Today, an increasing number of people are seriously thinking about breeding poultry. In addition to the fact that she does not need special care, you can still get meat and eggs from her. Before you start laying hens or broilers, you need to take care of creating favorable conditions for their existence, namely, to build a house for hens.
Material selection
When selecting building materials, it is necessary to take into account not only their own financial capabilities, but also the climatic features of the region of residence. If houses for chickens with their own hands will be built from adobe, concrete or brick, then the thickness of the walls should be about half a meter. If wood was chosen as the main building material, then it is quite possible to limit ourselves to a 20-centimeter wall thickness. All materials used must be environmentally friendly and not contain any harmful substances. Birds can start pecking the foam sticking out of the wall and poison it. All these nuances must be considered before starting to build houses for laying hens.
Site selection and sizing
Before proceeding with the construction, it is necessary to choose a suitable site on which the chicken house will be located. There should be no potholes and holes in the area in which moisture can accumulate. Dampness and slush significantly increase the incidence of birds, so the place should be well-drained and not flooded during heavy rains. In addition, hens need good lighting, so sunlight should be exposed to their house at least a few hours a day. The sun will not only dry the chicken coop, but will also have a beneficial effect on the well-being of its inhabitants.
Having decided on the place, you can think about what size the future chicken house will have. Its area directly depends on the number of planned number of birds, because each individual should have about 1.2 square meters. m. In addition, each bird requires at least 1 linear meter of perch.
Design features
To build houses for chickens with your own hands, it is not at all necessary to be a professional builder. To do this, you must have basic skills and know a few design features. So, in the chicken coop there should not be drafts, but there must be a ventilation system, weathering ammonia fumes and providing an influx of fresh air. To avoid drafts, the boards are fitted as tightly as possible to each other. During the construction process, it is necessary to ensure that there are not even small gaps anywhere. To insulate the chicken house, a layer of mineral wool is laid between its walls, and the inner surface of the room is sheathed with roofing material.
Predatory animals live in the countryside, who would like to enjoy fresh chicken meat. So that they could not get into the chicken coop, the ventilation window is sealed with a metal grill. She can also enclose a site for walking birds. To avoid possible undermining, the mesh must be buried in the ground. To prevent unplanned flights of chickens and protect them from feathered predators, it is recommended to pull a lightweight plastic net over the corral. The roof of the building should be made of strong and durable materials. For these purposes, a fused rubelast, heated with a blowtorch and pressed to the base of the roof, is the best fit.
Home Furnishing
Nests should be located in such a way that it is convenient for the owners to take eggs from there and periodically change the dirty straw. It is undesirable to place them under perches, since in this case bird droppings will inevitably fall on the eggs. So that chickens could freely get food and water, but could not sprinkle grain on the floor, drinkers and feeders should be placed at the level of their breasts. The design of the house itself should allow the owners to freely travel to any of its corners.
Hobbit abode
One of the American designers, inspired by the Tolkien trilogy, came up with the brilliant idea of a chicken house. To build such a dwelling will require some effort, but the result is worth it. To build a house for chickens, a photo of which can be found on the pages of specialized magazines, you need to draw a plan based on the size of the future structure. Only after this, one should proceed to sawing the rails on which the abode of the "hobbits" will be held. To protect the building from rodents, an adobe floor is built in it, along the perimeter of which it is recommended to drive metal sheets. The entrance and round windows for birds are hung using loops and are tightened with a mosquito net. The rounded roof is covered with roofing material or flexible tiles. The inside of the house is completely lined with wooden slats.