How to build a pigsty with your own hands, views, drawings and materials, step by step instructions
Some owners of private plots often think about breeding piglets. However, before doing this, you need to build a special barn for animals. Therefore, it is necessary to understand in advance the peculiarities of building a pigsty.
Types of pigsties
Before you build a shed for pigs, you need to familiarize yourself with the main types of such structures. Most often, the following types of structures are built for breeding piglets:
- Mother building. Such a building is being built to make farrowing easier. It is divided into several sections, thanks to which it is possible to accommodate about 35 sows. A section for feeding animals should be located in the middle of the structure.
- Boar. The structure is built specifically for the maintenance of boars. Inside the boar houses, the piglets are divided into two rows. All animals are located in separate groups fenced from each other.
- The fattener. Quite large facilities used for keeping piglets in large groups. All animals in the feeding houses are placed in 3-4 rows.
Preparation for construction
Before building a pigsty, you must familiarize yourself with the preparation for further construction work.
How to calculate area
The first step in preparing for further construction is to calculate the area of the structure. The dimensions of the structure directly depend on the number of animals that will be kept in it. For example, if a shed for 2 heads is being built, it will be enough to make a small building with an area of 3 meters.
To keep sows, you will need more spacious structures so that they have enough free space. A shed with an area of ten meters is being built on the site for 10 heads. For 20 heads, you will need a spacious structure so that the pigs do not crowd around each other. The area of the room should be 15-20 meters.
Blueprints
It is very important to create a drawing of the future structure before building a shed. Such a scheme will help in the future during the construction of a structure for breeding piglets. Before drawing a building project on paper, you must perform the following steps:
- choose a place to build a pigsty;
- carefully think over the structural features of the building, if necessary, sketch out a rough plan on paper;
- determine the size of the building and the distance from the inner walls;
- determine the type of breed to be raised and the number of heads, since the number of compartments for piglets will depend on this.
Selection of materials and calculation of their quantity
To build a pigsty without high costs, it is necessary to select the necessary materials in advance and determine their quantity. First you need to choose the material from which the foundation for the pigsty in the country will be created. Experienced builders recommend using concrete for its manufacture. Its main advantage is its resistance to dampness. To calculate the required amount of concrete, you will have to multiply the height of the foundation by the length.
Various materials are used in the construction of the walls. Some people build them from sleepers. Foam blocks are used to build a warm shed for Vietnamese pigs. If you need to build a structure in the form of a greenhouse, the walls are made of polycarbonate.
How to build a pigsty with your own hands
To properly build a pig shed at home, you need to familiarize yourself with the main features of construction.
Foundation
The construction of a pigsty begins with the creation of the foundation. First, a place is marked on the site where the barn will be built. Then a trench is dug under the future foundation. It is recommended to make the indentations deeper so that the base is secure. Therefore, the depth of the trench should not be less than fifty centimeters.
A layer of sand and gravel is poured into the dug out recesses. It must be carefully tamped, after which the concrete mixture is poured. When the concrete is completely dry, roofing material is covered over it. This material is needed to improve waterproofing. It is better to lay roofing material in several layers to prevent moisture ingress.
Floor options
The most controversial and difficult issue in the construction of pigsties is the creation of floors. Experienced farmers who have already built barns recommend building it out of concrete. Thanks to this material, the flooring will be perfectly flat. It will not absorb unpleasant odors and moisture. Also, the concrete floor is easy to clean from dirt.
To make a solid concrete floor, you need to remove the top layer of soil 4-5 centimeters high. Then fine gravel with sand is poured onto the surface. A concrete solution is poured over the bottom layer. Such a floor covering will harden within 3-4 days.
Walls and roof
When constructing the walls, it is better to use warm and light materials. These include aerated concrete or foam concrete. The only serious drawback of these materials is moisture absorption. Therefore, the walls will have to be carefully plastered both outside and inside. It is not recommended to keep the walls too low, as there must be good ventilation inside the pigsty. The optimum height is two and a half meters. However, if necessary, they are made higher.
The roof of the pigsty is pitched. The attic is not worth doing, as there will always be high humidity in the shed. As a covering material for the roof, you can use shingles, slate or ordinary roofing material.
Ceiling
After the construction of the roof, they are engaged in creating a ceiling for the pigsty. It can be made from ordinary wooden planks or reinforced concrete slabs. To maintain the temperature inside the barn, the ceiling will have to be insulated. Any materials at hand are used as insulation. Some put sawdust on top of the ceiling and fill in a thin layer of sand.
Windows and doors of service rooms
Each pigsty should have small windows located at a distance of one and a half meters from the floor covering. Large windows do not need to be made, as the large amount of light makes the piglets active and excited. Most often, single-glazed windows are installed.However, if the barn is being built in a region with harsh winters, it is better to install double glazed structures. Also installed windows must open so that the shed can be ventilated.
All service areas must be equipped with doors. They must be firmly closed so that there is no strong draft inside the pigsty with animals.
Doorways for outdoor access
It is recommended to create doorways in the southern side of the building, as most often it is calm there. Their dimensions directly depend on the features of waste treatment and the supply of feed mixtures. The optimal height is two meters, and the width is one and a half meters. Near the openings, you can make a small utility room - a canopy. They will be used for storing feed, tools and bedding. If the barn is being built in the northern region, where there is often a strong wind, a vestibule is installed in front of the entrance. It is two meters wide and about three meters deep.
Ventilation
In order to better clean the polluted air indoors, you need to think about the ventilation system. Weekend mines are made near places where slurry with manure is collected. The sizes of ventilated shafts can be different, it all depends on the number of heads in the barn. For example, when raising adult animals, the cross-sectional area of the pipe must be at least 165 square centimeters.
Lighting and water supply
The barn in which the pigs are raised must be well lit. If there is not enough light in animals, immunity may decrease, which will lead to the appearance of diseases. Also, in poor lighting, piglets absorb vitamins worse and grow more slowly. In addition to windows, ultraviolet or infrared lamps are used to illuminate the pigsty. They are installed at a distance of one meter from the floor surface.
A continuous water supply is created in the pigsty. In this case, purified water should be supplied. If it is of poor quality, their digestion will deteriorate, which will lead to constipation.
Barn heating
The room where the piglets are kept must be heated to maintain the temperature. If the pigsty is small and several heads are raised in it, you can install 2-3 fan heaters. For large rooms, you will have to build special heating stoves.
Some people install warm floors instead. In this case, at the initial stage of construction, you will have to deal with laying heating pipes, which are placed between the floor layers.
Manure collection system
The main problem that many farmers face when raising piglets is waste disposal. Some people do it by hand, but the work is very time consuming. Therefore, it is better to think in advance about the manure collection system. To collect waste, special manure trays are installed. Such structures are made from planks, metal pipes or concrete.
Internal arrangement
Before placing pigs in a pigsty, you need to do the interior arrangement of the room.
Machine tools
The pig house is equipped with special pens, inside of which piglets are placed. They can be made of iron or wood. The height of each such machine is made at least one meter. A secure gate is installed on the front side so that the piglets cannot run out.
Feeders-drinkers
All pigsties should have a special device for feeding food - a feeder. The dimensions of such structures depend on the area of the pigsty and on the number of animals. For 3-4 small gilts, one trough with a depth of 40-45 centimeters is enough. A drinker should be installed near each pig. It is recommended to use cup products, as water will not splash when using them.
Conclusion
Every farmer who wants to breed piglets will have to build a pigsty. Before that, you need to familiarize yourself with the main types of structures, as well as with the nuances of their construction.
