Today, chicken coops can be found in many suburban areas. In the construction, they turn out to be not as complicated as it might seem at first glance.. In this article, we will learn how you can build a small chicken coop for 5 chickens with your own hands..
Primary requirements
Do not think that there are no requirements for the construction of a chicken coop. In fact, here, too, the builder must take into account a number of important nuances in order for the construction to be reliable and of high quality.. Consider all the basic requirements for the construction of a mini-chicken coop for 5 birds.
- Building designed for year-round operation, must be built exclusively from high quality, practical materials, to keep the rooms warm.
- For pouring the foundation usually use high-quality concrete, which must be additionally covered with roofing material. Such actions are necessary in order to prevent the formation of harmful mold on the walls of the hen house..
- To make the building more convenient, the inner surfaces of the walls are sheathed with plywood sheets. Subsequently, plywood is much easier to subject to various treatments from dangerous pests..
- An aviary for 5 chickens is made from metal mesh. This process is not so complicated, it can be easily implemented on your own..
- In order for chickens to demonstrate good egg production in any season, a person needs to think carefully about lighting inside the building. The backlight is always fixed above the bird feeders. It is allowed to use fluorescent bulbs, the power of which is 50-60 W.
- One of the most important requirements is well-executed ventilation system. A window and a door will be enough for 5 birds. However, such a performance is more suitable only for the summer season. In winter, the door and window cannot be left open, so a person needs to mount a reliable ventilation pipe with access to the roof. On the other hand, an inflow hole is prepared above the floors. The resulting design will provide not only natural cravings, but also remove excess moisture from the chicken coop..
If the structure meets all of the above requirements, then it will last a very long time, and the chickens will be comfortable enough in it, which will have a positive effect on their health and egg production..
Choosing a place
For the construction of a good chicken coop in the country or in the village, it is very important to correctly choose the ideal place. This is one of the significant stages in the construction of such an outbuilding.. When looking for the optimal place for the future small chicken coop, it is recommended to build on several factors.
- The place should be well lit, since the well-being of poultry largely depends on the length of daylight hours..
- It is advisable to choose places located on the hills. If the chicken coop is located at a low height, this will allow much better ventilation of its internal area. In addition, precipitation does not accumulate in such areas..
- It is also important to take into account the direction of the entrance of chickens into the future structure. It is best to equip the entrance on the south side, since it is here that the sun’s rays will evenly heat the room and the ground in any season.
Preparation
Having found an ideal place for construction, you can proceed to the preparatory activities. In no case should they be neglected.. Let’s consider in detail exactly how the owners should prepare for the construction of a small chicken coop for 5 chickens.
Drawings and dimensions
To build a really reliable and high-quality chicken coop for 5 chickens, it is important to first draw up detailed drawings indicating all the dimensional parameters of the future construction. With a detailed design at hand, it will be much easier to make an outbuilding without making mistakes..
The drawing of the future building must be very accurate.. The diagram should contain all the necessary marks, points for the location of perches and other components. 1 chicken usually accounts for a quarter of the perch space. Based on this calculation, you can calculate the length of the future bird roost. The thickness of the perch in diameter should be at least 4-6 cm.
The drawings always indicate exactly where the roost will be located..
It is usually placed in the far corner, where the poultry will be much warmer and more comfortable. The height of the floor in the hen house should be from 50 to 80 cm, and from the wall – 25-40 cm. The nests are also always marked on the drawings. They must be installed 40 cm above the floor. Dimensional parameters of one nest – 30x30x40 cm.
The area of the building itself directly depends on the number of birds that are planned to be kept there.. For 5 chickens, the construction of 3 square meters is quite enough. m. A small poultry house will turn out to be compact, and in the construction it will be problem-free. A small building can be portable, so that it can be moved from one place to another if necessary. Stationary chicken coops it is better not to make it too small, unlike mobile designs.
This is especially true when the owners plan to further increase the number of chickens..
Tools and materials
To build a good chicken coop for 5 birds, you will need to prepare the following materials:
- frame beam with a section of 4×4 cm;
- planed boards;
- slabs for cladding walls of the future construction (chip options are suitable);
- slate, corrugated board or roof tiles;
- window glass;
- door and window latches, hinges;
- mesh for enclosure fencing made of plastic or metal.
You can’t do without the right tools here, namely:
- hacksaws;
- saws for working with wood;
- drill-screwdriver.
Plans for the construction of chicken coops
A small poultry house for 5 birds can be made by hand. The manufacture of summer and winter buildings differs in some nuances. We will understand the plans for the construction of chicken coops intended for operation in different seasons.
Summer
Let’s start with the summer option. Let’s see how to build it.
- To build a chicken coop with dimensions of 2×2 m and a height of 1.8 m, you can build a columnar foundation. Pegs or metal rods should be hammered along its perimeter. The thread is stretched between the pegs, measuring out the ideal horizontality.
- It is necessary to cover the pegs with strong ropes 20 cm from the soil. Then the markup is ready..
- Further, the fertile soil layer is removed. 8 holes are dug in the corners with a width of 50 cm and a depth of 60 cm.
- The bottom of each of the holes must be covered with a combination of sand and gravel..
- Next, a couple of bricks are laid and poured on top with a mixture of cement.
- Then they put 2 more bricks. The curbstone is laid out to the level of the rope.
- Finished posts are covered with bitumen or mastic. The cavities between the pillars are covered with soil. The construction mixture will grab in about 7 days.
- For a small chicken coop, you can build only 3 pillars with a lumber grillage on top.
The finished foundation is left for a month, and then they move on to the construction of walls.
- It is better to make the walls frame and build right on the floor of wood. Each wall is built separately.
- The walls are knocked down without distortions. It is necessary to leave openings for windows and boxes for collecting eggs.
- After the construction of the frame, you should go to the roof. Better to make it gable. They make it from rafter legs and crate.
- Further, the base of the roof is sheathed with suitable materials, for example, OSB boards..
- The gaps between different elements are insulated. A vapor barrier is laid on top of the insulation, and then plywood sheathing follows.
- The floor is made of boards with a thickness of 50 mm. Lay them in 2 layers.
- Semi-cut rectangular grooves for the passage of chickens along an inclined ramp.
Winter
Winter outbuilding build more insulated. The windows of such a building should face south. The temperature inside the construction must be at least +12 degrees. Walls are recommended to be made only of high quality wood.. It is advisable to build a small vestibule.
You can additionally install infrared heaters. Allowed to mount panels with film coatings.
When building a winter chicken coop, you must follow these rules..
- It is advisable to build a roof with a two-layer.
- Wall structures must be lined with heat-insulating materials.
- A building made of logs must be buried. The floors are complemented with bedding.
- Auxiliary frames are placed on window structures.
- If there is an attic, it is covered with sawdust or straw.
Arrangement of the chicken coop inside
We will figure out how to equip the inner area of the chicken coop for 5 birds.
- Inside, you need to install nests, drinkers, perches and feeders. You can put trays for filling ash.
- The perches should be placed at a height of 1-1.2 m from the floor. If the birds fly very badly, the perches are allowed to be lowered..
- The nest can be built in the form of a rack or an external structure.
- It is better to place the feeders so that the bird cannot climb into them with their paws. There must be separate containers for dry and wet food.
- Drinking bowls should be kept closed so that the water is clean. You can build a nipple drinking system.
- The floor is covered with a mat 20 cm high.
- It is necessary to provide sufficient, but moderate lighting, which will be distributed over the entire area of the chicken coop..
Warming and walking
When setting up a house for laying hens, it is important to ensure that it is warm enough. Consider how you can insulate a chicken coop at a summer cottage.
- It is necessary to insulate both the floor and the walls. Materials with minimal thermal conductivity are used.
- Install double window structures or triple glazed windows. Door leaves are also reliably insulated.
- If necessary, an outlet is mounted in the hen house. It will be useful in conditions of stable low temperatures. If there is a socket in the room, it will be possible to connect the heating system to it..
It turns out to be important not only heating the chicken coop, but also a place for walking poultry. Next to the poultry house, a small courtyard is required, in which the chickens can walk. Mobility and fresh air have a positive effect on the level of egg production of birds..
Walking yard must be fenced with a metal fence and covered with a strong net from the attacks of predatory animals and birds. If the greenery grows well in the fenced area, it will need to be left there, not plucked.
In this way, birds will receive additional nutritious food and vitamins..
Helpful hints and tips
Let’s get acquainted with some recommendations for the construction and arrangement of a “house” for 5 birds.
- To make ventilation in the hen house, it is advisable to use pipes of the same diameter. They must be protected with dampers without fail. This is necessary in order to shut off ventilation at a crucial moment..
- It is best to use lamps that emit light in the red spectrum for lighting the house. It is advisable to install them closer to the feeders so that the lamps illuminate the food for the birds well. Red rays will not dry out the air, will not overheat it.
- Under the foundation of the future construction, even at the construction stage, you can build a structure from pallets for collecting bird waste.
- It is not at all necessary to make a standard square chicken coop for 5 birds. A triangular house can also be very convenient. Often, structures of this shape are made mobile..
- The poultry manhole is recommended to be installed on the south side. The smallest width of this part is 30 cm, and the height is 40 cm. The manhole can be made aligned with the door leaf at the entrance of the structure. In this case, it will be necessary to cut through the element in the lower half of the door..
- A chicken coop for 5 birds must be built in stages, without neglecting any of the above stages of work. Many people decide to do without detailed diagrams and drawings, but this is a very big mistake. Most of the problems and inconsistencies occur precisely due to the lack of a detailed project of the future outbuilding..
- Use only high-quality materials for construction without damage, rot, mold and other defects.
See below for tips on building a chicken coop..
