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Food from private households is the best option for people who care about their diet. Homemade eggs and meat are much tastier, and, most importantly, healthier than store-bought ones. Nowadays, animal breeding has become more accessible, because to keep birds it is not necessary to build expensive wooden or stone chicken coops. An excellent alternative to traditional flocks will be a polycarbonate chicken coop. In addition, the construction of a polycarbonate building will cost less than a wooden or stone one.
Many owners of private farms have covered greenhouses or polycarbonate greenhouses... The experience of farmers and breeders suggests that such designs are great for keeping poultry.
The advantages of polycarbonate
The basis of polycarbonate is polymer compounds, thanks to which the material is durable and frost-resistant. Polycarbonate has a wide range of colors: from translucent to saturated shades. Polycarbonate comes in the form of flexible sheets of various thicknesses.
Despite the small size, polycarbonate chicken coops perfectly protect the bird from bad weather and predators. However, keeping chickens in the winter season has its own characteristics. The winter chicken coop should be equipped with:
- ventilation;
- lighting fixtures;
- underfloor heating.
If the chicken coop is equipped from a polycarbonate greenhouse, it is pre-cleaned. The inner space of the future chicken coop is freed from debris, weeds and tools.
Arrangement of a chicken coop
The next stage of improving the chicken coop is the construction of poles and perches (see photo below).
In addition to standard "furniture", chickens need feeders and drinkers, they are installed further from the exit. After assembling the perch of the house, a warm floor is made. Sawdust, straw or hay are optimal for him. The last two materials are preferable as they do not harm the digestive system of chickens.
A comfortable temperature for chickens is +10 degrees. For laying hens, a regime of 15 to 25 degrees Celsius is required. Temperatures below zero in a polycarbonate hen house are fatal to the bird. When it gets cold, additional heating sources are installed in the hen house, for example, heat guns, convectors or stoves.
In a small space, chickens create an optimal microclimate for them, which improves egg production. Another way to increase the number of eggs poultry produces is to build a walking area next to or inside the chicken coop.
Light is a very important component in the home of chickens. In summer and spring, the sun is enough, but in winter the bird needs an additional source of illumination in a polycarbonate structure. For this, energy-saving lamps are installed in the polycarbonate chicken coop. They must work 12-14 hours a day. The solar cycle is much shorter in winter, so the lighting in the coop is turned on both in the morning and in the evening.
Insulation of a chicken coop in regions with mild and temperate climates
The floor of the chicken coop is the most vulnerable to drafts. Therefore, in the first place in the flock insulate foundation. If the building is on a pile or columnar base, it is fenced with board shields. The most reliable multi-layer type of insulation. To do this, knock down a two-layer fence made of boards, and lay foam or other moisture-resistant insulation between them.
To protect the strip base of the hen house, the following method is used:
- a trench is made around the perimeter of the foundation;
- inside the ditches, foam wrapped in cellophane is laid;
- the insulation is closed with a waterproofing agent, for example, roofing material;
- the cavities are covered with soil flush with the chicken coop.
The inside of the polycarbonate coop is covered with foil and covered with earth. This method of protection is considered to be very reliable. If the winters in your area are very harsh, use additional heating sources.
Insulation of a greenhouse-chicken coop in cold regions
At low temperatures, external insulation will not be sufficient. Therefore, for the winter, water or electric heating is carried out in a polycarbonate chicken coop.
A popular option for heating a flock is a heated floor. For this, the soil of the chicken coop is leveled and 10 mm of sand is poured onto the bottom. A film is laid on top and laid on non-electric heating cables with a thermostat. To control the temperature, the system is equipped with a relay. Another roll of protective film is laid on top of the cables and a layer of sand is covered. Chickens spend most of the time on the floor or roost, so a heated floor is optimal for heating the chicken coop.
The only drawback of the cable system is the high cost. However, the investment will pay off with regular egg production. If the electrical heating system seems costly to you, take a closer look at the water structure. It will require a supply of communications to the chicken coop. But if your site has water supply, this heating method will be much cheaper.
DIY construction
To build a polycarbonate poultry house with your own hands, you will need the following tools and materials:
- drill and fasteners;
- hammer;
- cutter;
- jigsaw;
- thick wire.
All tools can be found without problems in any private household. The building begins to be erected from the frame. It is optimal to use metal for this. For convenience, the wire template is first assembled. The dimensions of the sides of the frame must match the intended dimensions of the house. A square is made of wire, with the help of which the polycarbonate will be fastened. Similar templates are made for walls and ceilings (an example of a device is shown in the photo).
When all the templates are ready, it is necessary to weld the joints of the sides of the future chicken coop. Then they start cutting the polycarbonate. The finished sheets are inserted into a wire frame and tied with thick threads. When all the sheets are tied to a wire, they are fastened together and set on the ground or a prepared foundation.
A greenhouse combined with a chicken coop will be an excellent home for a bird. In such a building, birds will be able to winter for more than one season. And with high-quality insulation of the chicken coop and the arrangement of the perch, you can increase the number of eggs in layers.
When setting up a poultry house for chickens and other poultry, it is important to remember all the nuances. Chickens are very sensitive to the climate and therefore require a comfortable environment.
I want to put chickens in a polycarbonate greenhouse. But there is always condensation in the greenhouse. It's very hot there during the day. Or are there enough open doors for airing? But you have to leave for two days in the city - if you close the doors, will two open windows be enough?
Hello. For chickens, even not so much heat is harmful as high humidity. In addition, in conditions of increased heat and humidity, black mold reproduces very well, causing aspergillosis in birds.
In dry air, chickens can tolerate heat up to 30 degrees, if they have shelter from the sun. At air temperatures above 30 ° C, broiler crosses begin to die. Their temperature range is 21-30 degrees.Layers are more hardy, but they reduce egg production.
High humidity is destructive at any temperature. Two vents at the top for birds will not be enough, since normal ventilation should work, when cold air enters the room through the lower opening, and hot air exits through the upper one. In your case, only the hot air outlet will be available.
Open doors and vents would be enough for ventilation, if possible. One open door at the end and a vent at the opposite end of the greenhouse would be enough for the chickens if they had the opportunity to go out into the enclosure with a canopy.
The best option for chickens would be an indoor aviary with shelter from wind, rain and sun. As a last resort, you can attach the aviary to the greenhouse. But do not leave chickens in a closed, hot and humid room for several days.