How to Make a Chicken Coop for 20 Chickens? Step-by-Step Instructions and Requirements

Every farmer who keeps chickens on his plot knows very well that this poultry needs to be provided with the most comfortable conditions.

Only if this condition is met can you get good eggs and quality meat. For laying hens, it is necessary to build a reliable chicken coop in which they will be comfortable and safe.

Today we will learn how to set up an all-season chicken coop with your own hands for 20 chickens.

Requirements for construction

Blueprints

A chicken coop designed to hold 20 laying hens can have different designs. That is why before starting construction work, you should prepare a plan-project of the future construction. Let’s get acquainted with some interesting options.

In many areas, there are tall poultry houses consisting of two main parts – the innermost room, made in the form of a neat house with a gable roof, and a yard for walking the birds, fenced with lattice material.

Small but wide wooden steps can lead to the door leading to the inside of the chicken coop. Such a structure will not take up much space, but the hens will be able to live and walk in it without going beyond safe limits.

The chicken coop can also be a rectangular structure with a small pitched and flat roof. According to the plan, such a construction can consist of a room where the chickens will live, as well as a closed area for walking with bars.

This type of structure is very similar to the one described above, but has some differences – in this chicken coop, the bird ladder is located inside the mesh structure, and the walking area is equipped with a large mesh door.

On the side of the structure there may be one large box with two compartments intended for laying hens. To make cleaning the perch easier, such a construction may be equipped with a pull-out tray installed at the bottom of the “house”.

For a small number of chickens, it is quite possible to make a simple structure with two slopes. If the chicken coop has such a structure, then precipitation will slide down its roof without penetrating inside.

If you plan to use this structure all-season, it will require additional insulation. In this case, it is permissible to insulate the roof with mineral wool. Next, this base should be covered with inexpensive chipboard sheets.

There are many options for constructing a chicken coop for 10-20 hens. In any case, you will first need to draw up detailed drawings indicating all the dimensions of the structure. Only with an accurate plan will you be able to build a strong barn for laying hens that will last a long time.

Features of design in summer and winter

Lettom

This type of poultry house is suitable for growing broilers, since they have time to gain muscle mass before the cold weather sets in. It will also be useful when owners need to keep egg-laying hens in the summer in a place other than where they spend the winter and/or spend the night.

And in another place: for example, from a barn or garage located in the city, transport to the dacha. Or if the walking area is equipped separately from the winter house.

Multi-tiered chicken coops are often found in the stationary version. They allow you to raise many meat-breed chickens in a relatively small area.

in winter

A winter chicken coop is an insulated structure that does not provide for walking. In warmer regions, where the temperature rarely drops below 5-10 degrees below zero, an area for walking is still equipped.

It is mandatory to have a vestibule separating the entrance to the poultry house from the room where the hens are kept. This layout allows you to avoid excessive hypothermia and save on heating.

It should be noted that building a winter poultry house only makes sense if the chickens are taken to another location for the warm period.

What height should I make my chicken coop?

When building a chicken coop, you also need to decide on the height of the building. For birds, a height of about 140-150 cm is enough. But you need to remember that you will have to clean the poultry house, collect eggs, and change the bedding.

So when choosing the height of the poultry house, proceed from your own convenience. For this reason, the roof is made higher than head level – so that you can walk upright.

No overlap

There are two options for installing the roof. First: if the poultry house will be without a ceiling, the walls can be extended by about 140-150 cm, the roof can be made gable and the ridge raised by 180-200 cm (or a little higher, as you prefer).

In this case, you can move around the center of the room without problems, but we still rarely go along the edges. There is usually a perch and nests there, there may be bedding. You will have to work carefully in this area, protecting your head.

The advantage of this option is that with such a device we save on wall material. The disadvantage is that more is spent on roof insulation: it must be insulated over the entire area, which is significantly more than would be required when insulating the ceiling. But, in general, this option is less expensive, but also less convenient (you have to protect your head).

With an attic

The second option for how to build a chicken coop for 10-20 chickens is to make a mini-copy of a regular house. In this case, the walls are driven in to the height necessary for free movement inside. This is the height of a person, plus 10-20 cm.

But keep in mind that part of the height will go to the ceiling, there will also be a floor, bedding on it. Each requires about 15 cm of height. So, if the height of the owner of the chicken coop is 180 cm, you will have to make walls with a minimum height of 220-230 cm.

As you can see, this option will require more materials for the walls, but you can only insulate the ceiling, and leave the attic cold. The attic can also be used to store straw, bedding, etc. But do not forget about rodents, who adore such storage and can become a problem.

On the pillars

Another option: make a chicken coop for 10 chickens on poles. In this case, 4 beams are dug into the ground at the corners of the building, the floor is laid at a height of 50-80 cm from the ground level.

The roof is made at a height of 180-200 cm. In general, this is a convenient option for a mini-chicken coop for a summer house. The option is more for summer, but it can be insulated. In order for the bird to be able to enter and exit, an inclined ladder is made from boards with thin perches nailed approximately every 10 cm – so that it is easier for the bird to move.

How to do it yourself?

Many farmers build chicken coops themselves. The implementation of these works cannot be called difficult. The main thing is to follow all the points of the instructions. Do not neglect any of the stages of the work.

Necessary tools and materials

First, it is necessary to highlight the list of tools that will be useful to the master when building a chicken coop:

• a hammer;
• nails and screws;
• saw;
• screwdriver;
• roulette;
• shovel;
• plane;
• axe.

Site Selection

The location for the chicken coop should be chosen taking into account the following requirements:

• Elevated terrain. If the structure is located in a lowland, during rains the water will wash away the chicken droppings and the entire area will be contaminated, which can cause helminthic invasion and intestinal infections for people.
• Excess moisture is dangerous for birds, as it provokes the development of arthritis and colds. Another factor that speaks against such placement of the chicken coop is the later melting of snow in the lowlands. This will lead to the fact that the start of walking will have to be postponed for several weeks.
• No drafts and protection from the wind. Chickens do not like a sharp drop in temperature and strong air currents. Such changes in the microclimate in the poultry house provoke a decrease in egg production and slow down weight gain, affect the quantity and quality of young animals if the hen is sitting on eggs.
• Peace and safety. Stressful situations often cause a decrease in immunity in chickens, as a result of which some birds get sick and even die. You cannot put a chicken coop next to a constant source of noise. An area open on all sides is not suitable. It is desirable that the structure be covered on all sides by plantings, a hedge or a board fence, but not tightly.
• Illumination. The amount of light and the length of daylight hours directly affect the egg production of hens. You can save on artificial lighting if the windows of the poultry house face the south side – with this arrangement, the sun’s rays will penetrate the room from dawn to dusk. It is advisable to place the entrance to the chicken coop on the east side.

If there is a well or borehole on the site that is used to collect drinking water, they must be located at a distance of at least 40 m from the chicken coop.

Construction order

Having drawn up all the necessary diagrams and drawings, you can proceed to preparing the foundation of the chicken coop. Keep in mind that for the construction of the chicken coop, you should choose places located on a slight elevation. In this way, you will be able to protect the future poultry house from the penetration of destructive dampness into its interior.

The foundation is not a mandatory component of the chicken coop. But if you still decide to make it, it is recommended to choose from the following options, which are ideal for poultry houses:

• Columnar base. Such a foundation will be an excellent solution when constructing a frame chicken coop. Columnar foundations are usually made of block materials or concrete mix. The supports (pillars) must be fixed along the perimeter of the planned building.

• Pile. In most cases, a pile foundation is installed if we are talking about areas with heaving or marshy soil. The piles themselves must be installed in the recesses made in the ground along the perimeter of the future building. If you have chosen a pile-and-grillage foundation, it can be used when constructing a more impressive poultry house from blocks.

• Tape. This type of foundation is rightfully considered one of the most popular and frequently encountered. It can be used regardless of the size of the chicken coop you plan to build on the site. This foundation is prepared using a concrete mixture (it is recommended to use the M500 product), reinforcement and edged board.

Of course, if the poultry house is not all-season and will be used only in summer, it is not necessary to build it on a foundation. It will be quite sufficient to construct a simple wooden box on a dirt floor.

Let’s consider the process of preparing the foundation using the columnar version as an example:

• dig holes in the corners of the future structure with a depth of about 50 cm and a shovel width;
• fix wooden blocks of approximately 3-5 cm width into the dug holes;
• further, both the bars and the holes themselves will need to be filled with crushed stone;
• after this, a cement mortar is prepared and poured to ground level, strengthening the bars;
• in a day you can start making the walls, because by that time the cement will have already “set”.

After this, you can begin to construct the wall structures of the poultry house.

Here, the following scheme of actions may be useful.

• First you will need to make the first crown from bars.
• The number of perpendicularly located bars will directly depend on the size of the finishing materials – if the finishing sheets are narrow, then additional beams will be needed. All parts must be secured with self-tapping screws.
• After this, the outer and inner sides of the chicken coop should be covered with sheets of chipboard, fibreboard or plywood.
• Between the individual layers of wall structures, an insulating material should be placed, for example, mineral wool. Of course, if the chicken coop is planned to be built only for summer use, then all processes can be carried out without installing insulation.

The next structure that will need to be equipped will be the roof of the poultry shed. It can be finished with different roofing materials. Most often, people choose slate, ondulin and roofing felt for this.

There are many ways to build a chicken coop roof – each master chooses the best option. As for the roof structure, most often they construct a single- or double-pitched model.

Of course, a single-pitched structure is the easiest to make and is also cheaper. However, the modern gable version looks more aesthetically pleasing and is warm. Such components are prepared as follows:

• First, rafters are laid on top of the wall foundations;
• then a frame structure is nailed to them;
• insulating material is installed on the prepared frame (if necessary);
• The last layer of the resulting “pie” will be the roofing material.

So, concrete options are among the most reliable. They will not allow predators to get into the poultry house.

However, a concrete floor will cost a pretty penny, especially when compared to other solutions. In addition, a chicken coop with such a floor will be cool at any time of the year. The cheapest option is a simple earthen floor.

If you use a special deep litter, such a base will also be warm. However, predators wishing to feast on poultry, such as ferrets, can easily penetrate into a poultry house with an earthen floor.

A wooden floor is warm. In addition, with such a base, other dangerous animals will not be able to get into the barn, and wooden flooring is cheaper than concrete.

Let’s take a closer look at how to set it up in a small poultry house for 20 chickens:

• to carry out such work, you will need boards, the length of which will be equal to one of the sides of the structure;
• the material itself can be chosen from almost any material (it can be very cheap);
• to prevent the wooden floor from rotting, it will be necessary to put on it such parts as joists made of bars (under these components the necessary air circulation will occur, which will prevent the boards from getting damp);
• the wooden floor in the chicken coop will need to be treated with special antiseptic agents (many users prefer a composition called “Senezh”);
• next, a timber frame should be placed on the floor;
• you will need to lay the boards on it, carefully fitting them to each other so that there are no gaps (if you can’t join these parts together, then you will need to finish the edges with a plane);
• The finished floor in the poultry house can be coated with drying oil – with this product it will last much longer.

One of the most important components of a chicken coop is the perch. It is also possible to make it yourself. Let’s consider a number of nuances that you must keep in mind if you are making these elements yourself.

• Each chicken will need about 25 cm of timber – if there are 20 chickens in the poultry house, then perches will be needed, the total length of which will be 5 m.
• Usually these parts are mounted in the form of a ladder or placed horizontally. In no case should the perches be fixed one above the other, because the hens sitting on top will certainly dirty the birds below.
• Initially, think about which specific area of ​​the chicken coop will be easiest and most convenient for you to clean, since it is under the perches that all the bird droppings will collect.
• Make perches from a wooden beam 3-5 cm wide. Using a plane, you can round off all the edges of these parts so that the birds can use them comfortably and safely.

Interior arrangement

The integral attributes of a poultry house are the internal components – items that allow the bird to drink, eat and hatch eggs. Heat is lost most through windows and doors, so they also need to be insulated.

It is better to make the windows small, or even just one, and preferably only on the southern or eastern side. In winter, they must be hermetically sealed and lined around the perimeter with cotton wool or tape to insulate the windows. It is also recommended to stretch a polyethylene film over the window frame and then fix it.

It is better to place the doors from the south, as there is a high probability of heating in winter with the help of sun rays. Additionally, it can be insulated with film, foil, an old wadded blanket or a rug from the inside.

Heating

It is possible to do without heating only in southern latitudes, where the outside air temperature rarely drops below zero. In other places, the reluctance to spend money on equipment and fuel materials will result in a decrease in egg production and an increased risk of death of hens from various diseases.

There are several options for heating a chicken coop:

Stove heating

It is quite economical, especially if you have the opportunity to prepare firewood yourself. At the same time, it is easy to organize such heating in different ways: buy a “potbelly stove”, build a small stove from stone, install a wood-burning boiler.

The main requirement is to run the chimney through the entire chicken coop. This way the air will warm up faster and better.

If the poultry house was well insulated, the stove can be fired once every two days.

Infrared lamp

This device heats not the air, but the hens themselves. This is beneficial for several reasons:

• There are no significant heat losses that are spent on heating the room and objects.
• It is impossible to overheat the chickens. When they get cold, they will come closer to the lamp and get into its zone of action, and then they can go to a cooler part of the chicken coop.
• The power consumption of IR lamps is quite low, so they can be left on throughout the winter season.

For a poultry house housing 20 chickens, you will need 2-3 lamps placed above the perches and above the floor.

When choosing infrared lamps, you need to be careful because they come in two types. Some are designed for heating, others for lighting.

Sawdust

When decomposing, sawdust releases a large amount of heat. Birds will have enough of it for a comfortable existence in a well-insulated chicken coop – they bury themselves in the litter, inside which the temperature reaches 20 degrees and above.

For this method to work, you need to follow a certain algorithm:

• The first layer of sawdust (about 15 cm) should be poured onto the floor in the fall before the onset of persistent cold weather.
• A month later, add another 10 cm of sawdust. If the appearance and smell of the old bedding clearly indicate the need to add more sooner, do not put it off.
• Sawdust should be added regularly, but old layers should not be thrown away.

Over time, the litter rots and decreases in volume, so by spring the height of the sawdust layer will be no more than half a meter. After warming, it is recommended to pour the used sawdust into a compost pit for further decomposition.

Electric heaters

To make this type of heating profitable, you need to buy only heaters and fan heaters with a temperature sensor or connect them via a programmable relay. But even in such situations, the devices will pay for themselves within a few years.

Since electric heaters are left on unattended for long periods of time, they can cause a fire, which is why they are gradually losing their popularity.

Glass wool

Suitable for frame construction. Cotton wool is placed between the outer wall of the chicken coop and the inner lining. It is necessary to leave a gap of 3 cm for ventilation. The thickness of the insulating material varies from 15 to 20 cm. A vapor barrier membrane is placed on top of the insulation and fixed with double-sided tape or a construction stapler.

Hay

Eco-friendly insulation, retains heat well and lets air through. However, when insulating walls with it, it should be treated with a parasite repellent. In order for hay to be attached to the wall, it must be mixed with concrete at a ratio of 1:10.

Penofol

It is a combination of polyethylene foam and foil. It has good heat-reflecting and heat-insulating properties. It is easy to use. It does not require additional processing.

Heating of the walking area

The walking area is not heated in any way. If you make it covered, the chickens will happily go outside. It is also advisable to protect it from the wind by covering the lattice walls with boards or old slate.

The ground should be sprinkled with ash, in which the birds will be able to dry bathe, which will have a positive effect on their plumage and ability to retain body heat.

Ventilation

Chickens feel fine with normal humidity. When it decreases or increases, they start to get sick (high humidity is more dangerous), so ventilation in the chicken coop should be done even during the planning period.

In one of the walls, make a hole for air flow. To do this, you can insert a piece of plastic pipe into the wall and select a cover for it.

The air outlet from the chicken coop (exhaust) is a pipe that runs through the roof or the top of the wall. On the street, the pipe rises some distance above the roof and ends with a mushroom or a canopy to protect from precipitation and leaves.

The inflow and exhaust are placed in opposite corners so that the air travels the greatest distance. This type of ventilation is called natural, but it does not always work stably.

For stable operation, a fan with a cover is cut into the upper part of the wall. It is better if it has several speeds.

The operation of this type of ventilation does not depend on the weather, but it does depend on the availability of electricity and requires human intervention. In principle, both methods can be used as needed.

Feeders and drinkers

Usually, mounted wooden beams, old capes, basins, plastic pipes cut in half serve as feeders. The length of a feeder for 20 chickens should be 115 cm, width – 25 cm and height – 15 cm.

To prevent the hens from scattering the feed, it is necessary to fill the feeder only a third of the way, then add more as it empties. For green feed, use hanging feeders made of mesh or plastic with holes.

There are also professional feeders. You can buy them in agricultural stores.

Drinking bowls. You can use any container, but it should be installed at a height of 50 cm from the floor to avoid tipping over and dampness in the chicken coop. There are special vacuum drinkers for chickens. In winter, you need to make sure that the water in the drinkers does not freeze.

Perches

These are special structures in the form of shelves. They are located on the floor, at a level of 1 m from it and closer to the roof covering. They usually consist of wood or special concrete slabs with holes. It is not permissible to install canopies on each other, otherwise the chickens will shit on other individuals;

To make wooden awnings, you will need to select boards with a diameter of approximately 30×40 mm or more. From them, you need to form rectangular structures no longer than 5 m.

There should be about 1 cm of perch space per hen. Attach to the base of the wall. Under the perches, you can install trays to collect droppings;

Nests

They are divided into open and closed. They are necessary for laying hens as a safe and warm space. They are made of plywood or concrete structures, the diameter should be at least 30 cm in height and 40 cm in length. The inside of the nest is lined with straw, sawdust or moss;

For 20 hens, 10 nests will be quite enough.. Or based on the calculation: 1 nest for 2-3 hens. At the entrance/exit of the nest, a threshold should be made so that the hen, leaving the house, does not accidentally push out the eggs. If the nests are not located directly under the perch, then it is additionally necessary to build perches for the bird to fly up to.

Recommendations

It is not recommended to build a barn that is too big for 20 chickens. If there are only a few birds, they can easily freeze in such an environment. There is no need to construct a foundation if the chicken coop is planned to be used only in the summer.

If the area of ​​the building allows, it is worth placing a compact tub filled with ash in the chicken coop. In it, the hens will clean their feathers and also get rid of various parasites.

If your plot is absolutely flat, then it is worthwhile to independently arrange a small hill on it, on which the poultry house will be located in the future. Such a hill can be made of stone or broken brick.

Experts do not recommend building chicken coops from block materials or bricks, as they are very cold, especially when compared to wood. In such conditions, the chickens will not be very comfortable, which will certainly affect egg production.

It is advisable to complement such structures with gable roofs. Such structures are much more effective in maintaining a comfortable temperature in the chicken coop. In addition, it will be possible to build a kind of attic in them, where the owners can place feed or necessary tools.

When setting up a comfortable chicken coop for 20 chickens, you need to remember that they will need a suitable place to walk. In this case, it is permissible to allocate a zone with a width of 2 m and a length of at least 7 m.

It is recommended to lay the floor in the chicken coop from two layers of planks (if a wooden floor is being constructed). In addition, it is better to put a waterproofing material on top of the first layer – the most budget option will be ordinary roofing felt.

When you finish building a “home” for 20 hens on your own, you will need to properly seal all the cracks in the structure. Do not forget that this poultry is very afraid of drafts.

Examples of successful works

A chicken coop can not only be a great place for chickens to live, but also a bright detail of landscape design. For example, you can build a neat structure from boards painted dark chocolate, and then complement them with a snow-white frame made of wooden slats.

This building would look great with a brown gable roof and a small window with a white frame.

In search of non-standard solutions, you can turn to original designs in the style of the Wild West. For example, it is possible to place 2 structures close to each other, separating a spacious place for walking chickens behind. Build small balconies and small canopies over the entrance in such chicken coops.

Cost of building with your own hands

Various models of professional chicken coops have been developed and are widely produced on the agricultural market. The cost of a poultry house for 20 chickens will vary from 78000 to 100000 rubles.

Building a chicken coop with your own hands will cost less, depending on the cost of building materials on the market. Plus, there is no need to spend extra money on the work of a master.

Building a chicken coop from improvised means will cost less, but will not guarantee compliance with the construction technology.