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

Raising chickens has recently become very common not only among large and medium-sized households, but also among owners of small country houses and summer cottages. This is a profitable undertaking that allows you to provide yourself with meat and eggs for at least two or three seasons. For a small summer cottage, it is enough to have ten heads of chickens, but at the same time they need to be provided with conditions so that they grow well and lay eggs. To build a chicken coop for 10 chickens with your own hands, you need to carefully plan the amount of necessary materials, construction layout, dimensions, taking into account the needs of the poultry and the optimal conditions for its maintenance.

Before you build a chicken coop for 10 chickens, you must take into account all the requirements for this building:

• The chicken coop must protect the bird from rain, birds of prey and animals, and rodents. This means that the house must have a roof and must be fenced from outside penetration.
• It should be warm and have enough lighting. The temperature inside the chicken coop should not be less than 2 degrees below zero, and it itself should be equipped with windows and electric lamps.
• The size of the building is selected based on the number of heads: for broilers, 1 square meter is enough for 3 individuals, for laying hens - 1 square meter. m. for 4 birds, for chickens – 1 sq.m. for 14 birds. In winter, the number of heads per square meter increases to 6-7 pieces.
• It is necessary to provide places for nests and perches. The floor of the chicken coop should be high enough to make it easy to remove droppings.
• In addition to the building with a canopy, it is necessary to equip an area for walking chickens. It must meet the standard of 1 chicken per 1 sq.m. Together with the area of ​​the house, the total size of the chicken coop for 10 chickens must be at least 15 sq.m.
• When using a chicken coop year-round, it is necessary to provide a warm vestibule where cold street air will not penetrate.
• The size of the perch should be at least 1 linear. meters. Their number is not important, the main thing is that the birds are free.

In addition, it is important to choose the right place to place the building. This should be an elevated, level area with a slope so that rainwater will not accumulate around or inside the coop, but will drain away. It is better if a short but dense bush grows next to the house, protecting the chickens from the wind and direct sunlight. But, at the same time, the place should not be completely shaded throughout the day: chickens love light, and the soil should dry out quickly from precipitation. The outdoor enclosure should be located so that the house does not block the walking area throughout the day. To avoid conflicts with neighbors regarding an unpleasant odor, it is not recommended to place the chicken coop next to the fence. The chicken coop must be located at least 4 meters from the boundaries of the site and at least 40 meters from the nearest well.

• Doors should only open inward.
• The floor inside the house should be at a slight slope in relation to the exit.
• If the chicken coop occupies too much space, you should reduce the size of the house, but leave the aviary for walking quite spacious.
• It is not advisable to make less than two nests.
• Feeders should be located opposite the perch along the wall.
• It is necessary to provide a door for cleaning the outside of the chicken coop and loading feed inside.
• Feeders and drinkers should be at a level of 10 cm from the floor, and the perch should be 40-60 cm from the floor.
• A ladder must be installed from the chicken coop to the grazing area.

How to build a chicken coop for 10 chickens: video

Before starting construction, you need to think through a plan and draw up a drawing of the chicken coop in accordance with the above features and requirements. The drawing must contain the dimensions and outlines of the building, the layout of the internal elements, and the height of the chicken coop.

Chicken coop for 10 chickens, construction diagram

Wood is used as a material, as it has the highest thermal insulation qualities. In this case, boards or OSB are used. Mineral wool or ordinary straw is used as insulation.

Preparing the base

Small chicken coop for 10 chickens, frame

If you plan to build a seasonal chicken coop, you can do without building a foundation. It is enough to level the site for construction, removing all the turf from the area to prevent overgrown weeds, and then fill it with crushed stone, creating a cushion 15 cm high.

For a major construction, a foundation must be made. To do this, you need to dig a trench around the perimeter of the chicken coop with a depth of 30 cm, line the walls of the hole with a metal mesh - this is necessary in order to prevent the penetration of predatory animals and rodents that like to dig. Then the edges are laid out with boards, thus constructing the outer formwork, and the inner formwork is laid out at a distance of 20 cm from it. The bottom of the trench is filled with sand and gravel, on which the concrete mixture is laid. After the concrete surface has dried, it is covered with a layer of waterproofing, after which the walls of the chicken coop can be erected.

A simpler way to construct a foundation is the pile method. Its advantages are that there is no need to carry out large-scale excavation work, it is simpler and less costly both in time and money. To install a pile foundation, you need to dig four holes 70 cm deep. For pillars, you can use profile pipes or timber, pre-impregnated with antiseptic and bitumen mastic. When the pillars are installed in the pits, the space around them should be concreted. After this, the posts around the perimeter are connected by timber, and the space under them can be filled with stones, crushed stone, or covered with boards so that drafts are not created that cool the floor of the chicken coop inside. A frame made of timber is assembled like this: metal rods are cut along the axis of the pillars, which are inserted into the holes of the support and secured with washers.

Floor arrangement

The floor of the chicken coop can be arranged in two ways:

1. Earthen or adobe floor.

A layer of soil about 50 cm deep is removed along the perimeter of the future house, then sand is poured into it in a layer of at least 10 cm and compacted thoroughly. Then a layer of crushed stone is laid, which is also compacted well. After this, a thick, dry mixture is prepared from clay and sand in a ratio of 2 to 1, laid out on crushed stone and leveled with a spatula. The final compaction of the surface occurs using sand, which is driven into the clay. The surface is completely ready if no marks remain on it. Finally, a metal mesh is laid on it, and boards are placed on it.

1. Double flooring is carried out with boards on the foundation, or along joists with thermal insulation material laid between them. But first, you need to lay a waterproofing layer, for example, roofing felt, on the concrete foundation. Instead of insulation, you can pour a layer of sand, sawdust or straw at least 3 cm thick on top of it, then cover it with boards.

On top of the floor it is necessary to lay a bedding made of peat, straw, a mixture of straw with peat or sand, etc., and periodically replace it as it gets dirty.

Poultry house walls

Typically, the walls of a poultry house are constructed from a wooden base with beams with a cross-section of 10 cm, which is sheathed with lumber (boards or plywood). Inside, the walls are insulated with special materials, as well as the space between the sheathings. A door is cut out at the bottom of the wall, and a window opening is cut out on one or two walls.

Roof structure

DIY chicken coop

The constructed chicken coop must have a high-quality roof, since it will be the basis for the thermal insulation of the building. Therefore, there should be no gaps or cracks in it. The best option for a roof is a gable or single-pitch structure, which will allow water not to linger on the surface. A gable design is preferable because it will increase the internal volume of the roof. To build a roof, you need to install rafters, attach a frame to them, and attach thermal insulation material to it. The inside of the heat insulator is covered with plywood, and the outside of the roof is covered with sheet iron or any other roofing material.

In order for the air in the poultry house to be constantly renewed, a pipe with a diameter of 20 cm must be brought out of it. The total length of the pipe should be about two meters, and it should descend approximately 60-70 cm into the chicken coop. In winter, the ventilation pipe must be sealed to prevent cold air from entering inside.

Aviary

To organize a walking area around the chicken coop, poles are dug into the required area, and the space between them is covered with a metal mesh. The optimal size of an enclosure for 10 chickens will be an area of ​​2x2 meters.

Interior arrangement

The most comfortable conditions for birds are created by the internal arrangement, which includes:

1. Feeders and drinkers. The number of feeders should correspond to the number of birds, the length of each of them should be 15 cm. They are usually installed opposite the perch.
2. Perches are made from rounded timber. Their length depends on the number of chickens; they are usually installed at a distance of 50 cm from the floor and 35 cm from the walls.
3. Lighting. For sufficient lighting, electric lamps with a power of 5 W are installed for each square meter of poultry house area. The installation of lamps should be such that the light falls on the feeders, and not on the perches.
4. Nests can be made from wooden or plastic boxes. For 10 chickens, two or three nests will be enough. Their dimensions should be: height 40 cm, width and depth 30 cm. They are placed in any shaded place, and the bottom is lined with bedding, for example, straw.

If you have the desire and minimal experience in keeping chickens and are thinking about a chicken coop for your summer house, then we will tell you how to build a mini-chicken coop for 10 chickens with your own hands.

Do-it-yourself chicken coop for 10 chickens: drawings for calculating sizes, step-by-step instructions

Often you need a very small chicken coop - for 10-15 chickens. Building a mini-chicken coop in your country house with your own hands is not that difficult. A small room will be enough for several chickens: the small size and thermal insulation of the chicken coop will allow the birds to warm the room with the heat of their bodies.

In the warm season, inside it the bird will only sleep and lay eggs, and spend the rest of the time on a fenced paddock. It is better to make it spacious so that the chickens do not feel discomfort. Ideally, the walking area should be at least twice as large as the poultry house itself.

You can see examples of very interesting mini-chicken coops made by yourself in the video from the Country Ideas channel:

When designing and building a mini chicken coop, it is important to keep many components in mind. After all, a chicken coop is both a comfortable home for birds and an outbuilding designed to make it easier for people to care for animals and increase labor productivity. Therefore, before making a mini-chicken coop with your own hands, let's figure out what design elements and features should be inherent in every good chicken coop.

Read also:

Calculation of the size of a mini-chicken coop for 10 chickens

To correctly determine the scale of construction, you first need to highlight for yourself:

1. The purpose of raising laying hens: it is one thing if you need fresh eggs for daily nutrition, and quite another if you decide to turn poultry breeding into a source of income.
2. The number of birds you can keep on your farm.
3. The size of the poultry house that is appropriate for your site.

Helpful advice! The inhabitants of a mini-chicken coop for 10 chickens will provide fresh eggs for 3 people. For a large family it is worth keeping twice as many birds. And if you plan to turn keeping chickens into a source of income, immediately expect to build a chicken coop with your own hands for 50-100 birds.

Building such a mini-chicken coop is within the capabilities of every householder! This project will not take too much time and will not require expensive tools.

Don't let the big scale scare you. If you have no experience in construction, you can buy a chicken coop inexpensively or try your hand at small buildings. If, when building a mini-chicken coop for 10 chickens with your own hands, you provide in advance a place for expanding the farm, over time, if necessary, you can easily increase the area of ​​​​the room by completing the chicken coop.

drawings for sizing calculations

Any construction begins with the creation of a drawing. Do not neglect this stage - regardless of the scale of the undertaking, your drawing should be as detailed and clear as possible. This way you will have a clear picture of what you want to achieve as a result and a developed action plan.

When creating a drawing, it is not necessary to exactly copy ready-made diagrams. This is the beauty of the decision to build a mini-chicken coop with your own hands: you can design a home for the birds at your own discretion, in accordance with the characteristics of your site and your own ideas about convenience.

Chicken coop for 10 chickens: A - facade; B - view from the vestibule; B - general plan of the chicken coop

However, with little experience in building chicken coops for chickens, it is worth turning to ready-made drawings and calculations in order to get your bearings and not miss important details. Particular attention should be paid to calculating the size of a chicken coop with your own hands for 10 chickens, because if the birds live in cramped conditions, there can be no question of any comfort for them.

For example, 3 laying hens need 1 m² of space. This means that for 10 chickens and a rooster, a chicken coop with parameters of 2x2 m will be a sufficient size of home. Accordingly, if you have 20 birds on your farm, the chicken coop should be 3x3 m. And so on - the size of the chicken coop is directly proportional to the number of birds.

If you are building a poultry house designed for year-round poultry, keep in mind that in winter the chickens crowd together and require less living space. At this time, 1 m² of space is enough for 4 chickens. Thus, for 10 birds in winter you will need 2.5 m².

In the drawings of the mini-chicken coop, do not forget to take into account the aviary for walking. Its proportions are directly related to the size of the poultry house itself: with a coop width of 2 m, the minimum parameters of the aviary are 2x6 m.

Drawing of a chicken coop designed to house 10 chickens

Selecting materials for building a mini-chicken coop

The reliability and durability of a poultry house largely depends on the quality and correctness of the materials and tools chosen for construction.

The basic necessary ones include:

Choosing a place to build a mini-chicken coop

for laying hens with your own hands

Having decided on the size of the future poultry house and the materials and tools necessary for construction, you can begin to choose a place for construction. Regardless of whether you decide to buy a ready-made chicken coop or build a mini chicken coop with your own hands, it is important to choose a suitable location. After all, the birds will spend all their time in this place: sleeping, laying eggs and walking, so it is important that it does not become a source of discomfort for the chickens.

Observe the following rules:

The main advice on how to properly build a chicken coop is to not place it on the ground. The building requires a good foundation - a foundation.

How to properly build a mini-chicken coop:

foundation selection

There are two optimal types of foundation:

1. Columnar.
2. Tape.

Mini-chicken coop plans usually call for a column foundation, as this is best suited for a lightweight structure. In addition, it has a number of other important advantages:

It is not difficult to build such a foundation:

1. Drill holes along the perimeter of the future chicken coop to a depth of 1 m. The diameter of each should be approximately 15-20 cm. The distance between the posts should be 1 m.
2. Next you need round formwork. It can be constructed from any available materials - asbestos-cement pipes are an ideal option.
3. Insert the pipes into the hole.
4. Before pouring concrete, insert threaded reinforcement into the holes.
5. As a result, the support beam is attached to the concrete pillars using a nut.

Helpful advice! If this process seems too complicated, you can watch numerous thematic videos on how to build a chicken coop or choose a simpler option for installing a chicken coop. For example, you can take 4 blocks of concrete or any other suitable material. The space between the supports is filled with stone or brick, ensuring the structure's stability and integrity. Please note that the height of the pillars above the ground must be at least 20 cm, then the space under the house can be used for walking chickens.

The frame structure is optimal for a poultry house, since its construction is characterized by high speed and simplicity

Mini-DIY chicken coop:

According to the drawings and photos of mini-chicken coops, it is clear that a frame structure is being erected on the basis of a columnar foundation. Its peculiarity lies in the simplicity and high speed of construction, which makes building a chicken coop not much more difficult than buying a ready-made chicken coop for 10 chickens.

Stages of construction of a frame structure:

1. Take bars with parameters 70x70 mm.
2. To construct the frame, nail the vertical posts to the support beam.
3. Add horizontal crossbars to the structure for the base of the roof and floor.

In this case, you should also carefully calculate the parameters. For example, for a poultry house for 20 chickens, the parameters of low and high walls with a pitched roof are calculated based on the dimensions. From the photo of do-it-yourself chicken coops for 10 chickens, you can see that they can be low, but, in any case, the distance between the floor and the ground should be at least 35-45 cm.

Make sure there is a window, as well as two doors: for the owner and directly for the birds. Please note that the nests do not have to be in the coop itself, as in most photos of chicken coops inside. A convenient option is to attach the nests to the house: in this case, you can make special doors in the nests, as well as a lifting lid for easy cleaning of the nest and collection of eggs. If you decide to arrange nests according to this model, you should also consider adding them at this stage

Video: How to build a mini chicken coop with your own hands

Photo report on building a mini-chicken coop with your own hands.

Winter mini-chicken coops for 10 chickens:insulation of poultry houses

In addition, at the stage of wall construction, you should think about ensuring a comfortable temperature for the birds. First of all, it matters whether you are going to keep chickens in the house all year round or whether it is a seasonal building.

If the mini-chicken coop is intended to be used during the cold season, after you have lined the outside walls with boards, you need to take care of the thermal insulation of the structure. This is an important point, since when the microclimate is disturbed, chickens begin to experience discomfort, get sick and, as a result, become inactive and lay less eggs.

If you are planning to build a mini-chicken coop with your own hands, photos and diagrams will become indispensable assistants in this matter. Well-drawn drawings show that the winter poultry house is provided with thermal insulation.

One of the following options is suitable as a material for these purposes:

• Styrofoam;
• mineral wool;
• ecowool.

After the insulation has been installed, the entire structure must be covered with plywood or boards from the inside.

Various materials can be used as insulation. Mineral wool is perfect for this.
Polystyrene foam and polystyrene foam can also be used as insulation.
The insulation is placed between the beams and then covered with plywood. Otherwise, birds may peck it off (they especially love polystyrene foam).
In winter, it is also worth covering the windows with insulation. It is important to provide artificial lighting.
In case of severe frosts, infrared lamps can be provided. At the same time, their operation can be controlled by a timer or even a thermal relay - this eliminates unnecessary hassle, eliminates the human factor (forgot to turn it on/off) and saves money.

How to properly build a mini-chicken coop for laying hens:

construction of floor and roof

To make the chickens feel comfortable in any weather, a double floor would be useful - it will provide additional insulation of the room. The layout of such a floor is simple: hem the boards underneath the lumber sheathing, and then lay the insulation and lay the floor.

However, you can do without special floor insulation. Sawdust or straw can be used as insulation. A thick layer of these materials is an excellent heat insulator that does not require much expense or effort on your part.

The best material for a warm chicken coop is timber or logs. They are especially well suited for the construction of gazebo poultry houses.

The simplest roof option is a pitched roof. To construct it, it is necessary to fill boards or beams, maintaining a distance of 50 cm between them. To ensure waterproofing, it is enough to put roofing felt on this base.

If you want to provide additional insulation to the poultry house, you can line the roof with chipboard or boards from the inside. There are many options available as a material for the outer covering of the roof: slate, corrugated sheeting, reeds, etc.

Arrangement of the chicken coop inside with your own hands:

In the photos of beautiful chicken coops, they look neat and comfortable both inside and outside. The internal structure of the poultry house is especially important, because this is where the chickens will spend most of their time. The space should also be convenient for the owner so that he can easily take care of the birds. It is in your power to make it so. To better understand the process, check out the information below on how to decorate the inside of a chicken coop with your own hands.

How to arrange chicken coops inside for laying hens: main aspects

Features of the internal structure of the chicken coop:

Part of a chicken coop	Useful tips	Calculations
Ventilation	It is necessary to equip the chicken coop with ventilation: the flow of fresh air is vital for birds; do not forget to close the ventilation when using the poultry house in the winter season so that the chickens do not catch cold	to ensure air outflow, an exhaust pipe must be provided at the top of the wall; the supply pipe must be placed on the wall opposite at a height of 50 cm from the floor
Window	To allow sunlight to enter the room, there must be windows	if you make several windows, they can be small (or one, but large)
Perch	a perch is necessary for birds to rest; The simplest option is to use them as perch poles	if poles are used, their diameter should be 3-4 cm; you can also take planed round beams with parameters 4x4 cm and fix them at a height of 50 cm from the floor at the same level - when calculating the distance from the floor, take into account the height of the litter; the distance between the poles should be 35 cm, and the wall should be separated from the nearest block by at least 25 cm
Nests	There are many options for arranging nests, and it is easy to use available materials: wicker baskets, wooden boxes, boxes	for the comfort of the birds, it is important that the nest meets the minimum size requirements: 30 cm wide, 30 cm high, 40 cm deep; one hen lays one egg on the first day before lunch, the second egg on the second day after lunch, on the third day the bird rests, so there should be 1 nest for 3-4 laying hens

Helpful advice! The perch length calculation should be based on the number of birds you have. One hen requires a perch space of 17-20 cm long. Thus, you can easily calculate the sufficient length of the perch. If possible, it is better to take a stick that is longer than the minimum required.

In addition, even at the construction stage, you should think about the place where you will feed the birds. Make sure it is as comfortable as possible for your chickens and easy to maintain for you. The length of the feeder depends on the number of birds on the farm. For example, one chicken should have 10-15 cm of feeder space. If possible, it is worth making feeders with a reserve.

Don't forget to make a couple of additional feeders in the form of boxes and place them above the floor at a height of 15 cm. Make sure that these boxes always contain gravel, chalk and shells - these materials are necessary for chickens to form eggs.

DIY mini chicken coop for 10 chickens

In the above photos of mini-chicken coops in the country, you can see how best to arrange feeders inside the poultry house.

Another useful addition to a chicken coop is homemade dust baths for birds. Setting them up is quite simple: you will need any containers that can be filled with sand, wood ash or garden soil. Bathing in them is extremely beneficial for chickens: it improves the condition of their plumage and also helps to destroy pests.

The final stage of constructing a mini-chicken coop for laying hens

After completion of construction of the structure, finishing work is necessary. They concern small things, but are extremely important for the comfortable use of the house by the owners and the well-being of the birds. Thanks to them, a mini-chicken coop for laying hens (the photos demonstrate this) will become functional and will not spoil the appearance of the local area.

In summary, it is important to emphasize that various nuances may arise during construction. The situation is influenced by many factors: the availability of space on the site, the need for subsequent expansion of the poultry house, and even the climatic conditions of the area. However, a number of patterns can be identified, following which you can build a poultry house no worse than in the video of mini-chicken coops for laying hens with your own hands, given at the end of the article. You will also be confident in the comfort of your pets.

Beautiful and functional chicken coop for 10 laying hens

A number of nuances if you decide to build a chicken coop (both at the dacha and at your place of permanent residence):

• The more spacious the birds’ home, the better. Therefore, if space on the site and building materials allow, do not make a drawing based on minimum calculations, but build with a reserve;
• make sure there is easy access to all feeders and drinkers in the room;
• all perches for chickens should be located at different heights;
• carefully choose a place for the nests of laying hens: they should be located in a dark, quiet and warm corner where the chickens will feel safe;
• there should be enough light in the room, so make sure there are windows, as well as the presence of artificial lighting sources.

Helpful advice! A sedentary lifestyle negatively affects the health of laying hens. In addition, low activity leads to decreased immunity, loss of appetite and, as a consequence, low egg production. The solution to all these problems is very simple: it is enough to add bird food not only to the feeder, but also to the laid straw or sawdust. Searching for food keeps the chickens in good shape, stimulates their appetite and makes them move.

After the completion of the main construction, finishing work is necessary, thanks to which the chicken coop can become a decoration of your yard

Is it worth buying an inexpensive mini-chicken coop for 10 chickens?

Today it is less and less common to build something with your own hands. It is much easier to buy a ready-made mini-chicken coop and not have to figure out how to build one yourself. In some cases this decision is justified. If you do not have experience in the construction of farm buildings, you are unconfident in your abilities or do not have enough time, it is better to buy a good chicken coop and provide the chickens with comfortable living conditions.

In addition, it is appropriate to buy a chicken coop if your plans include commercial chicken breeding and you need a large-scale poultry house for a hundred chickens. Or, on the contrary, if you need a very small chicken coop and do not plan to breed birds.

Video: How you can order a mini-chicken coop for your country house

Micro chicken coop in your yard, assembly in 1 hour. Every day 3 eggs without GMOs!

However, building a poultry house yourself will cost less, and you will be able to equip it entirely in accordance with your own desires and ideas about the ideal chicken coop. After watching the video on how to properly build chicken coops with your own hands, you can easily expand and complete the poultry house in the future if necessary.

Today, there are many drawings and videos of building a chicken coop with your own hands available on the Internet that will help you understand and master this skill yourself.

Video: Chicken cooptheirhands

Making a small chicken coop with your own hands.

Video:Chicken coops for 10 chickens

Dacha Luck

Video: Chicken coop in a pine forest. With your own hands

According to the hero of this story, Roman, for him, chickens are not only delicious homemade eggs, but also a maximum of positive mood. He approached the construction of the chicken coop no less seriously than the construction of his house. Therefore, the chicken coop turned out to be not only warm and comfortable for the chickens, but also with designer features. Roman also shares his experience of choosing a breed and proper nutrition of chickens for better egg production.

If you are reading this article, then most likely you have decided to start breeding and keeping chickens. This idea has many positive aspects. For example, you will always eat fresh eggs and be able to prepare nutritious meals from them. In addition, domestic chickens also provide fresh meat. And if you keep a lot of chickens, then the eggs can be sold, i.e. sell, which will serve as an additional source of income for your family’s budget. However, first you need to make a reliable and durable chicken coop, which will create ideal living conditions for poultry.

The construction process consists of several important stages. Don’t assume that everything is simple, especially if you want to keep chickens in the winter. After all, you need to worry about high-quality ventilation, reliable roofing, walls, heating and other important components. This article will provide complete material about all construction processes and equipment. Interesting video materials, collections of photographs and diagrams will make the process of learning information fun. Step-by-step instructions will help you figure out how to build a chicken coop.

What should a house for chickens be like?

Birds, just like humans, need a comfortable habitat, so before starting construction it is worth highlighting several important factors that will allow you to create a warm and cozy chicken coop. There are a number of requirements for this room:

• Temperature. If you plan to keep a bird in the winter, it is important to take care of the proper temperature. So, in winter the temperature should not be lower than 12°C. There should be no drafts inside the room; they pose a threat to the health of the bird. In summer, the indoor temperature should not exceed 25°C. If these temperature conditions are not observed, the chicken will stop laying eggs.
• Lack of moisture. To prevent chickens from getting sick, there should not be high humidity inside. Ventilation can solve this problem. There are several ways to organize it; it can be forced or natural.
• Lighting. Light is life. As a result, the egg production of chickens depends on the availability of light. There should be light bulbs inside the coop that diffuse warm yellow light. To ensure lighting mode, some home craftsmen use automatic timers and relays that turn the light on/off at a given time. When conducting electrical wiring, you need to do everything so that all cables are inaccessible to chickens.

• Calm. For a normal and quiet life for chickens, there should not be a lot of noise around. Therefore, the chosen location must be isolated from a busy country house.
• Safety. This is another important criterion that ensures the bird’s peace of mind. The chicken coop must be protected from rodents and other predatory animals entering it. Considering this, many decide to build on a columnar foundation.

Video: features of keeping chickens in a chicken coop

Where is the best place to place a chicken coop?

The location of the poultry house is an important stage of the preparatory work. You need to think not only about yourself, so that no unpleasant odor penetrates into your residential building, but also about the comfort of the chickens. For example, some breeds do not like their territory to be frequently invaded. Because of this, they begin to lay eggs worse.

A suitable location would be a remote corner of your summer cottage. If you have a barnyard, it is important to remember that extraneous noise also negatively affects their egg production. Often many people decide to attach a chicken coop to an existing barn. But here take into account what kind of pet the chickens will be neighbors with - calm or mostly noisy.

When choosing a place, it is important to worry about a place for them to walk. You can often see chickens roaming throughout the yard. This does not add beauty, in addition, on the threshold of your home you may stumble upon a “gift” they left behind. The space for walking chickens should be limited. As a rule, up to 2 m2 is allocated per head. So, when keeping 20 chickens, the area should have dimensions of 4x10 m. And this is only for their walking.

If you cannot afford such an area, keep in mind that some summer residents resort to an original solution, making walking tunnels around the perimeter of the territory from a metal mesh.

The selected location should have both shaded and sunny areas. The shade will protect the birds from overheating on hot days, but at the same time they will be able to bask in the sun in cool weather.

Video: The Best Place for a Chicken Coop in a Barnyard

It is recommended to choose an elevated place to build a chicken coop. This will prevent flooding of the area during the rainy season or when snow melts. If this is not possible, then dig a drainage ditch to remove excess moisture. Although a hill can be made artificially by pouring crushed stone, gravel or earth.

It is advisable to place the windows of the chicken coop on the south side for better and longer sunlight entering the room. It is also recommended to install a hole, a door and build an enclosure on the south side. The south side is most protected from cold winds.

What size should the poultry house be?

Having decided on the construction site, it is necessary to decide what dimensions the poultry house will have. This parameter is influenced by several factors. It is necessary to start from the maximum number of chickens and accurately calculate the usable area:

1. If you plan to keep meat breeds, 3 heads should have at least 1 m2;
2. For keeping egg breeds for 4 heads - from 1 m2;
3. For breeding and keeping chickens for 15 pieces - from 1 m2.

Separately, it is worth mentioning about chickens. They must have individual quarters, separated from adults. This will allow them to have free access to food. However, you should not allocate too much space for them. As a rule, a small box is enough for an overnight stay. On the other hand, one should not create conditions for their crush.

So, a poultry house intended for keeping 10 chickens can have dimensions of 2x5 m. As for the height, it should be comfortable for you when you have to go there. A ceiling that is too low will create discomfort when cleaning and cleaning the chicken coop. The optimal height is 2.2 m.

Taking this into account, it would be practical to equip a gable roof, raising the ridge to 2.2 m, and leaving the walls at a height of 1.5 m. Such a chicken coop will be convenient both for chickens and for its maintenance. On the other hand, it is much easier to implement a pitched roof. Nests can be installed in the low, dark part.

We have prepared several suitable diagrams and drawings. Based on them, you can make an individual project or build a poultry house from a ready-made one. We invite you to look at some interesting options in the next section.

Drawings and diagrams: ready-made projects for building a poultry house

So, to summarize everything, for the construction of a chicken coop for 10 chickens, the drawings should be calculated based on the following parameters:

• The area is more than 4 m2.
• Availability of up to 4 slots.
• Feeders should be along the wall and opposite the perch.
• There must be access to the cleaning and feeding system from outside.
• The drinker and feeder should rise at least 50–100 mm from the floor level.
• The floor should be smooth, but not slippery.
• Perch at a height of about 600 mm.
• The area of ​​all windows should not exceed 10% of the floor area.
• It is recommended to have an enclosure for walking.
• Be sure to have a ladder to the chicken coop.

Plus, the area and layout of the future poultry house will depend on what you want to place inside it. To save and optimize internal space, a perch pole is installed. An ordinary piece of driftwood usually performs this role. Chickens can sleep on it.

When organizing a roost, it is important to consider that one bird will lay one egg every 1-2 days. Therefore, one place will be enough for 4 chickens. The perches should be high as this will prevent damage to the eggs. Moreover, they should be located in a clean, dry place and away from their overnight stay. Otherwise, chicken droppings may end up on the eggs.

As for the standards, there is SNIP 30-02-97, which indicates the following parameters of the room:

1. On a summer cottage you can keep and raise no more than 40 chickens.
2. There should be at least 4 m from the chicken coop to the border of your territory.
3. If there is an adjoining residential building, then there must be at least 7 meters from the front door to the house.
4. When making an extension to a house, it is recommended to coordinate the project with the architectural commission.

If chickens are kept for personal use outside the city, there are no rules or restrictions.

Types of chicken coops based on needs

There are several types that can be built:

Build a new or reconstruct an existing premises

If you have a shed or garage that is no longer needed, you may want to consider remodeling it. You can save a lot on the purchase of building materials. You will only need to arrange the premises inside for normal living of chickens.

On the other hand, such a room is not always suitable. For example, inconvenient location, small area, etc. Today there are many ready-made schemes that will help you quickly develop a finished project. In this matter, you should not think only about saving money. As mentioned above, the egg production of birds and their health depend on how comfortable the conditions inside the chicken coop are.

If you still prefer the old premises, then make sure that there are no lumber inside it that was coated with lead paint or that was previously used to store various chemicals. All of this can have a detrimental effect on the health of chickens.

Stages of poultry house construction

Having familiarized ourselves with all the requirements and regulations for the construction of a chicken coop, we will highlight the main stages of construction:

Stage 1– design.

Stage 2- making the foundation.

Stage 3– construction of walls and partitions.

Stage 4- construction of the roof.

Stage 5– production of flooring.

Stage 6- “furnishing”.

Stage 7– insulation.

Stage 8– heating production.

These are perhaps the main construction processes that you should tune in to. We will go through all these processes and also give some step-by-step instructions.

The foundation is the basis of any structure

Installing a chicken coop directly on the ground is a bad option, so a foundation must be built. For a poultry house, the base can be made using different technologies:

• columnar;
• slab;
• tape

When making a slab foundation, the working technology is as follows:

Stages	Description of the work process
Step 1 – marking	To begin with, using a cord and pegs, the perimeter of the future building is indicated.
Step 2 – digging	At this stage, the top fertile soil layer to a depth of 350 mm should be removed.
Step 3 - filling the pillow	Now the bottom of the base is filled with sand and small gravel. Everything is carefully compacted.
Step 4 - formwork	Before pouring concrete, plank formwork is installed around the perimeter of the foundation.
Step 5 - concrete work	Finally, a layer of concrete should be poured onto the manufactured cushion. A woven reinforcing mesh with cells up to 100×100 mm is first laid on the bottom. For concrete, M200 cement is used.

As you can see, the process of making a foundation is not that complicated. Although it requires a lot of effort. This kind of foundation is ideal for a chicken coop built from blocks or bricks.

It is much easier to build a chicken coop on a columnar base. We have prepared for you step-by-step instructions for building a poultry house on a columnar foundation, so you can find out all the details of this process in the next subsection. The only thing worth saying is that steel pipes, bricks, blocks and similar material can be used as support pillars.

Video: features of laying out the foundation

Wall construction technology

The walls must be windproof and warm. The choice of material for building walls depends on the foundation made. If you made a strip or slab, you can use cinder block, foam block and even brick. However, these materials have a high level of thermal conductivity, so they must be insulated from the outside and inside.

If a columnar foundation is chosen, then it is better to give preference to a light frame structure made of wooden blocks. A wooden frame is laid on top of the support posts, onto which the entire frame of the future chicken coop is fixed. It is recommended to use metal mesh to construct the walls of the walking area. It can be attached to a metal corner.

Another option for wall construction is polycarbonate. This building material is practical. For example, it is easy to wash, it is beautiful, strong and reliable. However, such a chicken coop will be problematic to use in the winter season. Some summer residents use logs for construction.

Adobe is often used. You can make your own adobe bricks using clay and chopped straw. Such walls will provide a sufficient degree of heat retention and comfort. The only problem when working with this material will be leveling the surface.

As you can see, there are many construction technologies and materials that can be used to make a reliable and beautiful poultry house. In any case, regardless of the material chosen, it is important to ensure that the walls are disinfected to avoid the appearance of fungus, bacteria and the like.

Video: building walls from OSB boards

Wall insulation - winter option

So, if you decide to insulate the walls with mineral wool, then on the walls you should make a frame of 50x50 mm beams. The beam is fixed strictly vertically. The pitch of laying the timber is adjusted based on the width of the insulation. So, if the width of the mineral wool is 600 mm, then the pitch of the timber should be 590 mm. This will allow the mineral wool to be tightly packed without leaving any possible gaps.

The beams are secured to the wall with self-tapping screws (if the frame is made of wood) or dowels. It is also recommended to make a vapor barrier layer. To do this, before laying mineral wool, a polyethylene film is fixed to the wall. Its installation should be carried out with an overlap of up to 150 mm.

The thickness of the thermal insulation layer must be at least 50 mm. If after installing the insulation you find gaps, they can be filled with polyurethane foam.

As for external wall insulation, it is better to use polystyrene foam or penoplex. For fastening, a special plastic dowel with a cap is used. This method of fastening is used when walls are built from bricks, blocks and the like. The thermal insulation layer must be covered with protective plaster using a façade mesh.

In some cases, external insulation should not be performed, especially if you live in a warm region. The outside of the chicken coop can simply be covered with plywood and painted with moisture-resistant paint.

Roof – reliable protection from precipitation

The best option is a gable roof for the poultry house. Due to this, the ceiling height inside the room increases. If the roof is well insulated, then you won’t even need to fill the ceiling. For covering, the best option would be metal tiles or slate.

The technology for manufacturing a gable roof is as follows:

• Rafters are installed on top of the wall frame.
• A waterproofing sheet is laid and nailed onto the rafters. This is necessary to prevent the thermal insulation layer from getting wet. The film thickness can be 200 microns. Each waterproofing strip should be overlapped by up to 200 mm. It is advisable to glue them together with tape. Due to this, the coating will be completely sealed.
• After this, it is necessary to fill the sheathing for the roof deck. It is stuffed on top of the waterproofing. The spacing of the sheathing will depend on the type of flooring chosen.
• When the sheathing is ready, you can begin installing the roofing.

Video: making a poultry house roof

Ceiling insulation – additional protection from the cold

The procedure for insulating the ceiling of a poultry house is necessary if you live in a cold region. In this case, floor beams are additionally secured to the rafter system. On top of the beams, that is, from the attic side, you can fasten plywood, which is fastened with ordinary self-tapping screws.

A thermal insulation material, such as mineral wool, is placed in the space between the beams. Additionally, you can attach a vapor barrier film. It is attached using a stapler. The ceiling is hemmed with the same plywood or you can use wooden lining, plasterboard and the like.

Chicken coop floors

Finishing the floor is one of the main activities in the interior arrangement of the chicken coop. The finishing method depends on your goals. If you want to breed and keep broilers for meat, then it will be enough to make a light, non-insulated floor. However, the floor must still have a double structure. It’s not difficult to implement, especially if you have a columnar foundation:

• Beams acting as joists are attached to the supporting frame.
• The bottom needs to be hemmed with boards.
• Insulation, such as mineral wool, is laid on top of the boards.
• Next, the finished floor is laid from boards.

In the case of making a shallow strip foundation, the floors can be made of earthen or adobe. To do this, prepare a mixture of finely chopped straw and clay. The clay mixture is applied in layers. Each layer is carefully compacted. In this case, before laying the next layer, the previous one must dry. The process is quite lengthy, but the foundation will be reliable.

If the foundation is made using slab technology, then it is enough to make a wooden flooring on top of the concrete. However, it is better to use other insulation or lay waterproofing. Mineral wool absorbs moisture. The further process of making the floor is as follows:

1. The base must be protected from penetrating moisture, so the top can be covered with roofing felt. The canvases must be glued together with a special bitumen mastic. Due to this, reliable waterproofing of the wooden flooring will be created, which will be completely protected from the penetration of waste from chickens.
2. A mound of sand, straw, hay or sawdust is placed on top of the flooring. However, hay and straw absorb moisture and dry out poorly. Because of this, the flooring will rot and provoke the appearance of fungi and bacteria.

To eliminate this possibility, the layer of straw or hay must be made thin, and it is recommended to change it regularly. Therefore, as practice shows, it is better to use sawdust for flooring, especially since they can be easily purchased at a carpentry shop, sometimes even for free.

Poultry house interior design

One of the main places inside the chicken coop is the roost. A perch refers to a wooden pole. This is where the chicken spends most of its time. An important rule is not to place perches one above the other. For one chicken you need to calculate about 30 cm. The distance between the poles should be about 50 cm.

As for the location of feeders and drinkers, they should be higher. Considering that chickens often have “showdowns” on the territory, dust may rise inside the chicken coop. To protect the drinker from dust getting into it, a small canopy should be made on top.

Nests should also be built. These places should be dark and secluded. This will ensure good egg production. There should also be bedding inside the nest. The nests themselves are made in the form of boxes, which are closed on top with a removable lid. As practice shows, nests should be equipped with a separate lid. This will allow you to remove the eggs and change the litter.

The location of the feeders should be done at the height of the bird’s back. Due to this, the chicken will not scatter the food with its paws, but will reach it by slightly stretching its neck. The number of drinkers and feeders should be sufficient so that all chickens have enough of them.

Video: arrangement of the interior and exterior of the poultry house

Heating – comfort and coziness

Chickens can't handle the cold very well. Cold and drafts have a particularly strong negative effect on the legs of chickens, which freeze due to the lack of feathers on them. As already mentioned in this article, the indoor temperature should not fall below 12°C. If you live in the northern regions, then in addition to insulating the walls, floors and ceilings, it is recommended to install heating devices.

In the absence of heating, the bird eats more food, gets fat and becomes lethargic. These are additional costs. If you are raising chicks in an incubator, the chicken itself may not be warm enough. For these and other reasons, heating the chicken coop is necessary.

Video: chicken coop - winter version

Two heating methods: natural and artificial

Heating a chicken coop can be done using two methods. Natural heating means maintaining a comfortable temperature without the use of heaters. The bottom line is to use the bedding mentioned above.

In October, the floor is sprinkled with slaked lime 1 kg/m2. The thickness of the bedding made of peat, sawdust, hay or straw reaches 7 cm in thickness. As the chickens move in, the bedding gets trampled down and needs to be replenished. The flooring must first be turned with a pitchfork. By spring, the thickness of the litter can reach 25 cm.

The peculiarity of the litter is that during the composting process it generates heat. Accordingly, the temperature in the poultry house is stably maintained at about 12°C. The available heat slows down the decomposition of droppings and disinfects pathogens. But with all this, it is necessary to organize high-quality ventilation. Otherwise, harmful ammonia will accumulate in the chicken coop. In addition, in winter, the ventilation pipe should be covered for a short time to prevent warm air from escaping quickly.

However, if the outside temperature drops below -10°C, then all these methods are ineffective. Another heating method should be used - artificial. We invite you to consider several options presented in the table:

Heating method	Features of heating organization
Electric heater	This is one of the available and inexpensive heating methods. You can use different heaters, for example, convectors, air heaters, fan heaters, oil radiators, etc. It is necessary to select the power based on the area of ​​the chicken coop and the number of chickens. The presence of automation will allow you to set the off/on mode.
Gas heater	Using gas to heat a poultry house is also no less effective, but only for large poultry houses. It is not profitable to purchase an expensive gas boiler for a poultry house for 30 or 50 chickens. Moreover, gas equipment must be constantly monitored.
Stove heating	This category includes an ordinary potbelly stove. However, its use involves a number of difficulties. The problem is that due to high humidity, the metal is susceptible to corrosion. In addition, it is always necessary to have a supply of coal/wood. You should also constantly maintain combustion, build a separate chimney, insulate the heating elements of the stove, and strictly observe fire safety. All this requires a lot of labor.
Diesel stove	This oven is safe to use. It does not smoke and has low power.
Buleryan	This is a special air-convection stove that works effectively on different types of fuel.
Infrared heaters	As you know, an infrared heater heats objects, not air. This method has its advantages, as objects will retain heat longer than the heated air escaping through the ventilation ducts. Such heaters with a power of no more than 500 W can be mounted on the ceiling.
Water heating	If the chicken coop is attached to a residential building, then water heating can be installed in it. Given that the heat inside the house is maintained regularly, the poultry house will always be maintained at the proper temperature.

As you can see, there are many ways to create heating for a poultry house. You should choose the one that you can organize and that will fit the family budget.

Video: features of heating organization

Insulation without energy consumption - an innovative solution

We have discussed with you the traditional solution regarding how to organize heating inside the chicken coop. When installing artificial heating, a lot of money is spent, and if you use the natural heating technology described above, you have to make a lot of effort to control the level of humidity, otherwise there is a risk of mold and mildew.

Considering all the pros and cons, some summer residents resort to an original solution, using the Netto-plast mixture used for spaceships. Net plastic is bacteria that should settle on the floor of the poultry house, namely in the prepared litter. The composition is packaged in packages of 0.5 and 1 kg. According to some calculations, 1 kg of this mixture will be enough to heat 20 m2. Moreover, these bacteria will live for about three years.

To begin with, sawdust is poured into the chicken coop; you can also add oat husks and dry straw. All components are thoroughly mixed together. Next, Netto-Plast bacteria should be evenly sprinkled onto the resulting mixture and mixed again.

In this case, heat will appear as follows:

• The chicken's feces fall onto the litter.
• When they come into contact with these bacteria, heat begins to be generated. At the same time, unpleasant odor is completely eliminated.

This is otherwise called fermentation mat. From time to time, it is enough to lightly loosen the litter and, if necessary, add sawdust or straw. However, you won't have to clean the coop.

When the outside temperature is -20°C, inside the poultry house it can be +15°C. If the frosts are stronger, then you can additionally connect temporary electric heating.

This decision has a lot of positive aspects. For example, there are large cost savings due to the fact that electricity and fuel are not consumed at all. After a while, there is no need to clean the chicken coop, since the composition of bacteria can lie with the litter for about 3 years. And after this time, you will be able to get high-quality fertilizer for the garden.

Indoor ventilation: several common methods

With the onset of winter, ventilation plays an important role in keeping birds, although in the summer it is not the least important. It’s just that in the summer everything is simpler, because you can open doors, windows and organize an influx of fresh air. Decaying chicken droppings release a harmful substance - ammonia. If you do not establish good ventilation, then there is a serious risk of illness for the chickens and even the person who will serve the chicken coop. The worst thing is that due to the lack of ventilation, the walls and all interior decoration will begin to rot and become unusable. For this reason, even at the project development stage, it is important to consider the manufacture of ventilation.

When developing a ventilation project, it is worth considering some nuances. For example, in winter, the flow of fresh air must be strictly regulated. Otherwise, there is a chance that the temperature will drop quickly and the chickens will feel cold. You should also minimize the presence of drafts, which also negatively affects the health of the bird.

So, there are 3 most common ways to organize ventilation in a chicken coop:

• mechanical or forced;
• natural;
• supply and exhaust (a type of natural).

Let's look at the features of each of them separately.

Mechanical ventilation

Forced ventilation is beneficial if you have a lot of chickens and the chicken coop has a large area. Under such circumstances, it is important to organize a stable air change. It's not difficult to implement. We will provide you with a short guide to this process. Additionally, you can watch videos:

Stages of work	Manufacturing process
	First, determine the location where the fan will be installed. Some decide to install it in the wall, instead of a window, or even in a pipe. In the latter case, the diameter of the fan must match the internal diameter of the pipe. You can learn how to make such ventilation from the prepared video material.
	Having decided on a place, for example, in our case it will be a window or window, if there are any, the glass is removed. Plywood will be installed in its place, so the size of the plywood must match the size of the window opening.
	Using a screwdriver and self-tapping screws, plywood is fixed into the opening. First, a hole should be made in the plywood to the diameter of the fan.
	Now you can install the fan, also securing it with self-tapping screws.
	After installing the fan, you need to connect the electrical cable to it. Here you can use a wire with a cross section of 2x2.5. A switch is also installed to control the fan.
	Make sure that all cable terminals and connections are thoroughly insulated. In addition, it is better to place the wire in a protective corrugation.

Additionally, the system can be equipped with temperature sensors to control the ventilation operation. You can also purchase equipment to automatically turn the fan on/off. You can learn how to do this from the video.

Video: organizing forced ventilation

Natural ventilation

This type of ventilation is the easiest to organize. There are 2 interesting solutions that we offer you to choose from. Let's compare them and note the pros and cons:

2 ways	Features of the technology
Open vent/window	This is perhaps the most primitive way of organizing ventilation. But this method is only relevant for summer chicken coops. In the winter season, warm air will cool down very quickly due to open windows and vents. Plus, you will have to constantly run to open/close the window in time. This method is used in exceptional cases.
Installation of pipes for air inlet and outlet	In this case, the ventilation process is automated. Let us immediately note that this method is also relevant if you keep 100 chickens or more, and the room has an area of ​​up to 20 m2. So, you will need 2 pieces of pipe Ø200 mm. Accordingly, one pipe will be installed for air inlet and the other for air outlet. The pipe is installed in different corners of the chicken coop, or rather, in opposite corners. The exhaust pipe can be installed near the bird's perch at a distance from the ceiling of up to 200 mm. It is recommended to organize the outlet of the exhaust pipe at a height of 1.5 m from the roof level. To prevent cold air from blowing on the chickens, the supply pipe should be placed in the opposite corner from the chickens' roost. The lower end of the pipe should be at a height of 200 mm from the floor, and at a height of up to 300 mm from the roof level. A special umbrella is placed on the upper end of the pipe, which will prevent rain, snow, birds and other things from entering the ventilation duct. The ventilation pipe must be insulated to prevent condensation. To ensure efficient operation of the system in winter, it is recommended to install dampers in the duct, which will prevent the rapid escape of warm air. Although in severe frosts there is a high probability of pipe freezing.

We invite you to watch a video that describes the manufacturing technology of such a ventilation system.

Video: making natural ventilation in a poultry house

Construction of a frame chicken coop: step-by-step instructions

To secure all the material, we suggest you read the step-by-step instructions for construction at home. In addition, you can watch the following videos:

Instructions with photos and explanations for building a simple chicken coop from a wooden frame on a columnar foundation
Work stage	Technological process
	First you need to make support pillars. Considering the weight of the entire structure of the chicken coop, steel pipes Ø100–150 mm should be used as the base of the posts. You will also need a sheet of metal cut into squares. Metal thickness is not less than 4 mm. The cut squares should be welded to the support posts. It’s immediately worth noting that the pillars should all be the same size.
	The next step is to select a suitable location for development. Using wooden pegs and rope, the territory is marked. This is an important stage of work, because the final result largely depends on the quality of the preparatory work.
	After marking, it is necessary to remove the fertile layer of soil by one shovel up to 250 mm. Support poles for the future poultry house are installed at the corners of the dug hole. It is important to pay special attention to their installation. They must be installed strictly vertically. Moreover, the upper sole of all 4 supports must be strictly at the same level with each other. The soil under the base of the post must be compacted. If the soil in your area is unstable, then a sand cushion must be made. A layer of sand and crushed stone is poured onto the bottom. The pillow is compacted, after which the support pillars are mounted. Even if there is a slight horizontal difference, it can be leveled by attaching the lower trim.
	Installed support pillars must be treated with an anti-corrosion compound and also painted over with moisture-repellent paint. This will serve as additional protection. Afterwards, the top trim from the board is installed. For this purpose, you can use a 150x50 mm board. First, a beam is attached to the metal sole on two short sides. For this purpose, a hole is drilled in the metal, just like in a beam. Fastened with steel bolts. Then two boards are laid on top on the long sides and fastened in the same way. The fastening must be strong and reliable, because the quality of the future construction will depend on this.
	When the base is ready, we begin making the wooden frame. However, before this, the dug hole is filled with soil (or crushed stone), which is compacted. Support posts are installed in the corners, which can be fixed using metal corners and self-tapping screws to the previously laid wooden frame. An opening is immediately formed to enter the chicken coop. For greater strength, stiffening ribs are created in the middle of the height of the building. The timber can be 600×500 mm.
	Now it’s time to arrange the roof; in this case, the roof has 2 slopes. The rafters are installed and secured to the top frame frame.
	The rafters are additionally fixed with spacers to give the roof the necessary rigidity. The formed attic can be used to store hay, sawdust and other things.
	When the frame is completely ready, you should begin covering it. The outside of such a chicken coop can be lined with plywood. The walls of the frame must be insulated with mineral wool. The inside of the wall can also be covered with plywood, as well as other sheet material. As for the roof, metal tiles are used for it. The roof must be insulated. The inside of the ceiling is lined with plywood or similar material. Some people use drywall.
	Here you can see that there is an additional area for poultry walking. Timber and metal mesh were used as a frame. In addition, the perimeter of the foundation is lined with mesh. This will prevent predatory animals from entering the bird. Doors must be installed in the enclosure so that cleaning can be done inside. A ladder is also made for the chickens to exit from the house to the street. The ladder is constructed from boards, the transverse boards simultaneously impart rigidity to the structure and serve as steps.

In order to always have eggs and tender meat in the house, many suburban residents decide to raise chickens, but they need to be housed somewhere. You can convert a garage or attic into a poultry house. But not all housewives will agree to clutter up their apartment with spare parts (from a “shell” or other building for a car), and you need a key to the attic, which is a big problem to keep. The most reliable option to build a chicken coop with your own hands for 10 chickens is a village farmstead, country house or private mansion.

Chicken coop design

There are many designs of housing for poultry, ready-made versions of which can be easily purchased in the retail chain. In order not to spend “mad” amounts of money, you can rebuild the chicken coop on your own (choose its shape in specialized literature, on the Internet) or develop a new project.

First you need to think about what kind of chicken coop you need (summer or all-season), and calculate its minimum area. The size of the future building depends on this. You can do it the simple way - fence off half of the yard, build a room and a run on a dedicated area, but this will be unprofitable if there are only 10 chickens.

Summer house for birds

Many city dwellers do not go to their dacha for 3/4 of the year (autumn, winter and spring). For such a contingent, it is recommended to build a light building for birds in which the chickens will spend the summer months. The figure shows a lightweight structure that can be erected within 1-2 days.

This is a simple room, protected from bad weather, scorching rays of the sun and wind. With the help of a net, a run is arranged in its lower expanded part so that the birds can go outside and get some air. At the top there is a living room into which the chickens enter via a gangway.

It is equipped with ordinary perches and vessels for food and water. In the side part of the room there are sliding or folding doors for cleaning, collecting eggs, adding food and drinking to the container.

Winter poultry house

Chickens need a special building equipped with everything necessary. The structure must be designed so that optimal thermal conditions are maintained throughout the day. It is necessary to create a certain microclimate. This is achieved by caulking the cracks, covering the walls, roof and everything else with insulating panels or rolls.

If finances do not allow building a separate poultry house, it is built as an extension to the main house. The entrance to such a room can be made directly from the inside. Heaters or radiators are connected to home gas, water heating (boiler) or electrical networks. It is necessary to maintain the temperature at 15-25 degrees.

A building for all-season keeping of chickens must be made comfortable and warm, because they will live in it for more than one year. Short-sighted owners skimp on space and in winter place the birds in some closet located in the house, limiting their access to the street.

But this is not true. For normal reproduction of offspring, birds must walk in the fresh air. True, in winter they are in the yard less often, but complete seclusion will definitely affect their health. Chickens will become weaker, lose their plumage, they will develop apathy and a reluctance to eat.

Many bird owners make an indoor run - with a roof and small walls. But this is optional. It is enough to fence off a small area of ​​the yard (preferably adjacent to the poultry house) and release the birds into the wild.

Preparation for construction

Before building your own chicken coop, you need to perform a number of “procedures” that you cannot do without.

• determining the size of a poultry house for 10 birds;
• selection of drawings and preparation of the project;
• searching and clearing a site for construction;
• purchase of necessary materials and tools.

How to calculate a chicken coop

You should take a special approach to determining the area of ​​space in which birds will feel comfortable and not take “numbers from the ceiling.” It should be taken into account that a cramped, tightly packed poultry house is difficult to clean. In it, chickens will quickly wither and will not produce enough offspring, eggs and meat.

Experienced poultry keepers know how many birds can be placed in 1 square meter. m, depending on the functions they perform and type. The best option is to allocate a square meter to each chicken, but this is too wasteful. Therefore, they take the average placement indicators in a certain space.

Table of room area standards:

Type	Behavior	Footage
Broilers	Meat breeds are larger, they move around a lot and sit on a perch for a small part of the day.	1 square meter is allocated for 2 individuals. m
Mother hens	They spend almost 15-20 hours in the nest and only come out to eat.	For 1 hen, make a nest measuring 0.5-0.6 square meters. m
Laying hens	Much smaller. They walk most of the day, and sit down only when laying an egg.	The optimal number of laying hen areas is 3-4 birds/1 sq. m
Juveniles and chicks (if breeding is planned)	Very lively and lively.	They need to fence off a separate space that can accommodate approximately 10-30 chickens. It depends on the number of hens.

When calculating, the following must be taken into account:

1. Birds spend one part of the day on a perch, another on the floor, and a third in the yard, so the norms can be reduced by about 1.5-2 times.
2. For walking, you need to prepare an area equal in size to the poultry house.
3. Most meat farmers do not keep broilers in the wild. If there are 10 birds, they can be placed on 1 square. m in 5 cells, placed one on top of the other.

Taking everything into account:

• The maximum area of ​​a poultry house for adult chickens with walking does not exceed 10 square meters. m (5 for housing + 5 for walking space), and the minimum does not fall below 2 sq. m. m (broiler cages + distance for cleaning and other things);
• when breeding chickens, another 2 meters should be added;
• when performing insulation, the basic parameters of the structure are increased by 1.2 times to 12 square meters. m - the “extra” area will be occupied by a heat insulator.

Selecting a project and drawing a barn

The configuration of the structure can be different and depends on the type of chicken coop (all-season or summer) and the preferences of the owner of the birds. External views and drawings of buildings can be easily found on the global network. If they do not suit the local conditions, you can always develop your own project.

Summer chicken coop

Most poultry farmers choose a portable modular option for a summer house, made of ordinary boards and mesh. The house is a triangle in cross-section. If necessary, exactly the same structure is attached to it and the total area is doubled.

You can choose another project, but this one is simple and easy to make. If you attach small wheels to the bottom, the house can be moved freely without using much force.

The basic drawing of a chicken coop for 10 chickens is something like this.

This building can be easily moved to a new location. If you insulate it well and modify it a little, it can easily turn into an all-season one.

Winter poultry house

A stationary year-round chicken coop can be made using this project. This is an insulated, inexpensive house.

The drawing with dimensions looks like this:

In the southern regions, buildings housing various kinds of living creatures can be located directly on the ground. In the north, where the top layer of soil sometimes freezes a meter deep, it is necessary to install houses on a foundation. It is desirable that it can be made fairly quickly, and not wait long for all the components to harden. For such structures, columnar or strip options are recommended.

After making the foundation, they build a frame with doors, windows, nests for chickens, a single or double floor, and a roof. Then the entire structure is lined with wooden panels, plywood, clapboard or other material, the walking space is insulated and surrounded with mesh.

Necessary accessories for building a lightweight version

After choosing a project, you can think about the materials and tools that will be needed when building a poultry house. At each stage of construction they are different.

Table depending on the work area:

	Materials	Tools
Pouring a columnar or strip foundation if you plan to make a stationary winter house for chickens	concrete columns 130-150 cm with a caliber of 200 mm or asbestos-cement pipes of the same diameter; reinforcement or thick wire (rods 30-50 cm); purchased concrete or gravel + cement mortar; stones, bricks	drilling rig; shovel, pickaxe; nuts with threads greater than 8-10 mm with washers; sledgehammer; knob with dies; hammer; Bulgarian
Installation of frame and input/output elements	main supporting parts (4 pcs.) - timber with a section of 20×10 cm (length according to the project); base, risers, roof connections – timber 10×10, 7×7, 5×5 cm; nails, staples, screws, nuts; doors, windows with corresponding frames	hammer, saw, pliers, screwdriver; jigsaw, electric drill; construction stapler; screwdriver
Sex work	sheathing bars - 7×7 cm; 4 cm boards for the floor and subfloor - regular and “rough”; nails, screws
Roof	rafter slats and battens - 5x5 cm and 3x4 cm, respectively; waterproofing - film, roofing felt; covering - any roofing; Chipboard, fibreboard, boards; screws, nails
Wall cladding and insulation	plywood, fiberboard, chipboard, thick plastic; nails, screws, staples, screws
Finishing and equipment	composition against wood rot; chain-link (mesh); slaked lime; dye; poles with a caliber of 30-40 mm for perches
Insulation	mineral wool, jute, etc.; sawdust, straw

Where to place the bird house

If the farmstead is quite small, then it is better to choose the location of the chicken coop before drawing up the project. A structure for 10 individuals takes up 8-12 m2 and may not fit in a small area. In addition, there are nuances that cannot be ignored.

Rules for placing a bird house:

1. The building must be installed on a dry, high place such as a mound or hillock. It is unacceptable to place it in a low area, as moisture will collect there, which can cause nervousness and malaise in chickens.
2. It is necessary that there is at least a slight slope. It will help drain water during precipitation.
3. The structure should be installed in a lighted area.
4. It is better to organize a walk for birds on the south side - the sun warms it with its rays most of the year.
5. Try to build the room near a fence, garage or house (like an extension). Then one of the walls will be automatically protected from precipitation and wind.

It is advisable not to build a house without a foundation (especially in the northern regions). The soil and ground will freeze, the floor will be cold and the birds that like to sit on it will get sick.

Instructions for building a chicken coop for 10 chickens

After choosing the design, location, materials and tools, you should proceed to the construction of the poultry house. We need to develop an action plan.

Usually it's like this:

1. Pouring the foundation if it is planned to build an all-season hospital.
2. Installation of the frame.
3. Making the floor.
4. Roof decking.
5. Wall cladding.
6. Finishing inside and out.

You don't have to follow the list scrupulously. You can swap a number of items.

Summer portable chicken coop

To build a lightweight version (triangle type), it is necessary to perform preliminary work. Cut 2 m of boards (6 pieces out of eight) on one side (bottom) at 30°, and on the other (top) at 60°.

Step by step assembly:

At the end, cut a rectangular piece (20x100 cm) from a strip of plywood or a board, which will serve as a ramp. Place several transverse slats on top of it to create a kind of ladder, and the chickens can climb into the shelter. An exit should be cut into the floor.

Winter option

Many people travel out of town only at the end of autumn. To keep birds, it is better for them to build a winter chicken coop with their own hands for 10 chickens.

Naturally, this is more expensive than a lightweight, portable option, but such a structure will be all-season. Birds will feel comfortable in it in any bad weather. You just need to insulate the building well.

Choosing a foundation

Almost all projects of stationary poultry houses involve the manufacture of a columnar or strip base. The screw method is used quite rarely

The first option is much cheaper - less material is used. The main thing is to “get” 1.5 m poles (they are not sold everywhere) and drive them in or drill holes in the ground with a drill.

The second option is easier to implement, but it is more expensive, because much more concrete is required. But, making the foundation in this way will reduce the cost of insulation.

With the first option, a gap of 30-50 cm is formed between the floor of the chicken coop and the ground, which can be used for walking birds. In the second case, an air cushion (10-20 cm) allows the floor to be ventilated and prevents mice from entering.

The resulting space relieves the wooden covering from excess moisture and extends its service life. This allows you to save a lot of money.

Columnar option

It is convenient because during its manufacture it is not necessary to level the ground. The process begins with clearing the future location of stones and various debris.

Then do this:

All such pillars should be cemented, otherwise dampness can affect their quality and they will simply fall apart.

After acquiring the necessary elements and fixtures, they begin laying the foundation:

1. When making an agreement with drillers or a neighbor who has a mini-drilling rig, meter-long holes with a diameter of 20-25 cm are drilled at the points planned in advance for installing the pillars. If you cannot bring this unit to the site, then you need to do it the “old fashioned way” - with a shovel and a pick .
2. All reinforcement bars are threaded at one end. You can do it by hand or order cutting from a turner. Select washers and nuts to match the thread.
3. Posts are driven into the holes made, asbestos pipes or 3 barrels with pre-knocked bottoms are inserted so that they rise above the ground by approximately 0.4 m.
4. Then 50 cm rods are fixed in the middle of the foundation elements so that the thread protrudes 10-15 cm from the hole.

They do it like this:

1. If concrete pillars are used, their upper base is drilled out with a drill with a diameter 1.5 times larger than the caliber of the rod. Insert it and fill the hole with cement mortar.
2. When using pipes or barrels without a bottom, pour a mixture of the following composition inside: gravel 30-35%, cement 70-65%, respectively.

If the height of the protruding part of the pipe or pillar is 0.4 m or more, it is reasonable to use the space under the floor of the chicken coop to organize the walking of birds. To do this, it is covered with a net around the perimeter and a rise or ladder is constructed so that the chickens can walk around the enclosure whenever they want.

Belt method

The columnar version has space underneath, open on all sides. When performing this, it is imperative to lay a double insulated floor.

The strip foundation, which runs in a continuous strip along the perimeter, is free from this drawback, preventing the entry of cold air into the underground space.

To do this, proceed as follows:

How to make a frame

A structure is built on the basis of the selected foundation. Its peculiarity lies in the ease of assembly and high speed of construction. You can complete and install such a frame in a few hours.

Step-by-step list of works:

1. Install the main supporting elements on the prepared foundation.
2. Take the necessary beams, place them on tape or posts and mark the places where the threaded rods come out of the concrete.
3. Drill holes in the marked places.
4. Place the bars on the rods and secure them with washers and appropriate nuts.
5. 7x7 cm horizontal beams are placed on the mounted elements, flush with the outer edges of the lower beam (13 cm will remain free on it).
6. From the inside, risers are installed on the supporting parts and nailed to the horizontal beams, every 70-100 cm.
7. They strengthen the structure with crossbars - insert them between the verticals and nail or screw them.
8. The frame is connected on top with a 7×7 cm beam.

Making the floor

To prevent birds from freezing, a two-layer version with insulation in the middle is required in northern latitudes. Assembly will take about 1 day.

The design is simple:

Frame option with floor

Making a roof

A 7x7 cm or 10x10 cm beam is placed on top of the frame as a mauerlat. But you don’t have to do it if you assemble the entire roof on elements that pull together the vertical risers from above.

The easiest thing is to make a pitched roof. It will be easier to make it if, when installing the frame, you foresee in advance a 0.5-0.6 m difference in height between the rear wall and the front one.

Make the back side smaller. Then all precipitation will flow back and there will be no puddles or ice near the door.

Construction of the roof:

1. Perpendicular to the mauerlat of the front and rear walls, you need to nail rafters from 5x5 cm slats. They are strengthened along the length every 0.5-0.6 m.
2. Ruberoid or waterproofing film is glued or stapled onto the rafters.
3. A sheathing is made on top, made of 3x3 cm slats.
4. Heat-insulating material is inserted into the cells.
5. This “pie” is hemmed from the inside with fiberboard, chipboard, boards or plywood.
6. Then any roofing material is installed (corrugated reeds, iron, roofing felt, slate).

Wall cladding and insulation

After making the roof, you need to think about ensuring the nominal temperature for the birds. This determines how the wall cladding will proceed (with or without insulation). If you plan to keep birds all year round, you need to solve the issue of insulating the walls of the shed at the very initial stage of construction.

With any temperature deviation in the microclimate of the room, the patients lose activity, become lethargic, and experience some discomfort. Their vital activity slows down, egg production and litter rates decrease. If the temperature in the house is not maintained at 10-25 degrees, the birds will become frail and may die.

For winter housing of wards, the walls should be sheathed on both sides. With the outside - boards or slabs, and the inside - ordinary plywood. It does not deform and will not peel off at 10-25 degrees, which should be maintained in the chicken coop. Instead of plywood, 5 mm plastic is sometimes used. A heat insulator is inserted between the layers of sheathing.

Internal organization

The space inside the poultry house must meet the basic requirements - to be comfortable for the chickens and the owner, so that he does not slouch while caring for them. They try to arrange nests for laying hens near one of the walls. They are low boxes with hay and straw.

Nests can be made from plywood or wooden boxes 0.3x0.3x0.4 m or slightly larger. Many poultry houses place them outside, as an extension to the main structure. With this arrangement, a double floor with a heat insulator should be made in the nests. An insulated hinged lid is mounted on top. It must close hermetically. This is convenient when cleaning the nest from bird waste products and for collecting freshly laid eggs.

Windows with a total area of ​​at least 1 square meter are installed on one or two walls. m. For lighting in bad weather and in the evening, install a yellow electric lamp.

The ventilation outlet is located near the ceiling (often directly above the door). The supply entrance is made on the opposite wall, 0.4-0.5 m from the flooring.

For perches, shovel cuttings or 3-4 cm poles are used. For 10 individuals, only 4 m are needed.

Heating a chicken coop for winter with walking

In very cold winters, some kind of heating device should be installed inside the bird room. It must be fenced off from birds with a strong fine mesh net.

If a chicken coop for 10 laying hens is made with your own hands as an extension to the main dwelling, it is reasonable to connect it to the heating system of the house by laying pipes and installing a radiator for insulation in winter. It should also be fenced with a net.

Making a chicken coop for 10 birds is not that difficult. The main thing is to first think through everything thoroughly and calculate it, and then start building your own poultry house.

Many owners of their personal plots are not averse to acquiring a miniature poultry farm. In order not to take up a lot of space on your private territory, but to provide eggs for the whole family, it is enough to build a poultry house for 10 birds. Any farmer can carry out all the work on the construction of the building himself without calling professionals. This will significantly save money and improve the owner’s construction skills.

Drawing up a drawing

The initial stage in the construction of a homemade mini chicken coop is the creation of its sketch and drawing. The clearer and more accurate the diagram, the easier it will be to build a chicken coop for 10 chickens. On the drawing, it is necessary to draw each “room” of the future poultry house: a closed house, a vestibule, an area for open walking, as well as places for nests and perches. The exact dimensions of all parts of the chicken coop must be transferred to paper.

The most comfortable living area for 1 productive chicken is 3 square meters. meters, but if you save space, it is permissible to reduce the living space per 1 sq. meter for 2 chickens. That's why The area of ​​the poultry house for 10 chickens will be 5 square meters. meters. The walking area will be larger - 1 square. meter per 1 individual. The drawing also needs to indicate where feeders for different types of food, containers for mineral supplements, drinking bowls, a ventilation pipe and a corridor will be located.

Frame installation

The best place for a future poultry house for 10 chickens is a well-lit area, which is located as far as possible from residential buildings and main roads. Groundwater must flow deep from the surface of the earth. It is very important to lay a good, high-quality foundation that will become a strong barrier for rodents. The most economical and popular type of foundation is a columnar foundation, which is made from old brick pipes, gravel and a trowel. The frame of the poultry house should be installed on this foundation.

The wooden frame should be located at an elevation from the ground- it is raised using a cinder block (or stone). To do this, the selected material is laid on the corners of the future poultry house for 10 chickens. The lifting height should not exceed 18-20 cm. Next, a rectangular frame is erected from wooden blocks (with a cross-section of 1x1 cm). Be sure to use a building level so that the future chicken coop does not turn out skewed. All cavities that appear between the frame building and the cinder block (stone) must be filled with coarse gravel.

Then we take bars with a cross section of 5x5 cm and make vertical guides from them, which are installed on the frame. They are connected to the horizontal frame guides using nails.

Wall cladding

The walls of a homemade chicken coop are usually lined with wood - this is a strong and environmentally friendly material that, with proper care, can serve for a long time and faithfully. Wooden boards are sewn onto the entire “skeleton” of the poultry house using self-tapping screws.

The walls of the chicken coop must be insulated. But the material chosen for thermal insulation must have good vapor-proof properties, otherwise there is a high risk that the chicken coop will be damp and unsafe for chickens. Polystyrene foam is not suitable for this purpose; it is better to choose mineral wool. From above everything is sewn up with thin wood or plywood in several layers. This is enough to provide the poultry house with the necessary heat and not worry about purchasing other heat sources.

On the south side of the poultry house you need to place a window of 0.5x0.5 meters. The door should be located on the east side. The floor is constructed according to the same principle as the walls: two floorings, between which insulation material is placed. The roof is also insulated and provided with waterproofing. The roof can be either single or gable. The latter option is preferable, as it allows you to equip an attic inside the roof for tools and feed.

Video "For 10 chickens"

Interior design of the chicken coop

Properly decorating the inside of a bird house is no less important for the normal functioning and productivity of laying hens.

First of all, the ventilation system is designed. Domestic chicken needs to be completely dry. The better the air exchange, the more productive the birds are. Any dampness is detrimental to laying hens; the birds begin to get sick and lay fewer eggs.

Any pipes and technological openings will do for ventilation. They, like the window for ventilation, go through the roof. One of the pipes is located above the perches and acts as an exhaust hood. The second provides an influx of fresh air and is located further away, at a half-meter level.

Electrical wiring must be hidden in special boxes and placed only outside. This standard requirement applies to any wooden structure.

Perches should be comfortable for chickens, without knots or splinters. The slats must be well sanded and placed at a height of at least 75 cm from the day of the chicken coop. In a house for 10 chickens, one perch will not be enough; at least three of them need to be installed. All of them should be located at an identical level, and so that the chickens do not interfere with each other, do not place the perches close. The distance should be at least half a meter.

For 10 chickens, 3-4 nests with a width and height of at least 35 cm and a depth of up to half a meter are enough. Bedding (straw, peat, sawdust) serves as an additional source of heat; they are placed not only in the nests, but also on the floor of the poultry house. They will need to be changed promptly to maintain optimal cleanliness in the chicken coop. Along with normal humidity, this will be the key to the comfort and productivity of your laying hens.

Video "DIY chicken coop"

Video "Insulated chicken coop for ten chickens"