop in winter

The chicken coop is completed with windows. To retain heat, frames must have 2-3 glasses. They must be lined with mesh inside and out.

In order for chickens to lay eggs in winter, it is recommended that they increase the length of daylight hours.It should be at least 11-12 hours. Therefore, it is worth using artificial lighting.

Litter

2 types of bedding are used for chicken coops:

• deep – implies 2-3 layers;
• shallow - it is done in 1 layer.

Deep litter is considered more preferable. For this, natural materials are used - moss, sawdust, straw. You can also use peat or hay.

Heating system installation

To keep the chicken coop warm, you need to provide additional heating. In winter, you can heat it with electricity or other methods.

Electricity

You can heat the chicken coop with infrared lamps. Infrared emitters heat objects, not air. That’s why they are placed above perches. Several pieces are additionally hung above the floor. Fan heaters can also be used. When choosing them, it is better to give preference to a programmable model. This will help save electricity.

Oil radiators are not recommended for use in chicken coops. They waste a lot of energy but produce too little heat. Devices with an open spiral lead to fire, so using them is very dangerous.

Boiler and stove

The chicken coop can be heated with a wood boiler or stove. You can also fold a brick stove. In this case, it is best to place the pipe in the chicken coop. This will provide maximum heat.

Heating a chicken coop by decomposing sawdust

To maintain a positive temperature, the heat produced by the decomposition of sawdust is used. However, it will be possible to achieve a noticeable effect only with minimal insulation.

It is worth pouring sawdust on the floor. The first layer is used in the fall, the second - before frost. The thickness of the layer is 10-15 centimeters. It should lie for 1-1.5 months.

After a month, it is worth adding a fresh portion of sawdust. In this case, the thickness should be approximately 10 centimeters. By the end of winter the layer is 50 centimeters. In the spring, the composition is taken to compost.

Walking yard

Chickens love to lead an active lifestyle. Therefore, they should definitely equip a walking yard. It is isolated using a mesh. This will help prevent other animals from getting in there.

Feeders should be placed near the entrance, using a polycarbonate canopy.

Building a winter chicken coop is not that difficult. To do this, you need to follow basic recommendations for the selection of materials and construction of the structure. You should definitely pay attention to the interior design of the room. This will provide the birds with comfortable conditions. Thanks to this, the birds will be able to lay eggs well. In addition, a high-quality chicken coop will provide reliable disease prevention.