Do-it-yourself chicken coop for broilers: instructions with dimensions, how to build it correctly

The most popular poultry among poultry farmers are broilers. Such chickens differ from conventional 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 the chicken coop for broilers

Before building a facility for breeding birds, it is necessary to understand the main features of such chicken coops and their difference from structures for keeping laying hens. The process of keeping ordinary and meat chickens is different and therefore chicken coops also have certain differences.

Common specifics include the following:

lack of nests for hatching eggs;
compact;
insulated walls;
additional lighting.

Also, a broiler barn should be free of drafts that can make the hens sick.

Methods of breeding broilers

There are two common broiler breeding methods that you should be familiar with.

Cell method

Some poultry farmers prefer to use the cellular method of breeding birds. 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 used for lighting and space heating.

Raising birds in cages limits their contact with each other. This prevents the appearance and development of infectious diseases. The cages also restrict the movement of broiler hens, making them gain weight faster.

Outdoor breeding

Sometimes people decide 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 cages for birds.

Outdoor breeding has many advantages, due to which many poultry farmers begin to use it. Using this method, you do not have to clean bird droppings every day. Instead, it is sufficient to replace the floor straw once a week. When breeding birds by the floor method, no namin and traces remain on the paws.

Choosing a suitable location

It is recommended to choose the most suitable place for placing a chicken coop in advance at the dacha. When choosing a place, you need to consider the following points:

the poultry house should be located away from noisy places;
structure should be built on hills with solid ground;
you can not place the chicken coop in shady places near tall trees;
it is recommended to position the building in such a way that its windows are on the southeast side.

Materials and tools for construction

When building 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 the walls of the structure.
Cement. It is used when creating a solid foundation, walls, flooring.
Boards. Sturdy boards may be needed to make a wooden roof frame.
Roofing material. The main waterproofing material that prevents the roof from leaking.

Calculations and dimensions

Before you build a summer chicken coop for 10 chickens, you need to make all the measurements with calculations. Three small broilers will need a square meter of free space. Therefore, if the corral consists 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 dimensions of the house, its height and the length of the walls. Also, an aviary is marked on the diagram if the chickens will walk outside.

How to build a chicken coop for broilers with your own hands

The construction of the poultry house is carried out in several successive stages.

Filling the foundation and laying the floor

To build a solid foundation, they dig a trench 40-50 centimeters deep. Then, horizontal bars are laid inside the pit at a distance of 15 centimeters from each other. The created structure is poured with cement and sand.

When the foundation hardens, it will be possible to start laying the floor. The flooring is made of wood, as it perfectly retains heat and protects the room from temperature changes.

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, start building the walls. The frame is made from high-strength wooden beams. When installing them, it is necessary to leave small openings for windows through which sunlight will enter. When the bars are installed, they are upholstered 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 styrofoam and wood shavings as insulation.

Building a roof

The final stage of the construction of the building is the construction of the roof.Experts recommend creating it from solid 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 felt 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 chicken coop and therefore it is recommended to think about lighting the room in advance. 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. At the same time, they must be hung 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 circulate the air inside. For this, several small vents are made.

Interior arrangement of a broiler house

Arrangement of a broiler chicken coop inside is carried out in three stages.

Installation of cages

If the broilers will be raised using the cage method, cages will have to be installed inside the house. They should be installed in such a way 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 your own bird feeder. For this, an ordinary 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 screwed to the wall and filled with feed.

As a drinker, you can use ordinary metal toes or unnecessary plates.

Litter

The floor inside the chicken coop can be covered with these materials:

Sawdust. Often the floor surface is covered with sawdust obtained from larch, spruce or pine. This bedding has excellent moisture absorption.
Straw. The distinctive features of this material include its warming properties. Straw also absorbs moisture well.

Possible Design Errors

People who build a chicken coop for the first time may 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 on wood, insulation and infect chickens with diseases.

Using the wrong materials

Some chicken coop builders use the wrong materials. These include PVC, chipboard and drywall sheets. All these building materials are quickly destroyed due to the fact that they absorb a lot of moisture.

Conclusion

Before you breed broilers, you need to build a suitable chicken coop. It is recommended to understand in advance the features of creating a poultry house and its internal arrangement.