A big plus when choosing foam as a heater is:

• excellent thermal insulation;
• its availability;
• relatively low price;
• durability;
• does not require additional waterproofing, resistant to moisture;
• light weight;
• ease of installation.

The disadvantages include:

• low strength of the material;
• does not pass air;
• release of gases during fire, hazardous to health.

Penoplex

Penoplex - heat-insulating plates of a new generation. It is a dense slab with a fine-mesh structure, measuring 120 by 60 cm. The basis of the foam is also polystyrene. A feature of the foam is the presence of a solid L-shaped edge, which allows the joining of plates without gaps.

In addition to the same purposes as the use of foam, suitable for pipe insulation . It also has some properties:

• high thermal protection;
• does not emit fumes and harmful odors;
• extended temperature range (from -50 to +75 degrees Celsius) makes penoplex suitable for different climatic zones;
• does not absorb moisture;
• long service life (about 50 years);
• withstands freezing temperatures.

The disadvantages include:

• not used without lining (plaster);
• toxic when burned;
• poor barrier against rodents.

Penofol foil

A relatively new type of insulation. Represents the material which is characterized by high qualities of thermal protection, consists of a layer of polyethylene foam and a reflective foil. The thickness of the base varies from 2 to 40 mm. Foamed polyethylene blocks direct heat transfer. It can be installed in combination with other thermal insulation materials.

If the walls of the chicken coop are thin (), there will be much more insulation work. Warming is achieved by combining different types of materials. Mineral and basalt wool serve as additional materials - they are used for thermal insulation of walls and ceilings. These heaters perfectly tolerate temperature changes, are hygroscopic, have fire-fighting properties and are easy to use.

Chicken coop roof insulation

In relation to the finished structure, almost the same materials are used (additional waterproofing and vapor barrier are used to insulate the roof), only the fastening methods change:

1. Vapor barrier (vapor barrier films, membranes) is the protection of the insulation from moisture, which is produced inside the building.
2. Waterproofing (roofing material) serves the same purpose, but is laid outside to protect the insulation from precipitation and condensate resulting from temperature changes.

Step by step instructions for warming the chicken coop

Based on the cost, the most convenient type of insulation are polystyrene and mineral wool. Before starting insulation, the following tools are needed:

• electric drill;
• roulette;
• screwdriver;
• level;
• mounting knife for cutting foam;
• construction stapler;
• hacksaw.

• timber for the manufacture of the frame (4/4cm);
• sheets of foam or foam;
• self-tapping screws (for installation in wooden walls), dowels (for hard surfaces);
• mineral or basalt wool;
• vapor barrier film;
• any available panel material (drywall, plywood, reinforcing mesh).

The walls are insulated first. The procedure is as follows:

1. A beam is vertically strengthened over the entire surface of the walls at a distance of 60 cm (the width of the insulation). To do this, the timber of the required length is mounted with fasteners (self-tapping screws, dowels) to the wall, thereby creating a frame for laying insulation material.
2. The vapor barrier is fixed with the rough side to the wall. The film is fastened with double-sided tape or a construction stapler.
3. The heater is installed next. It can be a foam sheet, mineral wool, or both, depending on the thickness of the walls and climatic conditions. The material is installed on top of the film and tightly joined to the timber. Foam fasteners are carried out using dowels-umbrellas (large-diameter cap).
4. At the final stage, the foam sheet is sheathed with panels or a reinforced mesh is attached. Next, the walls are plastered with a cement mortar.

To insulate the roof from the inside, use the same sequence of actions as for the walls. Before the onset of cold weather, it is necessary to check the condition of the roof to prevent it from leaking. After the work done on the insulation of the room, the walls outside can be insulated in the same way, but plastered well enough.

Quality control of insulation

It is impossible to visually assess the quality of insulation, because possible imperfections are inside. Usually, for these purposes, they resort to using a thermal imager, but in the case of a chicken coop, this is not advisable. Therefore, quality control is carried out at the stages of material selection and proper installation. Possible errors can lead to the following:

• with the wrong choice of material, cracks appear due to shrinkage;
• if the installation rules are not followed, vapor barrier tightness is violated, the lack of ventilation leads to wetting and freezing of the walls.

To be sure of the quality of the purchased material, you need to pay attention to the following points:

• proven, well-known brand of the manufacturer;
• selection of material with suitable characteristics;
• product integrity.

High-quality installation of heaters will guarantee their long-term service and keep the heat in the room throughout the winter.

In winter, the productivity of laying hens noticeably declines, as the duration of daylight hours decreases and the ambient temperature decreases. The body of a bird is not designed to lay eggs in winter, but creating a favorable environment allows you to “deceive” it.

The paws of chickens are most susceptible to lowering the temperature - in the absence of litter, they freeze first.

It is important! The most comfortable mode is the temperature in the range - from +10 to +15 0С, but not less than +5. . After a long walk in the snow or in windy weather, the bird may catch a cold

Drafts and cold drinks also negatively affect her health. Chickens are very susceptible to cold snap - they begin to huddle together and at the same time they can trample each other. Wet feathers do not dry for a long time. If the temperature drops below zero, then the water and feed will freeze, which will lead to the exhaustion of the bird. Overheating is also undesirable - at high temperatures, chickens eat little, drink a lot and rush poorly. They have rapid breathing. You can notice this by the open beak and lowering of the wings.

After a long walk in the snow or in windy weather, the bird may catch a cold. Drafts and cold drinks also negatively affect her health. Chickens are very susceptible to cold snap - they begin to huddle together and at the same time they can trample each other. Wet feathers do not dry for a long time. If the temperature drops below zero, then the water and feed will freeze, which will lead to the exhaustion of the bird. Overheating is also undesirable - at high temperatures, chickens eat little, drink a lot and rush poorly. They have rapid breathing. You can notice this by the open beak and lowering of the wings.

Chickens have low immunity and thermoregulation, so they need the following temperature conditions:

• Up to 10 days - 22-24 0С (under the lamp - 32-34);
• Up to 20 days - 22-24 0С (under the lamp - 30);
• Up to 30 days - 22 0С (under the lamp - 24);
• Up to 40 days - 18 0С (under the lamp - 20);
• Up to 60 days - the temperature is gradually reduced to the general regime.

Humidity for day old chicks should not exceed 45% with a subsequent increase to 60%.

In the first days, the temperature for chickens must be maintained at 30 0C

Air exchange is also of great importance for birds, since adult chickens emit up to 4 liters of carbon dioxide, and litter and litter - hydrogen sulfide and ammonia.

Wall cladding is usually carried out with boards, but if there is a desire to fit the chicken coop into the general view of the yard, siding can also be used.

• Most often, the walls are sheathed with well-fitted boards. However, if there is a desire for the chicken coop to fit into the overall design of the site, then it can also be lined with vinyl clapboard (siding).

Ceiling insulation

Having insulated and lined the walls of the chicken coop, you can move on to the ceiling of the room.

• If the house is being built in a cold region, it is recommended, in addition to the rafter system, to install floor beams and hem a wooden ceiling, on top of which insulation will be made.
• Carry out this process as follows:
• On the frame of the walls, next to the rafters, bars of floor beams are laid.
• On top of the beams, sheets of plywood or moisture-resistant drywall can be fixed.
• Further, mineral wool is laid between the floor beams.
• Then the insulation is tightened with a vapor barrier film.
• Boards, drywall or plywood are fixed on top of it. The choice of this material depends on the preferences of the poultry owner.

Additional house insulation

The concrete floor is reliable and durable, but even with a claydite pillow, it will not fully provide the microclimate necessary for the bird in the winter. Therefore, the room requires additional insulation.

• If possible, an infrared film can be laid on the floor screed, which is then covered with a self-leveling self-leveling cement composition. Such a floor can be turned on if necessary, or it can work throughout the winter period, maintaining the desired temperature in the room, which should not be lower than 10 degrees Celsius.
• Another, perhaps the most inexpensive and common way to insulate a concrete coating is to install removable floors specially prepared for this particular room. These are boards tightly interconnected and fixed on logs. Such floors are convenient in that for the summer period they can be taken outside to be washed and treated with disinfectants.
• On top of the wooden flooring for the winter period, you need to additionally lay hay or straw, with a layer of 100 ÷ 150 mm - this will also insulate the floor surface.

How is floor insulation done?

If the floors in the chicken coop are already filled with concrete screed, then there are only 3 options for warming:

• arrange a deep organic litter of moss peat, straw, hay or sawdust;
• make a wooden flooring with expanded clay backfill between the lags;
• cover the concrete with foam plastic 5-10 cm thick and pour the screed again.

The diagram shows another method of thermal insulation for purely wooden floors. Expanded clay can be used instead of sawdust

Since the last two methods are quite expensive, litter is usually used in poultry houses. A layer of the listed types of organics is poured over the concrete, 10-15 cm thick. Thus, the desire of chickens to constantly row is satisfied.

The device of the insulated floor on the ground is produced according to the following technology:

1. Determine in advance the level of the finished floor of the house. Focusing on the thickness of the heat-insulating material and screed (about 10 cm), dig a pit of the required depth.
2. Compact the soil and cover the hole with polyethylene film (thickness 200 microns) for waterproofing. Bring the edges of the canvases 100 mm long onto the walls from all sides.
3. Fill the pit with expanded clay or lay foam. The minimum layer of bulk insulation is 150 mm, in cold regions - 300 mm. The thickness of the expanded polystyrene plates is at least 5 cm.
4. In order not to pour concrete in a thick layer, lay a reinforcing cage inside the future monolith by tying grids of rods with a diameter of 8-10 mm. From the same reinforcement, make beacons, along which you will begin to pull the rule when pouring. How it looks is shown in the photo.
5. Prepare a concrete mix of the M200 brand, consisting of 3 buckets of sand and 5 buckets of crushed stone, mixed with 1 volume of M400 cement. Pour the screed, leveling the concrete with the rule. It is recommended to keep a slope towards the drain for easy cleaning.

Advice. If you have the financial resources and want to be serious about raising chickens, put under the screed or electric infrared film.

The reinforced concrete screed completely hardens within 4 weeks, but it is allowed to walk on it earlier - after 10 days. If frosts are observed on the street at night, make chicken litter after the initial hardening of the mixture - it will protect the monolith from defrosting. How to properly equip floors with protection against rodents, see the next video:

How to insulate a chicken coop

In order to exclude conditions that provoke the development of bird diseases and a decrease in their egg production, the temperature in the room should not be lower than + 10 ° C. Optimum mode +10°С - +20°С. It can provide warming of the chicken coop for the winter.

In addition to a positive temperature, the absence of dampness is important for the comfort of birds. For this purpose, a ventilation system is installed, which can be of two types:. natural;
forced.

• natural;
• forced.

The first is the simplest and does not require the cost of its maintenance. For its device, you must follow the installation rules:

• stepping back 10-15 cm above the floor level, a pipe with a cross section of 50 mm is cut into the wall and brought out to the outside of the building;
• protect the hole from the penetration of dust and dirt into it with a mesh plug;
• a second pipe is cut under the ceiling on the opposite wall, which is brought out into the street in a similar way;
• increase the top tube, using a corner joint, 50-100 cm up and install a protective "fungus".

With natural ventilation, air circulation is provided due to the temperature difference near the floor of the chicken coop and under its ceiling. Cold air masses tend to go down, while warm air masses go up.

Forced ventilation involves embedding an exhaust device in the pipe, which is powered by the mains.

When deciding to insulate a chicken shed, you need to determine the thickness of the walls for high-quality heat retention in these climatic conditions. Those parameters that are optimal for regions with a southern climate will not be suitable for northern ones. In the first case, 10 cm of wall thickness is sufficient, in the second, 15-20 cm are needed. The correct choice of heat-insulating material is also important.

The arrangement of chicken coops provides for the insulation of all surfaces: walls, floors, ceilings. These tasks can be completed in a variety of ways.

How to insulate

It is important to insulate the walls, floor, ceiling and doors of the chicken coop so that the pets are comfortable at any time of the year. Let us dwell in more detail on the insulation of each part of the chicken coop.

Material selection

You can insulate a chicken house with any insulating materials, stuffing them from the inside or outside. Here are some insulation options:

1. Styrofoam. The material is inexpensive, with heat-insulating ability: one 5 cm slab can replace a 60 cm brick wall. It is attached to the wall with glue or long nails with plastic washers.
2. Mineral wool with protective membranes. From the street they have hydro- and windproof, having one-sided vapor permeability, inside - vapor-tight.
3. Moisture resistant drywall. The material is treated with special hydro-resistant and antifungal agents.
4. Styrofoam. The characteristics are similar to polystyrene, but at a much higher price. Outside does not require sheathing.
5. Any board material (fibreboard, gypsum board, plywood, OSB, etc.). Plates hold heat well.
6. Decoration Materials- wooden board, siding (vinyl lining).

box insulation

Having decided on the material of the insulation, you can proceed to the decoration of the room.

Learn how to build a beautiful chicken coop.

Walls

It is necessary to insulate the walls of the chicken coop both outside and inside, this will allow you to keep warm inside the room for a long time. Step-by-step guide to insulating the walls of a structure:

1. Cover the walls inside the chicken coop with plywood sheets or other slab material, leaving door and window openings open.
2. Nail the foam sheets from the outside with nails, fitting one sheet to the other, or attach mineral wool or polystyrene foam with staples.
3. When the walls are insulated with mineral wool or polystyrene foam, wooden slats are stuffed on top to create the required distance from the outer skin.
4. The top sheathing material can be well-fitted boards or siding.

Mineral wool has excellent thermal insulation properties, but requires sheathing

Floor

The floors in the chicken coop are insulated with deep bedding. In such a litter, heat is produced due to chemical and biological processes that produce temperatures up to + 25-30 degrees. In this case, an acidic environment is formed, which slows down the decomposition of the litter.

Learn how to use chicken manure as fertilizer.

The following types of raw materials can serve as an insulating layer for bedding inside the house:

1. moss peat. Perfectly adsorbs moisture and chicken manure, suppressing an unpleasant smell.
2. Wood sawdust and shavings. An acceptable proportion is two parts sawdust and one part shavings. It is best to use sawdust from needles, as they have a disinsection property. The material absorbs moisture well and does not cake. For better moisture permeability, sawdust can be mixed with peat in any quantity.
3. Straw or grass chaff. The material has moderate thermal insulation properties. The optimal length of straws is 3-5 cm, the initial layer is 20 cm. As it gets dirty, it is necessary to add litter with a layer of 10-15 cm, and also periodically loosen it to the full depth.

After use, these litter can be used as fertilizer for the garden.

Familiarize yourself with the features of using a fermentation bed.

Ceiling

Ceiling insulation technology in the poultry house:

1. Fix plywood sheets or moisture-resistant drywall on top of the floor beams from the attic side.
2. Lay mineral wool between the beams.
3. Stretch a vapor barrier membrane over the mineral wool.
4. Nail plywood or boards on top, fitting them close to each other.
5. From the inside, line the ceiling with chipboard or fiberboard.

Door insulation

Entrance doors are insulated as follows:

1. Outside, around the entire perimeter, upholster the doors with felt, and then cover with a film.
2. Upholster the inner surface of the doors with an old blanket or carpet.
3. From the inside, during a severe frost, the doors can be curtained with old blankets.
4. Insulate a small walking door during severe cold weather and close it tightly.

Find out, .

We isolate the roof of the poultry house

The roofs of any buildings, including chicken coops, are insulated from the inside. Thermal insulation material is laid between the roof beams and protected on both sides with different films:

• outside - a diffusion membrane that provides waterproofing and moisture removal from the insulation;
• from the inside - hermetically glued film that does not allow the penetration of water vapor (vapor barrier).

Roof insulation should be taken very seriously, since the lion's share of heat goes through the roof structures. The optimal thickness of the applied insulating material is 10 cm, the minimum is 50 mm.

Reference. The waterproofing layer of the membrane should be laid at the stage of installation of the roofing. The canvases are spread across the beams with a slight sag for water drainage and are attached to the rafters with counter-lattice strips.

Insulation of the roof of the chicken coop is carried out in the following order:

1. If the waterproofing is not laid under the corrugated board or other coating during installation, it will have to be fixed from below. Stretch the canvases across the rafters, wrapping each beam and fixing with a stapler.
2. Seal the joints of the overlapped membrane (10 cm) carefully with adhesive tape.
3. Cutting off pieces of the desired length, lay the insulation between the beams by surprise. To prevent the material from falling out, pull the twine tied to the clogged studs under the rafters.
4. Stretch the sheets of vapor barrier film and secure by nailing the strips to the ends of the beams.
5. Sew up the heat-insulating "pie" with plywood or other finishing material.

Recommendation. It is wrong to fix the waterproofing on brackets from below, since it is quite difficult to organize the flow of water. It is better to be patient, remove the roofing and lay the membrane as expected. Do not forget to turn it the right side up, otherwise the film will be useless.

General requirements

To create favorable conditions for the winter in the bird house, you need to satisfy a number of requirements:

1. The optimum air temperature for chickens is +15 °C, the minimum allowable temperature is +10 °C. When the room is cooled to zero degrees and below, the bird stops laying eggs.
2. It is unacceptable to keep pets on bare concrete or soil. The floors should be insulated and a deep bedding of straw, peat mixture or sawdust with shavings should be arranged, as shown in the photo.
3. It is important to eliminate drafts arising from cracks in door and window porches. The exit door must close tightly.
4. The walls of the chicken coop are recommended to be insulated from the outside. Inside, chickens can peck at heat-insulating material.
5. Full insulation implies sheathing of door panels.

No matter how carefully you try to isolate the chicken coop with your own hands, you need to install one or more heaters in the room for the winter. With the advent of frost, the temperature in the bird house will definitely decrease to a minimum, if heating is not provided. General information on the correct arrangement of the poultry house is given by an expert in the following video:

Note. The barn construction technology from the foundation to the roof is described in detail

Warming of openings

Most of the heat escapes through windows and doors. Their insulation must be carried out very carefully. The windows of the chicken coop with a walking area can be made small. They are usually performed from the south and east side. Window frames can be made removable or double. How to make them warm? For their insulation, a film is used. Such a 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 able to transmit light well. It is better if the door leading to the chicken coop is located on the south side. Such a decision will contribute to the fact that even during severe frosts the room can be ventilated. The door should be of such dimensions that it is convenient to remove the bedding from the chicken coop.

The door must be insulated. During severe frosts, it is hung with a carpet or rug. Insulation of the front door to the chicken coop is carried out 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.

Building Requirements

If you want to equip chickens with a comfortable "home" in which they will not freeze in winter, then you should know that such a building must meet a number of requirements. Only buildings erected in accordance with all norms will turn out to be really convenient and efficient.

Let's figure out what a good winter chicken coop should be like.

• It must be borne in mind that the place for the construction of a winter chicken coop should be located on a small hill. If you follow this requirement, then during the thaw period, when snow is actively melting, water will not penetrate into the building.
• Inside such a building, a comfortable temperature should always be maintained. The chicken coop must be warm. To meet this requirement, various heating devices are usually used. If there is no heating in such a building, then the owners of the site need to remember that it must be maintained at a temperature of + 5- + 10 degrees. Of course, these figures are approximate. The recommended temperature is +12 degrees or higher. In such conditions, the hens will rush without any problems.
• It is important to remember that the winter chicken coop must be dry. This requirement is due to the fact that with a high level of humidity inside the building, mold will soon start up, which will certainly provoke diseases of birds.
• In a winter chicken coop, high-quality artificial lighting should be present. In the summer season, a couple of small windows are quite enough for such a building, but in winter you simply cannot do without additional light bulbs. A short daylight hours will eventually lead to the fact that the birds will stop rushing, so artificial lighting should not be neglected.

These requirements are the most important when building a winter chicken coop. In addition, we must not forget that inside the building itself it should be as calm, safe and quiet as possible. Choose to build a chicken coop in a place on the site that is located away and located in a secluded corner.

Floor insulation

Particular attention is paid to the floor of the chicken coop. Insulation for it must meet certain requirements

The best option is bedding. It can be of different thickness. The litter is deep and shallow.

When growing birds in domesticated conditions, the first option is chosen. Its difference lies in the way heat is generated. Various chemical and biological processes constantly take place in it. This generates heat.

The temperature inside such a 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.

For litter insulation of the chicken coop, moss peat is often used. Such material perfectly absorbs moisture. Due to the use of moss peat, the pungent smell from chicken manure is eliminated. In addition, in the spring, the litter is used as a fertilizer.

Another popular way to insulate the 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, it is able to perfectly absorb water. Such material does not cake. To increase the moisture permeability, peat is added to the initial mixture.

Another popular insulation material is straw chaff. It should have a length of 3 to 5 cm. Thanks to the use of such material, the floor can be well insulated.

Initially, a deep bedding for insulation is laid in a layer having a thickness of 20 cm. As it gets dirty, new material is added. Each subsequent layer is made from 5 to 10 cm high. From time to time, the litter should be loosened, reaching to the very bottom.

Too massive foundation for the chicken coop is not required

The width of the trench should be 100 ÷ 150 mm more than the intended width of the foundation, the depth should be approximately 400 ÷ 450 mm.

• At the bottom of the trench, a pillow of 70 ÷ 100 mm of sand and the same one of crushed stone must be laid. The material is packed very carefully.
• Next, formwork is installed in the prepared trench. It should have the height to which it is planned to raise the walls of the chicken coop from the ground. In this case, the upper edge of the formwork can serve as a kind of beacon for leveling the solution.
• A dense polyethylene film is laid in the formwork and fixed on it with the help of staples, which waterproofs the concrete structure from ground and atmospheric moisture.
• Then, a reinforcement structure is installed in the prepared trench. There is no need to be too zealous - two or three bars of reinforcement with a diameter of 8 ÷ 10 mm are enough, since no large loads are expected.
• A concrete solution is being prepared (cement + sand in the usual ratio - 1: 3). You can also use crushed stone of a fine fraction. The solution is poured into the formwork, leveled and left to mature. In the early days, it is advisable to moisten it with water so that the surface does not crack when it hardens.
• After the foundation has completely dried and gained strength, a waterproofing material is laid on top of it. It will also keep the wooden structural elements and insulation material from capillary penetration of dampness, which means it will prolong their functionality.

chicken coop floor

The space framed by the foundation, intended for the building of the poultry house itself, must be cleared of the topsoil. Instead, expanded clay is poured, which will be an excellent insulation for the floor. Then a reinforcing mesh is laid on top of this insulation, a concrete screed with a thickness of at least 20 mm is poured. Concrete is leveled by the rule and left to dry and harden. It sometimes makes sense to make a slight, almost imperceptible slope to one side - this will facilitate cleaning in the chicken coop - the water will be drained to one place

Each of the owners prefers to equip the courtyard in their own way. Some believe that the soil should not be covered with a concrete screed, since the bird should walk in natural conditions. The bird loves to dig the ground, looking for worms, small pebbles or plant seeds. It is believed that such conditions help chickens grow faster and make them more resilient.

Other owners believe that it is better to make the yard also concrete, for reasons that it is easier to clean and it will last a longer time. On such a floor, periodically change the bedding of shavings, dry grass or straw.

Frame erection

The frame begins to be erected by laying a strapping of timber around the entire perimeter of the future chicken coop. The beam is taken approximately 100 × 150 mm in size. It is attached to the foundation with anchor bolts. Between themselves at the corners, the strapping bars are fastened for rigidity with metal corners.

We warm the walls

You can insulate the chicken coop for the winter from the inside with foil penofol if the walls are not made from boards, but from reliable material. Options for wall sealing are basalt wool and slab insulation. Insulation with foam plastic or foam plastic occurs in the form of plates. With your own hands, it is better to carry out wall insulation with plates. After all, the installation will require not so much time and effort. And when installing mineral wool, it will take a lot of time and special skills.

Let's take a closer look at how to insulate a chicken house from the inside. To begin with, we make a crate for the walls, which is made of bars 50x50 cm. The first bar is nailed. Align it depending on the vertical and horizontal position. To do this, we use the building level. The distance of nailing the next bars depends on the type of insulation material. For example, if you take mineral wool with a width of 60 cm, then the distance between the bars is 59 cm. This ratio can ensure a good fit of the insulation.

Mineral wool - modern insulation

For wooden walls, fastening occurs with nails or self-tapping screws. If the wall is made of foam blocks or expanded clay block, then the crate is attached using dowel-nails.

If the insulation occurs with a mineral product, then a vapor barrier film will be required. During installation, the main points are taken into account:

• We decide on the outer and inner side.
• We fasten this material with the help of staples, which are fixed with a special construction stapler.
• The sheets overlap each other at a distance of 1-2 cm.
• The seams are carefully glued with a special solution.

If installed correctly, then unnecessary moisture will not form inside the chicken coop.

Once the film is mounted in place, you can lay the insulation. Installation takes place by dense imposition of the material on each other.

The total thickness of the insulation layer should be more than 5 cm. If during installation gaps are formed between the insulation and the timber, then we fill it with construction foam. But it is better to avoid them, because in these places heat will subsequently come out.

When insulating with polystyrene foam or penofol, you should stock up on a mount called "dowel mushrooms". This is a fastener that is made of plastic. He has a wide hat and a hollow leg. It is used in conjunction with nails. First, a “mushroom” is installed in the slab, and then a nail is driven into its center. 5 such "dowels" are used per plate.

The vapor barrier layer is installed both under the insulation and on top. Thus, the insulating material is not exposed to moisture. This allows the material to retain thermal functions. Insulating walls with your own hands is simple, the main thing is to follow a certain sequence and rules.

If the chicken coop was not built from wooden building materials, then it is allowed to use modern insulation materials.

Modern materials for warming the chicken coop

chicken coop foundation

The basis for the construction is chosen depending on what material the walls will be built from. The total weight of the structure and the load on the foundation depend on this. Economically advantageous columnar base, which is built from bricks or concrete blocks.

• If it is planned to build a large poultry house from heavy building materials, then MZL (shallowly buried strip foundation) will be the best choice. It is a strip of monolithic reinforced concrete located along the perimeter of the future building.

Such a base is buried in the ground by 30-40 cm, the same amount should rise above the surface of the earth.

• If it is possible to build a chicken coop on screw piles, this will be one of the best options. Metal supports are durable and reliable. With such a foundation, a ventilated space is formed under the building, which favorably affects the safety of the lower trim and the lower ceiling.

How to build

Having decided on the location of the bird house and drawing its plan, you can proceed to the procurement of materials and directly to its construction.

Important! When building a chicken coop, do not forget to carefully measure the level of all vertical and horizontal surfaces so that the building ends up being even and lasts longer.

List of materials

In order for the building to be durable, it is important to choose high-quality materials. Before starting work, make sure of this, prepare everything you need:

1. For foundation- sand-cement mixture, screenings, gravel, wooden formwork, roofing material. You will also need a fine mesh, a level, a trowel, a tape measure, thin twine, iron rods or wooden pegs for marking.

   The foundation for the chicken coop can be made both columnar and tape

2. for walls- wooden beams, linen jute, iron staples, brick, shell rock, foam blocks, gas blocks, cement mortar, plywood, fiberboards (materials to choose from).

   Wood has excellent thermal insulation properties, but the life of this material is quite short.

3. for the roof- slate, fibreboard (DVP) or chipboard (chipboard) boards, plywood sheets, roofing felt or roofing felt, wooden slats for rafters, wooden floor beams.

   Despite the wide choice of modern roofing materials, slate is the best option.

4. For floor- floor logs (section 100 mm by 150 mm), wooden boards (thickness 2-2.5 cm), timber (10x10 cm), sheets of fiberboard or chipboard.

   You should be aware of chicken bedding and high humidity, so the boards will need additional processing.

For ventilation- ventilation pipes, wooden dampers for air outlets.

5. For nests and perches- sectional partitions made of slats, slats for perches, fiberboard sheets, wood chips or shavings.

   Hay or straw can be used as nest filler

6. Other materials- several brackets for attaching drinkers and feeders, fasteners for connecting parts, nails, hammer, electric jigsaw, stapler.

Important! Blanks from wooden boards and plywood intended for the poultry house must be treated with an antiseptic for wooden products, and also sanded with sandpaper.

Additional materials

If you can afford the additional cash outlay, then a film with infrared properties can be laid between the concrete screed and the soil.

In the cold regions of our country, this action will not only be justified, but will also pay off. After laying such a film, you do not have to use additional heating devices that consume electricity. The temperature will be stable throughout the season.

One of the easiest ways is to lay a layer of hay on concrete. To do this, you need to use a layer of about fifteen centimeters.

This will make it possible not only to protect the hens from contact with a cool surface, but also bring a lot of fun for the birds, because they love to dig in the straw and row it.

Some mount infrared heaters under the ceiling. They can not always be used, but turned on at the moment when additional heating is required.

Roof insulation

The better the roof insulation is, the easier it will be to maintain a comfortable positive temperature inside the chicken coop. The best option is the presence of an attic space in which you can store bedding or feed.

To insulate a chicken coop that does not have an attic space, it is better to use the same materials as for wall insulation. Ceiling beams can be used as crates. Do not neglect the device vapor barrier film.

A good option is to use layers of roofing material, vapor barrier membrane material and insulation. It does not make sense to use any more expensive materials, since properly performed insulation in the above way allows you to maintain the temperature inside the chicken coop at +20 ˚С even in very severe frosts, which is more than enough for the laying of birds.

The yard for walking can be closed with a common roof with a chicken coop

• And, of course, you will need to purchase insulation - it can be polystyrene or mineral wool, as well as one of the modern materials. And for warming the concrete floor, it is best to use expanded clay of a fairly large fraction.
• If outbuildings with main walls are already located on the site, and next to one of them there is enough space for an extension, then you can significantly save on materials and work time. It can also be noted here that it is easier to insulate a capital finished wall than a newly erected one, because it no longer shrinks and does not deform.
• Another important point is the choice of roofing material, since the roof structure arranged under it will largely depend on the type of coating. In any case, insulation material will be required for the roof.

Build Options

When calculating the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe chicken coop being built, you need to immediately decide where the heater will be located.

If the insulation is located outside or inside the walls, then the usable area is calculated based on the accepted optimal ratio - 1 sq. meter for five birds. In the event that it is planned to fix it from the inside, the total area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe building must be increased by the thickness of the insulation.

The foundation should be wider than the walls by 120 ÷ 150 mm, while the wall should be in the middle of the width of the foundation. A concrete reinforced foundation will not only help maintain the insulation of the building, but also protect it:

• From damage to the wooden elements of the structure, which may occur under the influence of moisture emanating from the ground. A concrete foundation will significantly extend the functionality of the building.
• From the possible penetration of various animals inside the chicken coop, which can easily dig under the wooden base of the structure - it can be a fox, rats and other predators. Given this possibility, the foundation can be raised above the ground by 250 ÷ 300 mm.

There are other options that help keep the bottom of the chicken coop from "visits" of unwanted guests. For example, you can raise its floor above the ground by 200 ÷ 250 mm by arranging a columnar foundation. Another way to protect can be metal sheets that sheathe the lower part of the building, sinking them into the ground by 300 ÷ 350 mm.

The process of building and insulating a poultry house

Starting the construction of a chicken coop, first mark the territory for the foundation or foundation of the building. The place is limited with the help of driven pegs and stretched twine. Inside this markup, the foundation for the chicken coop will be installed and the courtyard will be placed. You can also make a foundation for installing a patio fence by connecting it to the base of the chicken coop.

Foundation

• The construction of the foundation begins with the digging of a trench. Since the chicken coop is not a heavy building, a strip foundation or a column foundation is suitable for it. The second loses in the sense that the floor of the chicken coop will require more intensive insulation, since there will be free space under the house, and in cold weather the wind will walk there, cooling down the poultry room.

How to build a warm barn the right approach to the issue

Consider, for a start, the ideal option - the construction of a poultry shed according to all requirements. Experienced summer residents recommend building a poultry shed from foam blocks and gas blocks - in this case, the room will not have to be insulated. The disadvantage of this method is the extra financial costs. How to build a warm barn at minimal cost?

You can make wood concrete yourself - blocks of mixed wood chips, sawdust and cement. Of the costs - only the purchase of cement. It will need no more than 10% of the mass of sawdust, for one cube of finished material - about 250 kg. The advantages of wood concrete in construction are obvious - the room can be built on a lightweight foundation, it will not need to be insulated, the barn can be made spacious and high due to the cheapness of the finished wood concrete.

But with all the advantages, there is also a drawback - wood concrete does not tolerate moisture too well, therefore it is recommended to plaster it from the outside or upholster it with a waterproofing material, for example, the same roofing material.

Inside, the floor can be made of wooden boards - the material itself is quite warm. Do not forget about the perches - in this capacity, you can use old wooden boxes filled with straw. If there are a lot of chickens, they can be arranged in several levels. By the way, one of the ways to insulate the barn from the inside is to increase the number of chickens themselves, so if you build a large room, then you can get more chickens. We figured out how to make a warm barn with our own hands!

In the photo - the insulated roof of the barn, uyutniidom.com

In the photo - brekhoff.livejournal.com, brekhoff.livejournal.com

Photo of the barn before insulation, stroy-shkola.ru

Roof insulation photo, land.umonkey.net

Chicken coop insulation

Of course, warming a chicken coop for the winter is not limited to the choice of a place for its construction and the selection of building materials. Everything that the poultry house consists of requires the closest attention.

Walls

If your chicken coop is built of wood, be sure to get rid of gaps in the cracks before the onset of cold weather. They are usually insulated with moss or tow. You can protect the material from those who like to peck out everything that sticks out badly with wooden slats. Or, if time permits, build an additional layer of boards, laying foam between them. Such a double wall will make the house even warmer.

Floor

Those who keep chickens for more than a year know for sure: a brick or concrete floor is not suitable for keeping and breeding poultry. First, such a floor is simply cold, and wintering on such a basis for birds is, to put it mildly, problematic. Secondly, this is a very hard material, and chickens can damage the breast by climbing down on it from perches.

Professionals advise laying the floor from boards or using adobe. In any case, for a successful wintering of chickens, deep, up to 20 centimeters, litter is required. Dried sand, sawdust, straw are suitable as a filler.

Window

As experienced bird owners say, chicken coop windows are optional, but essential.

In conditions of a miserly daylight winter, the presence of sunlight in the house is extremely important. It is on this criterion that the egg production of laying hens in the cold depends, as well as the saturation of their body with vitamin D.

As a rule, windows (at least one is needed for a chicken coop) are installed on the east or west side. Some breeders advise hanging curtains on them so that the lights of passing cars, flying planes or passing ships do not disturb the birds.

Insulation of the chicken coop for the winter in relation to windows is due to the use of double frames. In the spring they can be removed, ventilate the room after wintering. And in the summer and completely replace it with a grid.

We plan the number of windows at the rate of 1 sq m of openings per 10 sq m of floor area. The height of the window placement is 70 cm from the bottom.

Roof

If you own a small number of birds, it makes sense to stay on a shed roof, this option is the most cost-effective. Gables already appear with an industrial approach, when chicken coops are too wide for the first solution.

You can cover such a roof with anything: reeds or straw, wood chips or tiles, roofing felt or boards. Although now the wavy slate is becoming the choice of most breeders.

As for the insulation of the chicken coop for the winter in the part of the roof, felt is used on the inside.

For additional heating of the room, you can purchase special lamps or heaters. Heating is due to infrared radiation. A prerequisite is that they must be inaccessible to birds.

What to build from

It is inexpensive to build a chicken coop from cinder block, foam concrete. If there is a place nearby where there is clay, you can expel the walls using adobe technology (hut mud or dry bricks).

If you need a budget warm chicken coop, you can make it like a dugout. The walls can be brought out half a meter above the level, in the south one can make well-insulated windows with double-triple glasses. It is good to insulate the piece that protrudes above the ground and the roof. For warmth, all walls, except for the south one, can be covered with earth. If the top is still covered with snow, it will be quite warm.

Those who are seriously going to breed poultry should think about building a foam concrete chicken coop: it is light, warm

Another most, perhaps, the most popular and economical option is a do-it-yourself frame chicken coop. Since the rooms are usually small, the beam for the frame needs a small section and it takes a little. The frame can be sheathed with board, plywood, OSB and other similar material. Lay insulation between the posts and sew on the other side. To prevent mice from settling in the insulation, people came up with the idea of ​​upholstering the insulation on both sides with a metal mesh with a small cell. This somewhat increases the cost of construction, but fighting mice is more expensive. It turns out a warm chicken coop and the thickness of the insulation depends on the region. You can focus on recommendations for the construction of frame houses.

Without insulation in the middle lane, a chicken coop made of logs or thick timber can do. Only the seams of the caulk need to be sewn up with slats. Not so much from drafts as from chickens: so as not to pull the tow or moss.

Windows and doors

The door should be located in the box without gaps. In addition, in any case, it is worth warming. After all, an uninsulated door can negate all measures for the insulation of other structures. The lower part of the door is equipped with a small gate for birds, which should also be insulated in winter.

Isolation of doorways is carried out using polystyrene foam and foam plastic. This is not done in the bottom row, because the bird can peck it out. The lower part, where the gate is located, is covered with planks of wood or a sheet of plywood.

Windows must not open. The function of windows in a chicken coop is to provide the birds with natural sunlight. This saves electricity.

In order for a bird to exist comfortably in a chicken coop, it must receive about ten hours of lighting per day. In the summer, glass is taken out of the windows to not only illuminate the chicken coop, but also ventilate it.

Some use such a budgetary technique as warming the coating with special removable floors. It looks like this: simple boards are firmly connected to each other and fixed with lags. This floor is especially convenient, as it can be pulled out into the fresh air in summer to be thoroughly washed and disinfected.

We insulate the ceiling and roof

Most of the chicken coops built for year-round poultry breeding are built with the construction of an attic, which stores food, materials for the manufacture of an insulating frame, bedding, etc. Its design is carried out in the most unpretentious way, so drafts always walk along it, taking away precious heat from chicken coop. That is why this part of the structure also needs to be carefully dealt with.

As a rule, you can insulate the roof using the same material that was chosen for the walls. The technique for performing this task depends only on how the roof is arranged. If it is a beam structure, then you are in luck - this is a real ready-made foam crate!

Insulation of the roof of the attic of the chicken coop using foam

In this case, do everything according to the first among the above methods of strengthening the walls, only in a horizontal position, adding the finish of the heat-insulating structure only as desired.

When the crate is represented by unedged boards, it is better to lay roofing material or a layer of parchment paper as a final element on top of the vapor barrier.

You can put parchment paper on top of the vapor barrier layer.

Step-by-step description of the roof and attic insulation process

Step 1

First of all, it is necessary to diagnose the condition of the ceiling and roof. Examine wooden beams or boards for rotting. If you find rotten areas, you will have to replace damaged wooden elements with new ones. Prepare fresh boards for installation by treating them with an antiseptic.

Decayed ceiling beam

Step 2

After installing the boards in place, fix them, for example, with mineral wool, which is one of the most popular ceiling insulation. In order to avoid its rapid wear and moisture penetration into the building, cover it with a vapor barrier film. Using a construction stapler, attach the cotton wool and film to the underside of the frame boards.

Fixing mineral wool on the ceiling

Step 3

If necessary, insulate the boards with another layer of mineral wool on top, repeating the steps described in the first two steps.

Insulation of the roof of the chicken coop with a beam frame

Step 4

Ceiling lined with clapboard

Now you know all the popular, effective and simple ways to self-insulate your chicken coop. However, for the most restless poultry farmers, who will not find this enough, we have prepared something else!

Warming

Warming and heating - these two issues are very closely related: in a warm chicken coop, even in severe cold, you can do without heating. There are many examples. No matter how economical heating is, as a result it flies into a good penny. Therefore, it is much more cost-effective to immediately build a well-insulated barn than to pay annually for heating it later.

As a heater, you can use any modern materials. You can stuff them from the inside or outside. The main selection criterion is most often the cost. The most optimal is foam. It is inexpensive, has excellent thermal insulation ability: a 5 cm thick slab replaces a 60 cm brick wall. Mounted on glue or long nails with plastic washers, you can put pieces of some kind of plastic.

Chicken coop insulation with mineral wool

You can also use mineral wool and polystyrene foam. But mineral wool requires the presence of membranes on both sides. Outside, they put a wind-hydro-protective one with one-sided vapor permeability (vapours must be removed from the insulation). Inside (indoors) steam Not permeable.

Styrofoam is definitely good. The characteristics are even better than those of polystyrene, even mice do not like it. But he's expensive. But, you don’t even need to sheathe it: the plates are even, smooth, and there are also colored ones.

You can also use natural heaters: hammer sawdust between two planes, coat with clay mixed with sawdust, etc. In terms of heat conservation, such insulation is inferior to modern materials, but it costs practically nothing. So these methods are also used. For the southern regions with mild winters, “folk” warming is more than enough, but even in the central part, and even more so in the North, they are probably not enough.

Floor insulation is done according to the same scheme as for the house: a draft floor, logs on it, a heater between them, a finishing floor on top. Make it as warm as possible: you won't regret it.

Not everyone makes the floor wooden. There is also adobe - clay is mixed with straw and allowed to dry, or concrete. The coldest is concrete, but if enough sawdust is poured in, it will be fine. And if, all of a sudden, you still make a concrete floor with insulation (at least brick up the bottles), it will be generally excellent.

Option to insulate the floor in the chicken coop

When you are still planning a winter chicken coop with your own hands, consider the presence of a vestibule. This small extension allows you to significantly reduce heat loss, and therefore reduce heating costs.

The interior arrangement of the chicken coop is described here.

Floor insulation

Start warming the chicken coop from the bottom of the room. A litter must be placed on the floor of the building. At this stage, savings will not work. You can make the layer small, but this will definitely reduce the final thermal insulation efficiency. Deep bedding will provide a very comfortable temperature for the bird from about + 25 ° C to + 28 ° C.

Chicken coop floor option

A variety of materials can be used as insulation for your chicken coop.

moss peat

Universal material, suitable for warming the chicken coop is ideal. Due to its structure, it perfectly copes with moisture and bird droppings, absorbing them without residue. This absorbent capacity of the material helps prevent the spread of bad odor and unsanitary conditions in general. Peat bedding also has a beneficial effect on the health of chickens: drying the paws, the material protects them from the appearance of dermatitis and other skin diseases.

For zealous owners, moss peat will be a real gift, because it can be reused. After serving as bedding in a chicken house, it will become an ideal fertilizer for beds.

moss peat

Straw

has a high capacity for accumulation and long-term preservation of heat. Usually the floor is covered with straw, and dry grass, which gives the bedding softness.

It is important to remember that the layer of this material must be at least 20 cm. As it caking, it will be necessary to add 10 cm

on top to keep the room cool.

When buying or harvesting straw, carefully monitor its quality. Moldy grass can lead not only to rotting of the entire flooring, but also to the occurrence of serious diseases in chickens.

Thatched chicken coop

Shavings and sawdust

The last in a row, but not on merit, option. Giving preference to it, purchase wood waste from coniferous trees. As you know, the oils contained in this type of wood have healing and disinfecting properties. Another ability of such a litter is to maintain an optimal moisture balance inside the chicken coop, which will also have a very beneficial effect on the well-being of birds.

Sawdust is a good option for floor insulation

The optimal ratio for covering the floor will be three parts of wood chips and one part of sawdust. It is important to periodically loosen the litter to prevent caking.

Do not let the bird into the chicken coop covered with this material until the feeders are full, as the hens can simply peck at the fresh and tasty flooring.

Video - How to make a warm floor in a chicken coop from hay and shavings

Buying ready-made winter chicken coops

If you have no desire to start construction on your personal plot or you are not sure that you can make a high-quality winter chicken coop with your own hands, then it makes sense to purchase a ready-made structure.

Given that the breeding of domestic chickens is very popular in our country, there are a lot of companies that specialize in selling ready-made chicken coops.

The most budget model, designed for keeping five or seven layers, will cost you about 20,000 rubles. Depending on the materials, workmanship and dimensions, there are ready-made designs on the market for a much higher price category.

You can buy a chicken coop made according to your individual order and drawings. Of course, such a purchase will cost more, but the room will meet all your requirements.

Of the advantages of acquiring ready-made chicken coops, it can be noted that you don’t have to do anything with your own hands. Companies involved in their implementation usually provide services for the delivery and installation of finished structures.

In addition, specialists take part in the design of ready-made chicken coops, so you can be sure that the purchase will meet all the necessary requirements for keeping chickens.

Speaking of finished products, one cannot fail to mention Dodonov's chicken coops. Each building is a real work of art, in which every detail is provided. Only the high price of finished structures is embarrassing - from 100,000 rubles and more.

In fact, the chickens do not care how they get a winter house. The main thing is that it is dry, warm and comfortable.

Therefore, to build a winter chicken coop with your own hands or to purchase a ready-made building is a purely personal matter for each person.

What do birds need for a good winter

Chickens are very susceptible to frost. Therefore, many poultry farmers often face various diseases caused by hypothermia. It is simply necessary to build and equip a shelter for the economy correctly. And it's easy.

The main thing to observe a number of nuances during construction:

• Humidity. High humidity is the worst enemy for chickens. Especially if it is combined with a low temperature. In this situation, the disease cannot be avoided. The upper respiratory tract is often affected. To prevent this from happening, the winter chicken coop should always be dry.
• Lighting. Without light, birds will develop correctly, they will not feel good. Therefore, it is desirable that the building has many large windows. In addition, each of the windows must be insulated. To avoid heat loss. Light for laying hens is a source of vitamin D. Therefore, it is important to take care of the organization of artificial lighting.
• Temperature. In a cool building, females stop rushing, growing, and often get sick. In addition, the birds begin to consume more feed. And this often leads to obesity. Therefore, it is very important that the temperature in the chicken coop for laying hens does not fall below normal in winter. For this, the room is additionally insulated. And if necessary, install heaters.
• Ventilation. In a closed barn without a good ventilation system, the birds will be stuffy. This also negatively affects their well-being. When birds breathe, the room is filled with carbon dioxide, water vapor. When the litter decomposes, ammonia is released, the vapors of which are very toxic. Therefore, you need to take care of good ventilation.

How to build a winter chicken coop for 10 chickens is quite simple. But at the same time, the breed of birds should be taken into account. So, up to 3 ordinary laying hens can be placed on one square meter. If we are talking about broilers, 4 individuals will fit per square meter. Indeed, for representatives of the meat direction, there is always less space. There are a lot of drawings on the Internet that can be taken as a basis when creating a poultry house for 10 chickens.

Chicken coop heating

In areas with mild climatic conditions, they do without heating the house, being content with one incandescent lamp to lengthen daylight hours and the heat that it radiates. But in regions where winters are severe, this is clearly not enough. Heating happens both with use of electricity, and without it.

With electricity

In modern conditions, in addition to the usual light bulb, the use of electrical appliances is widespread: oil radiators, convectors, heat guns, infrared lamps. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of each method.

Oil radiator

Using an oil cooler has many advantages:

• Profitability;
• Noiselessness;
• slow cooling;
• Fire safety;
• Long service life.

There are also some drawbacks;

• Uneven heating of the room;
• For a large area, one heater is not enough.

Convector

This unit has the same advantages and disadvantages as an oil cooler, only it also cools down instantly. Forced convection is carried out by a built-in fan. The device costs more, it makes a lot of noise during operation, but it provides more uniform heating.

The surface of the electric convector practically does not heat up during operation, so the chickens will not be able to burn themselves on it

infrared lamps

A good option for a chicken coop, because the lamps:

• Silent;
• Cheap;
• Economical;
• They heat objects, not air (the litter will be dry, and the air will not be overdried).

The efficiency of infrared lamps reaches 98%, and thermal energy is evenly distributed over the entire area of ​​the room

The devices have the following disadvantages:

• Since they emit light, they can only be used during the daytime, in order not to disturb the light regime;
• Products are fragile and can easily break;
• For uniform heating, you need to place several lamps, as they are point sources of heat.

Film radiant electric heaters

A variety of infrared heaters copes well with heating chicken coops of any size. They are safe for birds even in direct contact, since the radiating surface has a low temperature. It is better to place them on the ceiling, and then the infrared flux will be directed to all objects, including the litter, heating it up to 18-22 degrees.

Devices do not need repair and maintenance, they can work up to 40 years. In addition, the equipment does not reduce air humidity and is relatively fireproof. The film does not create a horizontal airflow, that is, dangerous drafts, and is immune to power surges.

All electric heaters will require mesh fencing to prevent bird burns. In addition, you will need a thermometer and a thermostat so that the heat is supplied automatically.

The maximum power of the film ceiling IR heater can reach 500 W

without electricity

Many poultry farmers heat chicken coops with stove or gas heating:

• The metal stove "potbelly stove" is easy to install, works on any non-toxic materials: wood, pallets and briquettes. However, it is a fire hazard, cools quickly and requires a lot of time for maintenance. The device requires a mesh fence to operate.
• A brick stationary stove is identical to a "potbelly stove" in maintenance, fuel and fencing, but it keeps heat longer.
• A diesel-fueled stove is more compact, economical and safer in terms of fire. It has a control system that turns off the furnace in case of overheating.
• The gas heating system is used on large farms, as it is very expensive and requires professional installation of equipment.

Video: heating the chicken coop in winter

From the above, we can conclude that for heating the chicken coop it is better to have two types of heating - constant and autonomous, used in unforeseen situations. For example, an IR film for constant heating and a potbelly stove - in case of a power outage or severe frost.

The process of heating the chicken coop should be approached with all responsibility, since the temperature regime when keeping poultry should be comfortable all year round. Chickens are sensitive to both lack and excess heat.

conclusions

How to properly insulate a chicken coop? To carry out such work, you will need to know certain subtleties of the process. Warming the chicken coop, no matter how simple this work may seem, allows you to save the number of chickens and the resulting eggs. Laying hens will supply their owner throughout the winter, if you approach this work correctly.

When performing such work, you should take care of complex insulation. It is necessary to create a reliable roof and walls. Do not forget about floor insulation. For this, different materials are used. When using their modern varieties, you can get comfortable living conditions for chickens. In a warmed chicken coop, you can breed a fairly large number of birds.

Many owners of suburban areas are thoroughly warming the chicken coop. This allows you to keep the layers in the amount in which they were bred in the summer. In addition, such work allows you to provide yourself with a sufficient number of eggs. Creating favorable conditions for laying hens can be quite simple. This will take time and some preparation.

Domestic chickens should not only gain weight, but also rush well. To do this, they need to be provided with sufficient feeding and optimal growing conditions. If it is decided to transfer the bird to year-round maintenance, then appropriate measures must be taken. This material will consider in detail - how to insulate a chicken coop for the winter with your own hands with a description of each stage.

What temperature should be in the chicken coop in winter

In winter, the productivity of laying hens noticeably declines, as the duration of daylight hours decreases and the ambient temperature decreases. The body of a bird is not designed to lay eggs in winter, but creating a favorable environment allows you to “deceive” it.

The paws of chickens are most susceptible to lowering the temperature - in the absence of litter, they freeze first.

It is important! The most comfortable mode is the temperature in the range - from +10 to +15 0 С, but not less than +5.

After a long walk in the snow or in windy weather, the bird may catch a cold. Drafts and cold drinks also negatively affect her health. Chickens are very susceptible to cold snap - they begin to huddle together and at the same time they can trample each other. Wet feathers do not dry for a long time. If the temperature drops below zero, then the water and feed will freeze, which will lead to the exhaustion of the bird. Overheating is also undesirable - at high temperatures, chickens eat little, drink a lot and rush poorly. They have rapid breathing. You can notice this by the open beak and lowering of the wings.

Chickens have low immunity and thermoregulation, so they need the following temperature conditions:

• Up to 10 days - 22-24 0 C (under the lamp - 32-34);
• Up to 20 days - 22-24 0 C (under the lamp - 30);
• Up to 30 days - 22 0 C (under the lamp - 24);
• Up to 40 days - 18 0 C (under the lamp - 20);
• Up to 60 days - the temperature is gradually reduced to the general regime.

Humidity for day old chicks should not exceed 45% with a subsequent increase to 60%.

In the first days, the temperature for chickens must be maintained at 30 0 С

Air exchange is also of great importance for birds, since adult chickens emit up to 4 liters of carbon dioxide, and litter and litter - hydrogen sulfide and ammonia.

Insulation of the chicken coop for the winter

First of all, you need to decide on the materials and their quantity:

• Various beddings are used for the floor;
• For walls, it is permissible to use penoplex, penofol, polystyrene, mineral or basalt wool;
• For the roof - foam, mineral wool, penofol, felt, vapor barriers.

Floor insulation

A concrete floor made of concrete is quite reliable, but even with an expanded clay cushion, it is not able to give the bird the necessary warmth in the winter. Therefore, it makes sense to lay an infrared film on it and cover it with a self-leveling cement mixture. Such a floor can be turned on on especially cold days or not turned off at all.

You can also make removable floors from tight-fitting boards that need to be laid on the logs. This material with the onset of heat can be taken out into the air, washed and disinfected.

First of all, chickens' paws freeze, so the presence of deep litter is a prerequisite for their successful wintering. Bird droppings, when mixed with organic litter, cause a decomposition process with the release of heat. This is the so-called passive heating.

It is important! Deep litter should be loosened 1-2 times a week in order to dry, weather ammonia from it and prevent the layer from exceeding the permissible temperature.

Sprinkle slaked lime under any bedding to prevent the appearance of fleas and ticks.

Another option for floor insulation is straw. The material is able not only to accumulate heat, but also to keep it for a long time. Straw bedding is laid in a layer of 30-40 cm, and covered with dry grass on top for softness. When the litter is caking, it is necessary to periodically add it from above - 12-15 cm each. The straw must be dry, without moldy inclusions, as they can cause rotting of the entire flooring and, accordingly, lead to serious diseases of the bird.

Sawdust and shavings are also suitable for floor insulation. It is preferable to choose waste from coniferous trees, since they also have disinfectant properties. Also, this bedding helps to regulate the moisture balance in the chicken coop, which improves the well-being of the birds. The optimal ratio of sawdust and chips is 1 to 2.

Softwood shavings and sawdust are endowed with disinfectant properties and absorb moisture well

It is important! Birds may peck at fresh cover, so feeders should always be full.

Peat moss or sphagnum is ideal for warming the floor in a chicken coop, as it completely absorbs droppings and moisture. Thanks to its adsorbing capacity and structure, it prevents unsanitary conditions and the spread of odor. In addition, peat moss prevents the appearance of dermatitis and other skin diseases, drying the paws of chickens.

After the litter has served its time, it can be used on a suburban area as a fertilizer.

Peat moss is often used as a thermal insulation material due to its low thermal conductivity.

wall insulation technology

Based on the fact that the walls of the chicken coop are most often made of wooden building materials (in the north - from a log or timber, in the middle lane and in the south - from boards), they must be insulated before the onset of cold weather. First, the joints are sealed with tow or building moss. In cases with brick walls or walls made of foam blocks, the cracks that appear are puttied. If this is not enough, then, depending on the weather conditions in a particular region, additional insulation is created. There are several options.

First way

This method involves the use of sheet insulation and consists of the following steps:

1. The first step is to make a crate for insulation. To do this, vertical bars are fixed in level at a distance of 60 cm. They do this in such a way that the racks are in all corners. Cross-beams can also be made between them, which will increase the operating time of the structure. Fastening is carried out with nails, screws or self-tapping screws. On solid walls - dowels.
2. Then you need to overlap the vapor barrier using a construction stapler.
3. Styrofoam sheets with a thickness of at least 5 cm are inserted into the niches obtained from the bars. Mineral and basalt wool, as well as other sheet materials, can be used. The seams are sealed with building foam, making sure that when it expands, it does not deform the insulation. Fasten the material with plastic "mushrooms".
4. Then lay another layer of vapor barrier.
5. From above, the structure must be closed with any practical finish. Wooden slats, flat slate, drywall or plain boards may work. Insulation can be laid without the construction of a frame, fixing it to plywood.

Styrofoam will be an excellent choice for insulating the walls of the chicken coop due to the winning price-quality ratio

Second way

This method uses an insulating mixture. The procedure is as follows:

1. Lay a vapor barrier, fastening the strips with tape.
2. Two rows of boards are fastened with a distance between rows of 10-20 cm. An insulation mixture will be compacted between them.
3. Any loose natural materials (needles, sawdust, dry leaves, etc.) are mixed with lime 25: 1 and placed between the boards.

The insulation mixture for the chicken coop is made from natural bulk materials and lime

Third way

The third method uses a plaster mass of shavings and sawdust:

1. On the walls of the chicken coop, shingles are attached in two layers diagonally and in different directions (cross to cross).
2. A plaster mass is prepared from clay and shavings or sawdust and allowed to infuse for 3 hours.
3. A mass is applied to the shingle with a layer of 3 cm.
4. After drying, the resulting cracks are covered with a solution of clay and sand (1: 2).
5. Treat the surface with quicklime.
6. They are covered with any material so that the chickens cannot peck at the insulation.

The shingles must be fixed in two layers diagonally crosswise

How to insulate the roof and ceiling

As you know, warm air rises because it is lighter than cold air. If there are holes in the ceiling of the chicken coop, then heat will escape through them. That is why you need to audit for the presence of cracks. If they are found, then the boards need to be adjusted tightly to each other and caulked. It makes sense to hem the ceiling with a new clapboard using kleimers (metal staples).

From the side of the attic to the ceiling, between the logs, any insulation is laid (mineral wool, penofol, felt, etc.), lined with vapor barrier on both sides. Attach it with a construction stapler to the beams.

Mineral wool has one of the lowest thermal conductivity indicators, which quite fully characterizes its high level of thermal insulation.

It is important! All wooden elements must be pre-treated with anti-rotting agents.

You can use the attic to store bedding or dry food.

We insulate windows and doors

In the chicken coop, most often they make one small removable window with a double frame from the south or east. This is quite enough for the life of the bird. Such a window can be removed in the summer, pulling a mesh instead.

For the winter, it needs to be insulated by additionally tightening it with plastic wrap and upholstered around the perimeter with felt tape or foam rubber. You can use masking tape or tape. If the frame is skewed, then use silicone sealant or mounting foam.

The doorway is insulated in the same way with the help of felt and film, and the door itself is covered with an old carpet or an unnecessary carpet. Also apply:

• Styrofoam;
• Penofol;
• Sintepon;
• Batting;
• Mounting foam.

To do this, the door is removed from the hinges, the external elements (lock and handle) are dismantled from the outside. A rectangle corresponding to the size of the door is cut out from a suitable insulation. Outer upholstery is cut out of dense fabric or leatherette 20 cm longer than the insulation on each side.

The insulated door should fit snugly against the walls to prevent drafts.

Then a heater is placed on the door, fixed with brackets along the diagonals and the perimeter. Leatherette is pulled on top and, bending it under the insulation, is attached outside the door leaf. Install the handle.

Video: an example of a well-insulated chicken coop

Chicken coop heating

In areas with mild climatic conditions, they do without heating the house, being content with one incandescent lamp to lengthen daylight hours and the heat that it radiates. But in regions where winters are severe, this is clearly not enough. Heating happens both with use of electricity, and without it.

With electricity

In modern conditions, in addition to the usual light bulb, the use of electrical appliances is widespread: oil radiators, convectors, heat guns, infrared lamps. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of each method.

Oil radiator

Using an oil cooler has many advantages:

• Profitability;
• Noiselessness;
• slow cooling;
• Fire safety;
• Long service life.

There are also some drawbacks;

• Uneven heating of the room;
• For a large area, one heater is not enough.

This unit has the same advantages and disadvantages as an oil cooler, only it also cools down instantly. Forced convection is carried out by a built-in fan. The device costs more, it makes a lot of noise during operation, but it provides more uniform heating.

The surface of the electric convector practically does not heat up during operation, so the chickens will not be able to burn themselves on it

The efficiency of infrared lamps reaches 98%, and thermal energy is evenly distributed over the entire area of ​​the room

The devices have the following disadvantages:

• Since they emit light, they can only be used during the daytime, in order not to disturb the light regime;
• Products are fragile and can easily break;
• For uniform heating, you need to place several lamps, as they are point sources of heat.

Film radiant electric heaters

A variety of infrared heaters copes well with heating chicken coops of any size. They are safe for birds even in direct contact, since the radiating surface has a low temperature. It is better to place them on the ceiling, and then the infrared flux will be directed to all objects, including the litter, heating it up to 18-22 degrees.

Devices do not need repair and maintenance, they can work up to 40 years. In addition, the equipment does not reduce air humidity and is relatively fireproof. The film does not create a horizontal airflow, that is, dangerous drafts, and is immune to power surges.

All electric heaters will require mesh fencing to prevent bird burns. In addition, you will need a thermometer and a thermostat so that the heat is supplied automatically.

The maximum power of the film ceiling IR heater can reach 500 W

without electricity

Many poultry farmers heat chicken coops with stove or gas heating:

• The metal stove "potbelly stove" is easy to install, works on any non-toxic materials: wood, pallets and briquettes. However, it is a fire hazard, cools quickly and requires a lot of time for maintenance. The device requires a mesh fence to operate.
• A brick stationary stove is identical to a "potbelly stove" in maintenance, fuel and fencing, but it keeps heat longer.
• A diesel-fueled stove is more compact, economical and safer in terms of fire. It has a control system that turns off the furnace in case of overheating.
• The gas heating system is used on large farms, as it is very expensive and requires professional installation of equipment.

Video: heating the chicken coop in winter

From the above, we can conclude that for heating the chicken coop it is better to have two types of heating - constant and autonomous, used in unforeseen situations. For example, an IR film for constant heating and a potbelly stove - in case of a power outage or severe frost.

The process of heating the chicken coop should be approached with all responsibility, since the temperature regime when keeping poultry should be comfortable all year round. Chickens are sensitive to both lack and excess heat.