Content of the article:
Breeding chickens in their own farmstead is an inexpensive and uncomplicated way of providing families with high-quality meat and fresh eggs. The greatest number of questions for beginner poultry farmers arises about how to build chicken coops for laying hens at home.
Peculiarities of laying hens in chicken coops and
cages. Indeed, in order for poultry not to let down its owner and provide him with an enviable amount of egg production, hens need their own housing:
- with optimal temperature and humidity;
- with the maintenance of daylight duration of 14-18 hours;
- with convenient access for disinfection and cleaning;
- with necessary drinkers and feeders.
All the above conditions can be observed even with the traditional keeping of poultry in chicken houses with a walk, and if the bird is kept in cages.
Both methods common today have their opponents and advocates. In favor of the construction at home of the chicken coop for laying hens says:
- active lifestyle of birds;
- long stable egg production;
- birds stay in the open air and the sun;
- self-harvesting of fresh green fodder.
However, in this case, more space is required. In addition to the chicken coop, a place for free-range walking is necessarily provided for, roosting and, most importantly, nest for laying hens are made inside the dwelling.
Cages for laying hens with their own hands
In the cages made according to the drawings with their own hands for laying hens, the birds sit more crowded, they move less, do not get useful sunbathing. At the same time, all concerns about vitamin supplements fall on the poultry farmer.
But there are some advantages:
- The hens do not have contact with wild birds, insects and animals that carry dangerous infections.
- With a cell content, it is easier to maintain optimal conditions for chickens.
- Places, especially when stacked in cages, require much less for a flock of hens.
Cage drawings for laying hens with dimensions and detailed description of the construction of this design from a variety of materials can be found in many open sources. A poultry breeder who does not yet have the proper experience needs to pay attention not only to the dimensions of the housing being made for the bird, but also to its convenience.
It is better to choose cells with a sloping, slatted floor and an egg collection tray on the outside of the structure that continues it. Trough feeders are mounted on the outside. Nipple type drinkers are installed.
Do-it-yourself chicken coop: photos and descriptions of options
With the necessary tools, materials and minimal skills, it’s not difficult to make a hen house for the hens, as in the photo. The main thing is to be guided by accurate, well-executed drawings, which take into account all the needs of the bird and its quantity.
For the equipment of the coop, they use the already existing premises or build detached buildings for seasonal and year-round poultry housing.
They can be block, brick, wooden, equipped with autonomous heating and ventilation systems, or they can manage with temporary solutions. Therefore, the list of materials needed in the work depends entirely on the needs of the poultry farmer and his capabilities. Before setting up a chicken coop for the hens inside, think up places for feeders, waterers and nests.
Most often at private farms you can find wooden chicken coops. The area of construction depends on the number of herds. At 2–3 hens, one square meter of the house is enough. But on the walking place the bird needs more. Here, for each chicken provide a meter area.
Whatever home-built chicken coop for laying hens should have an entrance for humans and birds, and convenient perches and nests for residents will be built inside. If the birds have to winter in the farmstead, the chicken coop must be warmed, and the vestibule is completed before the entrance so that the chickens are not affected by temperature drops.
A place for a structure is found so that the birds receive enough light, the manhole for chickens is located on the warmest, southern side and the stretch for walking can be used in any weather.
Building the walls, the floor and the roof of the chicken coop for laying hens
The easiest way to manufacture a compact frame construction. They do not require serious investments of forces and means, and the construction of such a chicken coop is within the power of one person.
In order for chickens to be comfortable in their dwelling from early spring to late autumn, even at a seasonal hen house it is better to make double walls, a floor and a roof. In this case, a layer of porous insulation is laid between the outer and inner layers of plywood, wood or chipboard.
Summer chicken coops often rise above the ground level, which creates an air gap and is a good obstacle for rodents and other uninvited guests.
Winter houses for poultry are more difficult structurally and heavier, therefore, they require large expenditures and efforts, including building the foundation, equipping the chicken coop with heating systems, ventilation, even in sub-zero temperatures, lighting and glazing windows.
If outside there are different types of houses for chickens I can seriously differ, then inside the device of the chicken coop for hens is the same type.
How to build a chicken coop inside for layers?
The traditional way of keeping poultry in chicken coops provides for their equipping with perches, nests, feeding troughs and drinking bowls, which are obligatory for layers. The number of this equipment is calculated based on the number of domestic livestock. For example, the total length of perches in a chicken coop is calculated taking into account 25 cm per bird.
The way to sleep and to spend hours resting on roost is laid physiologically on chickens. Therefore, choosing the blueprints for chickens needed for making their own hands, it is necessary to take care of the correct selection of sizes of poles. They should be smooth, without burrs and knots that can injure the legs of chickens. The optimal perch diameter is 5–6 cm. If there are no suitable poles at hand, similar bars will fit, with the corners pre-smoothed.
Perches are mounted on the same level, namely, at a height of 50 cm from the floor with an interval of about 35 cm. At the same time, a gap of more than 25 cm is left at the same time, otherwise it will be difficult for chickens to use the last perch.
In addition to perches, for laying hens inside the chicken coop, they make convenient nests at home. The design of these mandatory structures may be different.
The total number of nests is calculated so that there is one free space for five chickens. The size of the nest for laying hens depends on the size of the bird of a particular breed, but on average, the height and width is equal to 30 cm, and the depth for the convenience of the bird is taken a little more - about 40 cm.
Like the floor of the chicken coop, the bottom of the nest is covered with straw, welldried hay or shavings. Choosing the design of the nest, the home craftsman can refuse to build special boxes or cells. Nests for laying hens made of wicker baskets, plastic buckets or containers of suitable size are quite suitable for the summer hen house.
