If you plan to raise chickens on your property, then the first thing you need to take care of is a good chicken coop. The size should correspond to the number of chickens that will be kept in it. Such a house must be bright, warm and fully equipped.
Setting up a chicken coop is easy if you have several chickens, but if there are more, you will have to tinker a lot. But all efforts will be justified by the result. In this article we will look at the independent construction of such a structure as a chicken coop for 100 chickens.
Types of chicken coops
A barn for chickens can be winter or seasonal, in which chickens can only be in the warm season. In order to understand which type of chicken coop is suitable, you need to learn more about each of the existing types.
Winter chicken coop
During the summer months, chickens can spend almost the whole day outside, which cannot be said about the cold season. For the winter, many breeders try to place chickens in unsuitable outbuildings, but this is not the right solution. Chickens need a home where everything will be created for their comfortable maintenance.Therefore, if you plan to keep them in winter, you should take care in advance to create a warm, completely equipped chicken coop.
Since the temperature in winter drops below 0 degrees, it is necessary to make sure that the chickens do not freeze. For them, the optimal temperature is one that is between 15 and 25 degrees. With such a microclimate, the chickens will feel comfortable and lay eggs regularly.
To keep the temperature from dropping, the chicken coop is insulated. To do this, it is necessary to trim the roof, walls, as well as all the slightest cracks and openings with insulating material. This design will help avoid drafts inside the mini-poultry farm and maintain the necessary microclimate.
Since the days are short in winter, and the chickens will be inside the chicken coop all the time, it is necessary to take care of lighting. Be sure to have a window for natural light and a light bulb under the ceiling. But you shouldn’t keep the light on in the chicken coop 24/7—it’s turned off at night to bring the conditions closer to natural.
But there is no need to keep chickens locked up throughout the winter, as this can have a bad effect not only on the well-being of the chickens, but also on their productivity. You can walk chickens under a roof and in an area that is completely protected from the wind on all sides. This can be done even at sub-zero temperatures, but in the absence of strong gusts of wind.
Summer chicken coop
The summer chicken coop is not as capital a building as its winter version. The main time the chickens will be in it will be from spring to autumn.If the owner does not plan to keep chickens in winter, then this option will be ideal for him. A home for chickens has the following components: the barn itself, a fenced area for walking, nests, perches, as well as feeders and drinkers.
The design of a summer house for chickens can be very diverse, but the main thing is that the walking area is not located in dampness or shade. The ideal location would be an area under trees in partial shade. It is possible to make a low chicken coop or make it elevated; it all depends on the number of chickens and the desire of the owner.
For those who have a large number of chickens on their farm, we offer modern chicken coops made of sandwich panels. They can be of different sizes and shapes, and are erected quite quickly. Maintenance of such a chicken coop is reduced to a minimum, since the material is not subject to rotting and corrosion.
If it is not possible to make a chicken coop with your own hands, then you can buy it disassembled and install it on the site. Of course, the cost of such a house for chickens will be many times more expensive compared to making it yourself, but the aesthetic side and ease of use remain at their best.
Building a chicken coop with your own hands
If you still decide to make a chicken coop for your flock of chickens with your own hands, then you need to learn about the technology of this process. For a large number of chickens, in our case 100 heads, you need a room that will correspond to the number in size. To keep such a number of chickens, it is necessary to equip a permanent chicken coop with an area of at least 16 square meters. Moreover, the winter chicken coop can be smaller, but in any case no less than 16 square meters. meters.This is so because in winter, chickens huddle together and bask next to each other. In hot summer weather, more space is needed, as chickens scatter and need free space.
Foundation installation
Like any permanent structure, a chicken shed must have a foundation, the design of which depends on the configuration and size of the chicken coop and can be piled, columnar or strip.
The first type of foundation for a chicken coop is the most labor-intensive to construct. It is used if the bearing capacity of the soil is too low. To install piles, you need to rent heavy equipment and place them strictly vertically. After installation, they are tied with a grillage, which serves as a connection for all elements. It can be metal, reinforced concrete or wood.
If the chicken coop is installed on a frame, then a columnar foundation for it will be an excellent solution. A project is created in advance, which indicates the location of each pillar. The pillars can be reinforced concrete, brick or wood.
A strip foundation is suitable for a brick chicken coop. It will help distribute the load evenly along the entire perimeter of the building. According to the scheme, it is necessary to prepare a trench about 50 cm deep, level its bottom and sprinkle it with sand. Afterwards, formwork is installed in the prepared trench, and a reinforcement cage is installed in it, which is welded in advance. Concrete is poured into the trench and waited until it hardens.
Execution of walls
We can talk for a long time about the installation of walls for a poultry house, since they are made from a wide variety of materials that the master has in stock.The simplest option would be wood, from which you can quickly build a structure. In addition, the chicken coop will be as environmentally friendly as possible. The only drawback of such walls is their fragility. But it can also be minimized if the wood is treated with special protective compounds in advance.
The most convenient option is a chicken coop made of timber. Only softwood is used, but at the correct moisture content. The timber should not be completely dry, as it will dry out even more and become deformed, resulting in cracks appearing.
An interesting option is a panel chicken coop, the walls of which are made of OSB sheets or board-type panels. This type of structure can be installed quickly and lasts for a long time.
Another option for walls for a chicken coop is blocks. They can be made of aerated concrete, shell rock, brick or foam concrete. Such chicken coops have good thermal insulation, which allows them to be used even as a winter option.
Other materials are also used to make a barn for one hundred chickens. For example, this is clay, which has been used since ancient times. And now there are owners who make a chicken coop out of it. To do this, layer by layer of wall is laid on a prepared wooden frame.
A modern way to build chickens is a chicken coop made of sandwich panels, which have a layer of insulation inside that allows you to retain all the heat inside the room.
Making a floor and roof in a poultry house
To create comfortable conditions, a wooden floor is created, which is raised above the ground by several centimeters. It is considered the warmest, so it is used for poultry houses.
To install the floor of the chicken coop, logs are first laid, and then a floorboard is laid on them. The connection is made with nails. The floor can be topped with sawdust or hay to make the chickens as comfortable as possible.
To reproduce the roof of a chicken coop, you should specify what type of roofing will be used: gable or single-pitch. Flat roofs are not used because the drainage of water from them is difficult. For a barn for 100 or 1000 chickens, a gable design is best. In this case, the angle between its slopes is at least 40 degrees. The roof is supported on the mauerlat and on the purlin; the rafters must be cut into the corresponding rafter elements.
Next, the roof sheathing is carried out, onto which a vapor barrier is attached, eliminating the occurrence of condensation and wetting of the insulation. Afterwards, the insulation with a waterproofing layer is laid. Next, the roofing material for the chicken coop is laid. This could be metal tiles, slate, roofing felt or another type of roofing.
Doors and interior arrangement of the chicken coop
The entrance door of the chicken coop must correspond to the height of the owner, so that you can enter inside without any problems, and will be carried out according to the project. The canvas is attached so that it opens inward to control birds upon entry. A lock is required to prevent unauthorized entry.
The chicken coop must have a vestibule to prevent the cold from entering the premises in winter.Its construction is reflected at the drawing stage.
Once the outside of the chicken coop is complete, you can begin filling it up inside. First of all, a hole is made in the wall through which the chickens go outside. It is additionally equipped with a ladder so that the chicken can get up and exit safely.
It is very convenient for a population of 100 chickens to make an automatic door that will open at certain periods to allow the chickens to go outside. At the same time, the feeder can be automated.
For laying hens Nests are provided inside the chicken coop where they can rest and hatch eggs. It is very convenient to attach a tray to each nest, along which the nest can roll down to a certain place for collection. The following video provides practical advice on setting up a chicken coop.
Installation of a walk
To prevent chickens from scattering around the yard, it is necessary to install a chicken coop with a run fenced with mesh. Its size is calculated depending on the number of livestock. The walk may be covered or have no roof at all. A chain-link mesh or fence is used as a fence. The fence is built around the perimeter and, if necessary, on top. The walk should also have a door for the owner to be able to clean the area.
Conclusion
Construction of a permanent chicken coop for 100 chickens is a complex process that has a lot of nuances. If you take them into account in construction, you will get the most convenient house for keeping chickens, which will have everything you need.This article gives general advice on building such a structure, so before starting work it would be a good idea to read it so that the question “How to build a chicken coop?” wasn't that difficult.
