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Chicken coop designed for winter keeping chickens must be insulated in a certain way. This will protect the bird from wind and cold. Thanks to comfortable conditions, hens will lay a lot of eggs. Such structures are easy to construct on your own. First you should take care of installing high-quality lighting. It is important to ensure that the insulation of the chicken coop is comprehensive.
Features of insulation
During construction warm chicken coop with your own hands First the material must be chosen correctly. Subsequently, it will be laid on the floor in the chicken coop and attached to the walls.
Quite often, work on insulating the walls of a chicken coop is carried out using polystyrene foam or sawdust. The roof is also covered with foam boards. If wood is chosen to build a chicken coop, the insulation technology will not differ from creating an insulating layer in an ordinary wooden house. The work is carried out from inside the chicken coop.
When constructing the walls of a chicken coop, the following can be used:
- brick;
- aerated concrete;
- clay.
The choice of method for insulating a chicken coop for the winter depends on design parameters such as the thickness of the walls and the climate in a particular region. During the construction of the chicken coop, you should be very careful about the construction of the roof.This is due to the fact that in the chicken coop in winter, warm air accumulates near the ceiling and can quickly leave the room if care is not taken to retain it. With sufficiently thick and dense insulation, warm air masses will remain in the chicken coop for quite a long time.
The roof for the winter chicken coop is made of two layers. It is made from roofing felt and roofing felt. Chips and sawdust are placed between them.
Foundation structure
For a do-it-yourself winter chicken coop, choosing a columnar foundation is more optimal. Its construction will not take much time. In addition, there is no need to wait for the solution to harden. Under the floor of the chicken coop, which is insulated with sawdust, thanks to the use of a column-type base, there will be a well-ventilated space. This will extend the life of the chicken coop floor. In addition, this solution eliminates the appearance of rodents.
To create the foundation of the chicken coop you will need to perform the following steps:
- First the marking is done. It is made using pegs and string. The stakes are installed around the entire perimeter of the building. They are then connected with a rope. Now you can remove the top layer of soil.
- Holes for supports are dug in the corners. The base pipes will subsequently be installed in them. The width of the pits is half a meter and the depth is 70 cm. Gravel and sand are poured into the bottom of each pit. Its height should be 10 cm.
- After completing the sand cushion, stones and bricks are placed in the pits. Now you can start pouring the concrete solution.
- Two more bricks are placed across the already laid bricks. This allows you to raise the foundation pipe to the desired level.
- The space between the supports of the chicken coop is covered with gravel.
- To construct the roof and walls, beams are installed on the base. Roofing material should be laid between the first row of beams and the foundation. It is necessary to install 2 layers of this material.
When making a chicken coop from beams, you will need to insulate each crown with a special material. The walls of the building are usually erected to a height of 1.8 m. Then the following work should be performed:
- fix the ceiling beams;
- install a rafter system;
- lay the roof of the chicken coop;
- build a ceiling.
Knowledge of such operating features will allow you to insulate the roof quickly enough.
Floor insulation
Particular attention is paid to the floor of the chicken coop. The insulation for it must meet certain requirements. The best option is litter. It can have different thickness. The litter is made deep and shallow.
When raising birds under domesticated conditions, the first option is chosen. Its difference lies in the method of heat generation. Various processes of a chemical and biological nature constantly occur in it. Due to this, heat is generated.
The temperature inside such litter usually rises to +25 degrees. As a result of various processes, an acidic environment is formed, which significantly slows down the decomposition of chicken manure. This circumstance is a significant advantage of deep litter.
Peat moss is often used for bedding insulation of a chicken coop. This material perfectly absorbs moisture. By using peat moss, the pungent odor from chicken droppings is eliminated. In addition, in the spring the litter is used as fertilizer.
Another popular way to insulate a floor is to fill the surface with sawdust and wood chips. It is better if the mixture contains 2/3 sawdust and 1/3 shavings.It is better to choose sawdust from coniferous trees. They have disinfectant properties.
Due to the characteristics of the chips, they are able to absorb water perfectly. This material does not cake. To increase moisture permeability, peat is added to the initial mixture.
Another popular insulation material is chopped straw. It should have a length of 3 to 5 cm. Thanks to the use of such material, the floor can be well insulated.
Initially, the deep bedding for insulation is laid in a layer 20 cm thick. As it becomes dirty, new material is added. Each subsequent layer is made from 5 to 10 cm in height. From time to time, the litter should be loosened, reaching to the very bottom.
Wall insulation
A simple video instruction at the end of the article will help you figure out how to insulate a chicken coop for the winter. To make the bird's stay in the chicken coop as comfortable as possible, it is better to make the walls of the building from natural wood. Usually coniferous species are chosen for this. In regions with rather harsh climate conditions, it is better to choose beams or logs. The log house will perfectly protect the chicken coop with a run from heat loss.
For mild climates, one-inch boards can be prepared. To strengthen the walls, all cracks should be sealed with tow (a common method of insulation). Moss is often used for this purpose. The insulation on top must be sewn with slats. In this case, the chickens will not peck the tow.
External insulation is carried out with foam boards. To protect such insulation, flat slate or plastic is installed. Most often, boards are used to create walls. They are stuffed onto the frame on both sides. Frame chicken coop It is quite easy to insulate.
Insulation can also be carried out using sawdust. The material must be mixed with fluff lime and then laid in layers. Wall upholstery can be done with shingles. It is applied in a double layer. The shingles are nailed at an angle of 45 degrees.
Then the resulting layer is plastered. For this, clay with sawdust is used. It must be remembered that the minimum thickness of the applied layer is 3 cm. After the walls have dried, each crack that appears must be covered with a mixture of sand and clay.
Insulation of openings
Most heat escapes through windows and doors. Their insulation must be carried out very carefully. The windows of a chicken coop with a walking area can be made small. They are usually performed on the south and east sides. Window frames can be removable or double. How to make them warm? Film is used to insulate them. This measure will protect the window from freezing. In the summer, such windows can easily be replaced with a mosquito net or glass.
The film is capable of transmitting light well. It is better if the door leading to the chicken coop is located on the south side. This solution will ensure that even during severe frosts the room can be ventilated. The door should be of such a size that it is convenient to remove litter from the chicken coop.
The door must have insulation. During severe frosts, it is covered with a carpet or rug. The insulation of the entrance door to the chicken coop is done using film insulation. If you follow these tips, chickens will feel as comfortable as possible in an insulated house. This will ensure complete insulation of the chicken coop in all weather conditions.
Insulation of ceiling and roof
To figure out how to insulate the roof of a chicken coop for the winter with your own hands, you should follow certain instructions. This will allow the work to be carried out to the highest possible quality. It is better to make a chicken coop roof with 2 slopes. The attic will be a good place to store feed. The use of special insulation methods when creating a chicken coop roof is not required. It is enough to adhere to the basic rules when constructing such structures. Thermal insulation should be selected taking into account the type of roofing.
The ceiling is made with an emphasis on two layers. In this case, additional thermal insulation is placed between the insulation and the outer skin.
Additional materials
If possible, the chicken coop is insulated by laying an infrared floor in a concrete screed. If the chicken coop is located in a cold region, this solution will be optimal. In this case, there is no need to install additional heating devices in the room. In this case, there is no need to use additional heaters.
Straw or hay is placed on top of the concrete. This layer should have a height of 100-150 cm. This will, on the one hand, protect the bird from the cool concrete surface, and on the other, create a fairly comfortable air temperature inside the room. In addition, chickens will constantly rake this surface, which gives them a lot of pleasure. Infrared heaters are also installed under the ceiling. With this installation they can be used continuously.
conclusions
How to properly insulate a chicken coop? To carry out such work, you will need to know certain subtleties of the process. Insulating a chicken coop, no matter how simple this work may seem, allows you to maintain the number of chickens and eggs produced.Laying hens will supply their owner with them throughout the winter if this work is approached correctly.
When performing such work, care should be taken to ensure comprehensive insulation. It is necessary to create a reliable roof and walls. Don't forget about floor insulation. Different materials are used for this. When using their modern varieties, you can get comfortable living conditions for chickens. A fairly large number of birds can be raised in an insulated chicken coop.
Many owners of suburban areas are thoroughly insulating their chicken coop. This allows the laying hens to be preserved in the same numbers as they were bred in the summer. In addition, such work allows you to provide yourself with a sufficient number of eggs. It is quite simple to create favorable conditions for laying hens. This will take time and some preparation.
