Chickens are a source of fresh eggs and meat. Therefore, on many farms you can notice chicken coops. They are used to create optimal conditions for the poultry. Most often, farmers turn to the company "VEP-farm", as chickens feel great in those chicken coops that this company offers.
This article will help you in choosing a chicken coop, as well as in it we will tell you about the advantages and disadvantages of such a purchase.
How to choose a chicken coop: the division of chicken coops on the type of walking
We turn to the main issue - how to choose a chicken coop. This can be done on the type of walking - closed or open.
Did you know? For the first time, hens were domesticated in Ethiopia about 3 thousand years ago.
Indoor walking
Chicken coop with a closed type of walking provides for the presence of a small enclosure that comes complete with a house. The advantage of this type of chicken coop is that the site is not polluted, and chickens are not attacked by rodents or predators.
Outdoor walking
Chicken coop with an open range has direct access to the street. Part of this plot can be fenced off with a mesh fence so that they do not run out of the hen house. This allows the bird to walk quietly over a large area and eat natural food on the site. However, such walking has disadvantages. Most often the site does not protect chickens from predators and rodents. There is also another disadvantage of such content of birds - pollution of the entire site.
Species of chicken coops by the number of birds
On sale you can find mini chicken coop on ten chickens or chicken coop suite for thirty or more chickens. A ready-made chicken coop for five hens takes up minimal space. This chicken coop consists of a small house and an aviary. For five chickens 1 m2 will be enough.
A ready-made chicken coop for thirty or more hens is a large structure. For five hens there will be enough 1 m2 of such a room. The size of a chicken coop for a herd of thirty chickens is about 6-7 m long and 3-4 m wide. The height of such a house will be about 1.9 m.
In the summer, it is better to increase the livestock, as the chickens will be mostly outside, and the house will be used for carrying and hatching eggs, roosting and protection from bad weather.
How to choose a chicken coop depending on the season
To keep chickens all year round you need a warm winter chicken coop. It has a heater, which in winter will maintain a warm temperature in the house. The summer chicken coop will be used exclusively for one season. This coop is made of clapboard or plywood.
There are other poultry houses, for example, from the manufacturer Dodonov. Coops have different purposes and sizes. In such a chicken coop you can grow up to twenty chickens for a whole year. They have a walking area and a warm room. The house has a small window, which is suitable for ventilation and egg collection.
The walking area is equipped with a special protective net from predators, and the walls are treated with special lime from pests. The floor on the walking area and in the room is made of wood. This will allow you to keep the hen house clean.
The assortment of Dodonov chicken coops is like summer so and winter options chicken coops. Summer version is designed to contain six birds. It consists of a walking area and a house.
The winter variant is the same standard chicken coop. Its difference is that the chicken coop is equipped with heating in the box.
Did you know? Laying hens eat the damaged eggs.
A variety of options for ready-made chicken coops (classification by design)
There are several main types of chicken coop. For beginner poultry farmers there are mobile chicken coops. Two boards are attached to them in order to transfer them to a new place. There are portable chicken coops of the arched structure, which can also be moved around the site.
There are also one-storey and two-story chicken coops, which are conveniently placed in the country, as you see fit.
Now most of the poultry farmers use mobile structures in the form of a wheelbarrow. Such a house is installed on a single-axle frame with wheels.
Another mobile chicken coop looks more like a trailer. Such a house allows the poultry farmer to export chickens to remote pastures.
And the last bird house for chickens is installed on small rollers. With their help, you have the opportunity to transport a chicken coop for short distances and feed chickens on another site.
How to divide chicken coops by breeds of chickens
Chicken coops are divided into poultry houses for layers or for meat breeds. This we will discuss further. You will learn what a chicken coop looks like for layers and meat breeds.
Chicken coops for layers
Some breeds of chickens love semi-free living conditions. There are other birds that get along in any conditions. For the maintenance of chickens often build modular hen houses. They have a large enough area, so the bird will be able to move freely inside the house.
Avian houses may not use cages at all. For layers it is enough to make comfortable perches and nests. These places will need to be kept clean, as many bacteria can adversely affect bird health.
In addition, you need to maintain an optimal temperature. In order for the hen to bring you enough eggs, you need to warm the chicken coop and keep the temperature at 20 ° C.
Important! Air the chicken coop for laying hens so that the chickens do not suffer from respiratory diseases.
Coopers for meat breeds
For the cultivation of meat breeds using chicken coop, which is called the national team. It is used only in the summer of one season. It should be small so that the chickens move less and eat more. On sale there are special chicken coops without walking. They are created specifically for this breed. Chicken coops for laying hens and meat breeds differ in the size of the nests and floor area.
The main thing is to keep the house clean and often ventilate it.
Features of the arrangement of the coop
After buying a chicken coop you need to equip it. After all, the better the chicken feels, the more eggs it will bring to you.
The first thing you need to do is provide bird walking, that is, covered with a grid (better plastic, which is used for fencing) area near the hen house.
The next fixture is nashesty or perches. Under them hang perches, which will fall eggs.
Important! Position your nests at the same height so that the birds feel equal.
Also you need to provide chickens good lighting. On the roost should fall the sun's rays.
Feeders should be placed in the houses to protect the food from rain. Outside, near the house you can arrange the ash bath, so that the hens bathed there.
On the territory of walking near the house place a small canopy, so the bird can hide from the hot sun. Under the drinker you can use a deep bowl. The water in it must be changed frequently, especially in the hot summer.
We also recommend to put separate mineral feeding trough (shell, shell or special fodder chalk).
Advantages and disadvantages of buying a finished chicken coop
Before proceeding to the advantages and disadvantages of the finished chicken coop, we advise you to pay attention to the kit for assembling the chicken coop. You can do it yourself, especially if you are just starting to breed chickens. The kit includes detailed instructions and all the necessary equipment and tools.
We turn to the benefits:
- ready-made chicken coops are light enough and can be installed anywhere on the site;
- On sale you will find a large assortment of various ready poultry houses. They differ in the type of structure, materials of manufacture and capacity;
- in the production of chicken coops used high-quality materials and components that can be washed;
- ready-made chicken coop is equipped with a system of feeders, drinkers and lighting;
- attractive appearance;
- easy to clean for the winter and do not take up much space on the site.
Did you know? The layer distinguishes fresh eggs from spoiled ones. She often pushes them out of the nest.
If you need a chicken coop, the main argument in favor of buying it is still that a ready-made chicken house will be more practical and convenient than a homemade one. You will not need to install additional equipment, and the chicken coop will not take up much space on the site.
