Do-it-yourself aviary for guinea fowls: types and drawings of corrals, step by step instructions

An important component of keeping guinea fowls is a warm, spacious aviary, made according to all the rules. Birds are allowed to live in open or closed pens. An aviary for guinea fowls can be made with your own hands. The main thing is to take into account all the nuances of the arrangement of the place of keeping and caring for the bird. Before construction, everything must be carefully planned in order to calculate the amount of material needed.

Basic Requirements

In order for the guinea fowl not to get sick and grow well, they need to create a chicken coop with a favorable climate. It has been noted that this bird prefers to lay eggs not in nests, but in a place that it chooses.This creates some inconvenience for the owners, so it is necessary to arrange everything so that later there is no hassle with finding and collecting.

When building a pen, the following requirements must be considered:

install the enclosure in a secluded place;
The size of the enclosure must be at least 40x30x30 centimeters;
protect securely with a fence and cover from above;
the ground in the paddock must be covered with hay or straw;
equip the enclosure in a well-ventilated place, but without drafts.

If you plan to keep the birds in an open pen, you need to equip it in a well-shaded place - under a tree or next to dense, tall shrubs. The height of the walls must be at least 2 meters. As chicks, guinea fowls need to be taught to return to the corral if they are outside it.

Types of enclosures

Aviary can be of two types: open and closed. Regardless of the type, it will not take up a large area, since guinea fowls do not need much space. The optimal size of the enclosure: 1.5 meters in height, 50 cm in width and length. The first option is used for seasonal poultry keeping.

Open

Open corral - an area fenced around the perimeter with a galvanized mesh. Birds in such an aviary are for a certain time - this is its main difference from a closed view. The cage can be equipped on the ground with grass, which the guinea fowl will peck at. The earth is covered with straw or hay, which is periodically changed. Features of the construction of an open-air aviary:

beams should be made only from metal pipes or wooden poles;
do not use plastic materials;
use only strong mesh as a fence;
pits for beams should be done only with a drill;
cover part of the pen so that the birds have a place to hide from the weather.

If the aviary is installed in an area with grass, then the feeders can be omitted. Be sure to equip drinking bowls. It is necessary to ensure that birds have clean water all the time, especially in the heat. Use straw or hay as bedding.

The content of guinea fowls in an open enclosure and its arrangement is described in detail in the video at the link below:

Closed

Closed cages are used to keep guinea fowl throughout the season. Basically, they make a fenced transition from the poultry house to the aviary. Poultry breeders note that guinea fowl calmly endure even severe frosts. The roof is made of slate or polycarbonate, which is fixed with matte rivets.This material is resistant to high temperatures and cold, which ensures long-term operation of the enclosure.

The litter is changed every 1-2 months. So the pen stays clean for a long time. Drinkers and feeders are equipped in the aviary. Guinea fowl make their own nests during the laying period.

All the nuances of arranging a closed enclosure for guinea fowl can be found in the video at the link below:

Required tools and materials

Before starting the construction of the enclosure, it is necessary to calculate the amount of material. To do this, it is advisable to first make a drawing, where to mark the dimensions of the corral. In addition to the material, you will need a tool with which they will build an aviary. As a rule, for construction you need:

pipes or wooden stakes for supports with a diameter of at least 50x50 millimeters;
chain-link mesh, the mesh size of which should be 2.5x5 or 5x5 centimeters, for fencing;
hinges, metal corner and latch for the gate;
string, tape measure and pen pegs;
drill;
nails and screws;
hammer;
screwdriver;
cutters.

Use metal material for fencing. Do not use plastic and wood, as rodents can damage it.

Cover the aviary with polycarbonate or slate so that the building lasts a long time. A blind fence is made of plywood or OSB.

How to make an aviary for guinea fowls with your own hands

Before the start of construction, it is necessary to make markings and prepare the site where the corral will be erected. This is an important stage, since the service life of the structure depends on the correct execution.The main thing is to choose a flat, quiet, shaded place for this. Step-by-step instructions for building an aviary for guinea fowls:

Enclose the area of the required size. They clean it of debris and level it.
Make markup. Pegs are set in the corners, between which a rope is pulled.
Every 1.5 meters on all sides indicate the places where the supports will be installed, on which the mesh will be stretched.
In the marked places, holes are made with a drill 0.6 meters deep.
A layer of gravel and sand is poured into each, 5 centimeters thick each.
Install the rack and pour cement mortar.
Similarly put all the supports and leave for 3 days for the cement to harden.
The mesh is stretched between the posts and fixed with wire or self-tapping screws.
From below, the mesh is sprinkled with earth or fixed to a pre-installed strapping.
The frame of the gate is made from a metal corner. They pull the chain-link mesh over it, securely fasten it and install the latch.
Loops are installed on the support. They hang the prepared wicket and check its progress.
Cover all or part of the enclosure with a roof.

When building a closed corral, the north side is covered with plywood or OSB. The other sides are partially blocked so that precipitation does not get inside the enclosure.

The place where the bird is kept must be dry. When kept in an open pen, the wings should be clipped, as guinea fowls fly quite high.

The stages of building a guinea fowl enclosure can be viewed in the video at the link below:

Arranging a place to keep

Guinea fowl are unpretentious in content.It is enough to equip the aviary in accordance with all the rules and install drinkers and feeders in it. At a height of about 0.5 meters from the ground, equip perches that birds use to sleep. The bedding layer should be at least 15 centimeters thick. The nuances of arranging a place for keeping guinea fowls:

add slaked lime to bedding;
guinea fowls need shade to ensure better egg production, which should be considered when choosing a pen location;
set the drinkers so that the bird cannot turn them over;
enclosure must be well ventilated;
perches to make from tree branches;
periodically level the litter;
provide 24/7 lighting with LED or incandescent bulbs;
in the absence of drafts and precipitation in the aviary, wall insulation is not required.

Under the aviary, you can adapt a greenhouse or a hangar. Guinea fowl can winter in such pens. In this case, the bedding should be at least 50 cm thick. It is not difficult to make an aviary for guinea fowls on your own, the main thing is to take into account the construction features.