How to build a DIY broiler chicken coop sizing guide
Broilers are considered the most popular bird among poultry farmers. Such chickens differ from ordinary breeds in accelerated growth and active weight gain. Before you start growing such a bird, you need to make a chicken coop for broilers with your own hands.
Features of a chicken coop for broilers
Before building a bird breeding facility, you need to understand the main features of such chicken coops and their difference from structures for keeping layers. The process of keeping regular and meat chickens is different and therefore chicken coops also have certain differences.
Common specifics include the following:
- lack of nests for incubating eggs;
- compactness;
- insulated walls;
- additional lighting.
Also, a shed for keeping broiler birds should not have drafts that can make chickens sick.
Broiler breeding methods
There are two common breeding methods for broiler chickens that you should be familiar with.
Cellular method
Some poultry farmers prefer cage farming. The main advantage of this method is the saving of free space in the chicken coop. Thanks to this, it is possible to save electricity spent on lighting and heating the room.
Growing birds in cages limits their contact with each other. This prevents the emergence and development of infectious diseases. The cells also restrict the movement of broiler chickens, so that they gain body weight faster.
Outdoor breeding
Sometimes people choose not to use cages and raise chickens on the floor. In this case, you do not have to equip the room and equip it with special bird cages.
There are many advantages to outdoor breeding, which is why many poultry farmers are starting to use it. Using this method, you don't have to clean up bird droppings every day. Instead, replacing the straw bedding once a week is sufficient. When breeding birds by the outdoor method, no bins and traces remain on the paws.
Choosing the right place
It is recommended to find the most suitable place for placing the chicken coop in advance at the dacha.When choosing a place, you must consider the following points:
- the house should be located away from noisy places;
- the structure should be built on hills with solid soil;
- you can not place the chicken coop in shaded areas near tall trees;
- the building is recommended to be located in such a way that its windows are on the southeast side.
Materials and tools for construction
When constructing a chicken coop for broiler birds, special tools and materials are used, which include the following:
- Brick. It is considered the main building material used in the construction of walls.
- Cement. It is used to create a solid foundation, walls, flooring.
- Boards. Strong planks may be needed to make a wooden roof frame.
- Roofing material. Main waterproofing material to prevent roof leaks.
Calculations and dimensions
Before you build a summer chicken coop for 10 chickens, you need to make all measurements with calculations. Three small broilers will need a square meter of free space. Therefore, if the pen will consist of ten birds, the size of the chicken coop is made at least 2 x 2 meters. If there are ten more chickens, you will have to build a structure measuring 3 x 3 meters.
Having decided on the dimensions, they must make a drawing. It indicates the size of the house, its height and the length of the walls. Also, an aviary is marked on the diagram if the chickens are walking on the street.
How to build a do-it-yourself chicken coop for broilers
The building of the house is carried out in several successive stages.
Pouring the foundation and laying the floor
To build a solid foundation, they dig a trench 40-50 centimeters deep. Then, inside the pit, horizontal beams are laid at a distance of 15 centimeters from each other. The created structure is poured with cement and sand.
When the foundation hardens, you can start laying the floor. The floor covering is made of wood, as it perfectly retains heat and protects the room from temperature extremes.
Boards must be laid on roofing material, which will protect the chicken coop from moisture.
Construction and insulation of walls
After creating the foundation with the floor, proceed to the construction of the walls. The frame is made of high-strength wooden beams. When installing them, you need to leave small openings for windows through which sunlight will enter. When the beams are installed, they are paneled on both sides with plywood sheets or boards.
The inner side of the walls must be insulated with foam rubber or mineral wool. Some use polystyrene and wood shavings as insulation.
Roof construction
The final stage in the construction of the building is the construction of the roof. Experts recommend creating it from hard and durable varieties of wood. Before laying, all wood is treated with special compounds to improve the moisture resistance of the material. The roof surface is covered with roofing material or any other waterproofing material.
It is recommended to make a gable roof so that snow and moisture do not accumulate on it.
Lighting
There should be enough light inside the hen house and therefore it is recommended to think in advance about the lighting of the room. For a better supply of natural light, 1-2 small windows are made from the south side of the house.
If you need to illuminate the chicken coop in the evening or at night, additional lighting lamps are installed. In this case, they must be suspended at a height of one and a half meters from the floor surface.
Ventilation
Any chicken coop should be equipped with a good ventilation system that will ensure air circulation inside. For this, several small vents are made.
Broiler house interior design
Arrangement of a broiler chicken coop inside is carried out in three stages.
Installation of cells
If broilers are to be reared in a cage method, cages will have to be installed inside the house. They should be installed so that they are located at a distance of 15-20 centimeters from the walls. The cages are placed in several rows 100-120 centimeters high.
Feeders and drinkers
You can make a bird feeder with your own hands. For this, a regular water pipe made of polyvinyl chloride is suitable. In its walls, cuts are made 20 centimeters long and 10-15 centimeters wide. Then the structure is attached to the wall with screws and filled with compound feed.
You can use ordinary metal toes or unnecessary plates as drinkers.
Litter
The floor inside the chicken coop can be covered with the following materials:
- Sawdust. Often, the floor surface is covered with sawdust obtained from larch, Christmas tree or pine. This bedding has excellent moisture absorption.
- Straw. The distinctive features of this material include its warming properties. Also, straw absorbs moisture well.
Possible design errors
People who are building a chicken coop for the first time can make some mistakes.
Missing rodent protection
When constructing a poultry house, care must be taken that the structure is raised from the ground at a distance of 5-10 centimeters. If the insulation comes into contact with the ground, rodents will start inside. They gnaw wood, insulation and infect chickens with diseases.
Use of unsuitable materials
Some poultry farmers use the wrong materials when building chicken coops. These include PVC, chipboard and gypsum plasterboard. All these building materials quickly deteriorate due to the fact that they absorb a lot of moisture.
Conclusion
Before breeding broilers, you need to build a suitable chicken coop for this. It is recommended to understand in advance the peculiarities of creating a poultry house and its internal arrangement.
