How to cover the wooden floor in the chicken coop. Types of devices and materials for the floor in the chicken coop. Video "Building a floor covering for a chicken shed"

02.03.2020

Regardless of which chickens you keep (meat or egg breeds), in order to achieve maximum productivity of birds, it is necessary to create good conditions for them. There are certain requirements for what should be a room for keeping domestic birds. In the article we will talk about how to make the floor in the chicken coop so that the birds are comfortable and safe.

Conditions for chickens of different breeds will be slightly different.

However, there are basic rules for everyone:

the poultry house must always be clean;
the room should have windows that are easy to open for ventilation. In the absence of such, it is necessary to equip a high-quality ventilation system;
maintaining the required temperature and humidity in the chicken coop (depending on the breed of bird). Basically, chickens easily live in unheated rooms. However, if your goal is the highest productivity, then heating is necessary. The optimum air temperature in the chicken coop is + 21-25 degrees. In winter, it should not fall below + 10-15;
Another important condition for a poultry house is space. Overpopulation threatens with infections and even epidemics, weakening the immunity of birds. The chicken coop is populated at the rate of 2-3 layers per 1 sq. m area;
if chickens rush year-round, then it is necessary to monitor the maintenance of daylight hours in the house. In the presence of windows in the summer, the light penetrating through them will be enough. In winter, additional light sources are needed. Light day should be 14-16 hours.

The poultry house should be cleaned regularly. Should be carried out at least once a year general cleaning premises. Once every 2 months - disinfection with special means, chemical or organic (hydrochloric acid with potassium permanganate, crystalline iodine, Monklavit, Bactericide, Virocid, etc.).

For the comfort of chickens, the house should be equipped with:

installed at different heights with a distance of 40-50 cm from each other;
- 1 adult should have at least 10-15 cm;
volume 5-6 l;
nests - 1 piece for 5 individuals;
ash baths for dry bathing of birds.

The floor should be covered with straw, hay, sawdust or other materials. In winter, it should be somewhat thicker than in summer. If the house is unheated, then its layer should reach at least 30-40 cm. The bedding should be changed twice a month (in case of high humidity, this can be done more often). Chickens need to walk, so it is important to build an aviary for them with shading and a canopy from the weather. Feeders and drinkers are also needed in the walking area.

Did you know? Chickens can only lay in the light. Even if the time for the egg to come out has already come, the bird will wait for the day to come or for the lights to turn on.

How does cold and warm floor affect the health of the bird

The indoor floor helps maintain desired temperature house, regardless of the weather outside. Its quality and the materials from which it is made affect the health and development of birds, and also perform 3 main functions:

support;
heat-insulating;
protective.

Living in a chicken coop with a cold floor primarily affects the egg production of birds. When kept indoors with a warm floor covering, birds are distinguished by a strong immune system and high productivity. They practically do not suffer from arthritis, pneumonia, colds. When choosing a floor covering, preference should be given to options that are safe, moisture resistant, durable, with low thermal conductivity, and environmentally friendly.

Do-it-yourself chicken coop floor

You can equip the floor in the house in several ways and from various materials. Which option to choose depends on the size of the room, its arrangement and the financial capabilities of the owner. Let's understand the pros and cons of the most common flooring - earthen, concrete and wood.

Ground floor device

An earthen floor is the simplest option available to everyone. Simplicity and cheapness are undoubtedly its advantages. However, this option has more disadvantages. Among them:

rapid cooling in the cold season;
lack of protection against rodents and pests;
difficulties in care, tk. such a floor can often form dirt.

To insulate the earthen floor, it is advised to make clay flooring.

The step-by-step instructions for performing this coverage option are as follows:

Remove the plant layer.
Level the base.
Compact with a tamper.
Lay a 10 cm layer of greasy clay.

As additional protection, roofing material can be laid on clay in 1-2 layers.

Concrete floor installation

Another common option for flooring in a poultry house is concrete pouring. To equip such a floor also does not require special knowledge and effort. The main advantages of concrete pavement are reliable protection against rodents and other pests, as well as durability (service life is about 20 years). It is resistant to moisture, fire and acid.
However, this option is cold and requires mandatory insulation. Bedding for a concrete field can be made from natural (wood chips, straw, hay, peat, etc.) and synthetic materials. Floor concreting is carried out as follows:

Level the surface.
Lay a layer of gravel or crushed stone (2-3 cm).
Install barriers around the perimeter.
Pour concrete mortar prepared at the rate of 4 buckets of sand per 1 bucket of cement with the addition of water. The solution should be liquid in consistency.
Smooth the surface with a wood leveler.
Leave the floor to harden for a week.

Important!If wooden boards are laid on top of the concrete coating, then the best option for the floor for the poultry house will come out. It will be reliably protected from rodents and at the same time warm.

Wooden floor installation

Wood flooring is considered the best option. It is warm and does not require bedding. Its advantages are also environmental friendliness, simplicity and speed of equipment, as well as ease of replacement and the possibility of various insulation options.

However, this flooring also has a number of disadvantages:

exposure to fungi and other microorganisms that worsen the sanitary condition of the premises;
flammability;
the possibility of injuring the paws of birds with improper processing.

Wooden boards can only be installed on the foundation. For the arrangement of wooden flooring, you will need boards 25 cm thick, bars with a section of 100 by 100 mm, nails, cement, saw, hammer, bricks.

Boards are placed at a slight slope for ease of cleaning. Here is how a short instruction on the equipment of a wooden floor looks like:

Lay logs of beams parallel to the foundation.
If desired, lay expanded clay between the lags.
Lay the boards perpendicular to the joists so that the joint falls in the middle of the joist.
Nail the boards to the joists.
Treat the wood with moisture-repellent solutions.
Lubricate the floor with lime mortar to protect against pests.

Important! When laying a wooden floor, make sure that there are no elements left that could injure birds, such as nails, knots, sharp edges, etc.

How to quickly insulate the floor in a chicken coop

Warming can be done by laying litter from various materials. Its height should be from 10 to 30 cm, depending on the season. The most popular bedding options are organic materials - straw, sawdust, peat, hay, moss, corn husks. The most common materials for quick and economical floor insulation are sawdust, straw and hay. The most effective are moss and moss peat. When walking on them, the paws of birds are warm. In addition, they perfectly absorb odors and moisture.
Straw keeps heat the longest, and sawdust does not cake. It is advisable to use sawdust only in combination with shavings and hay. To combine all these positive properties, mixed bedding is made. For example, they take 3 parts of shavings, 1 part of sawdust, add peat to them, and pour a layer of straw on top. Also, the floor can be lined with a bedding made of synthetic materials (fermented compounds) purchased in specialized stores.

Video: how to make a warm floor in a chicken coop

How to take care of the cover

Organic bedding should be changed at least twice a month. It is completely removed and disposed of, and a new one is put in its place. You can also add new layers on top of the old one. A complete replacement is made in the spring. Bedding from fermented compositions is changed once every 2-3 years. The litter is placed on a clean, well-dried floor.

Did you know? Despite the generally accepted opinion about the small brain of a chicken and its simple structure, an adult is able to remember about 100 faces, recognize the owner in a crowd at a distance of 10 m, navigate in time, and easily learn many commands.

If the floor is earthen, then its upper part, saturated with odors and droppings, is also removed when replacing the litter. They get rid of the smell by scattering sifted wood ash on the floor (1 bucket per 5-6 sq. M.). When changing the bedding, the wooden floor is re-coated with a layer of lime.
In order for chickens to please their owner with high egg production, tasty meat and good health, he needs to take care of decent conditions for their maintenance. You can create comfortable conditions for your birds with your own hands and without much effort. The main thing is to follow the instructions and adhere to all the requirements described above.

To make a warm floor in a chicken coop with your own hands for a long or year-round stay, choosing the right floor and bedding is important. Both health and productivity largely depend on the conditions of detention. poultry. Floor materials vary in complexity of installation and cost, affect the frequency of cleaning. Bedding fillers and post-treatment agents are also of interest.

What should be a good floor in a chicken coop

A well-arranged floor in a chicken coop guarantees comfortable conditions for its inhabitants: warmth, dryness, protection from rodents and predators that can dig, and an acceptable litter condition with the frequency of cleaning that can be provided. The owner, on the other hand, correctly chosen floor does not present surprises during operation: it is worth thinking about the properties and limitations of different designs in advance.

Poultry requires a room temperature of at least +10 °C, only a frost-free bottom slab is acceptable under such requirements.

Hypothermia will lead to lung diseases, reduce productivity. In the worst case, the birds will freeze their paws.
The type of material will affect the lifespan of one screed, before replacement, due to differences in thickness and absorbency of the substrate. The filler must not be brought to a wet or compressed state, for sanitary reasons. Ease of cleaning will provide a slight slope and several gutters for draining.

Floor types

A wooden floor is often the golden mean. It is laid on logs, the level of the lower floor is raised above the ground. Easy to use, even with your own hands, a well-protected option from the cold when filling voids with insulation.

Boards or various panels made of wood materials, selected according to their strength characteristics (DSP, OSB, etc.), are suitable as a top coating. You will need treatment from the fungus, mold. Such a choice will be more expensive than a concrete or earthen floor, but it will serve no worse than other options.

Separately, it should be said about the mesh floor. More precisely, this is an additional level 50–70 cm from the floor, with a mesh frame with a cell of 1.5–2 cm. A variation is a slatted floor, planks are laid instead of a mesh. It is used in large farms, in poultry houses for hundreds and thousands of heads, which do not provide for free range.

With this design, it is easier to keep clean and prevent the spread of infection. Litter enters the trays below. Sometimes called an inhumane way of keeping, because the birds are kept crowded. On the scale of one estate there is no need for an industrial solution. Such a coating will cost more than other floors - starting at 800 rubles. per sq. m.

Which gender to choose

Soil moisture sometimes does not allow to make an earthen floor. If the terrain allows you to choose this type, the dirt floor will still get wet and dirty, absorbing moisture from the flooring, but this is the easiest option and can be made quickly. Concrete protects the chicken coop from undermining, rats, predators; durable and reliable, but more expensive than others and will require insulation. The depth of groundwater is allowed no higher than 0.5 m. This is a justified choice if a long period of keeping birds is planned.

The wooden structure is the most environmentally friendly, it will provide a warm floor in the house, by itself or with minimal insulation.

Careful processing of mold and fungi with products that are safe for birds will be required. With waterlogged soils, a wood floor can be supported on piles or poles, eliminating contact with the ground. For a chicken coop with a floor on the ground, it is undesirable to make the base of the walls from blocks, birds can dig a recess in the ground, the block will move.

Building by yourself

It is quite possible to make a floor with your own hands in a chicken coop. If the base and walls are already built, you need to determine which type of floor is suitable in a particular case. Having outlined the plan, recalculate the necessary materials, quantity and cost. Clarify what materials will be needed, think over and remember the procedure.

Necessary materials

To install a floor on the ground, you need to stock up on small gravel, waterproofing material (roofing material, roofing felt, bitumen), nails with a wide hat, clay to seal the top layer. Tools: shovel, hammer, rammer or log with handles, level.

For a concrete floor, the same thing, except for clay, as well as: wooden planks as formwork, if needed, film, ordinary nails, cement, sand, water. Insulation, mesh for reinforcement, expanded clay instead of crushed stone - optional. From the tools, a leveling rail, a reinforcement bar for concrete compaction are added. A concrete mixer can be replaced by a mixer nozzle on a perforator, you will need a large bucket.

Wood flooring requires a thick base. If the chicken coop has already been built and there are no beams in the lower part, you can make a “floating” floor, i.e. independent of the main concrete block, on its piles or posts. 4 piles around the perimeter of the building are enough, if there are no more than two meters between them, to a depth of 0.8 m, with a diameter of 0.6 m.

Manufacturing algorithm

An earthen floor, on the ground, keeps it from blurring from the outside by laying roofing material in ditches near the wall with a depth of 0.5 m, followed by backfilling. The upper edge of the roofing material 10–20 cm is fixed on the wall with nails, the lower edge remains in the ditch in the direction away from the wall, the backfill is rammed. Inside, the soil is removed to a depth of 20-30 cm, sieved, mixed with gravel.

The bottom of the pit is compacted, the soil is laid with gravel, leveled and rammed. The top layer can be compacted with a layer of clay. On the finished floor, you can fill up the flooring.

The concrete floor can be done both before the chicken coop is built, and after. To do this, remove 20–30 cm of soil, fill in a layer of crushed stone 10–20 cm, and compact. At the next stage, it is desirable to lay waterproofing: roofing material with bituminous filling or other material for such purposes. If gaps remain at the junction with the walls, it is necessary to install the formwork from the boards. If there are no gaps anywhere, it is enough to lay the film between the wall and the future screed.

You should not count on a strong seam in this place even without a film; the joint between the wall and the floor will need to be waterproofed separately with elastic materials with good adhesion. The filler for the mixture can be selected with good thermal insulation properties. For example, take expanded clay instead of crushed stone, or prepare a composition from the “warm concrete” series. Strength characteristics for the "floating" floor of the outbuilding are not particularly important.

The mixture is poured in one go, with a mandatory seal to eliminate voids (with a vibrating power tool or manually, by piercing the reinforcement with a bar). When pouring in separate sections, gaps between them may open. Works are carried out in positive temperatures.

The surface is leveled; in dry weather, the drying concrete must be moistened with water. After 2-3 days, the formwork can be removed, the main curing occurs in 28 days. When installing a wooden floor, the piles are first tied with a beam of 200x200 mm around the perimeter, the beam is fastened with brackets at the corners.

At this stage, a metal mesh can be nailed to the strapping to facilitate the installation of insulation. Or skip this moment, and then hem the boards to the joists from below. The second tier of a beam of 200x100 mm is installed on the strapping on the edge, so that there is room inside on the lower wide beam to support the floor lag of 7–10 cm, and is attached to the brackets.

Logs from a bar 200x100 mm are laid in increments of 50–59 cm, on the edge, and nailed to the bar. Insulation is laid between them, the floor is covered with boards or slabs. First, the coating must be treated with a water repellent, and after it has dried, with lime.

Types of flooring

Flooring can be summer (light) and winter, increased thickness. The backfill layer also depends on the choice of base - more is laid on concrete than on wood and earth. Fermentation bacterial bedding will speed up the processing of manure into compost, you will need to clean up less often - such a bedding is laid in a thick layer.

The processes in the lower compressed parts are accompanied by heat release. The content of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in the air decreases, the suffocating smell disappears. Change of bedding and disinfection can be carried out once a year, at the end of summer.

Thick bedding - 50 cm, medium - 30 cm, summer - depending on how often it will be changed, it is only important to cover a solid base to protect the paws when digging. Shallow, medium litter is cleaned 4-5 times a year. The litter is loosened and sprinkled with fresh material with the addition of superphosphate, 400 g per m2. Pallets can be installed under perches.

Widely used for backfilling bedding:

sawdust;
shavings;
straw and hay;
river sand;
needles (lapnik);
moss, moss peat;
sunflower husk (husk).

wood shavings not the smallest ones should be taken, otherwise the layer will quickly cake; when there are no large ones, you can mix them with other materials. In its pure form, do not lay the chips - the laying hen can eat them, they will clog the goiter and will not survive without emergency care. There are many advantages to such a litter: they absorb moisture well and dry quickly (if the birds loosen them, you can add grains for this); convenient to clean; when the birds frolic, the shavings help to clean the plumage. A mixture with hay and straw is warmer than with shavings.

Shavings. Large chips will not absorb moisture well on their own and must be mixed with other fillers. Softwood shavings and large softwood needles may have sharp edges.

Straw and hay are used mixed with other fillers to insulate the bedding. Themselves, individually, can quickly turn sour. Instead of a bacterial preparation, when arranging a fermented litter, you can lay layers of fresh grass mixed with straw.

River sand coarse fractions it can be backfill and a dry bath, the birds will both dig it and peck at it. So that the litter does not dust, you can mix it with hay.

coniferous litter in a chicken coop, consisting of spruce branches, for example, is a controversial thing. Volatile substances, which give the needles a pleasant aroma, in high concentrations can be dangerous. As a vitamin supplement, pine needles have a limit of 7 g per head, and are given in crushed form so as not to injure the bird. How many needles a particular chicken will peck out of the litter and what will happen to her goiter after that, you need to check. It is recommended to carefully prepare this material until the coniferous-resinous aroma disappears, and harvesting is carried out from November to March.

Moss and peat will become a soft, hygroscopic mat with good thermal insulation properties.

sunflower husk they absorb moisture well, but the flooring must be made thicker, birds can burrow into the husk.

Influence of sexes on the health of chickens

Compacted floors are very important in winter. The process of decomposition of organics gives enough heat on wooden or soil bases, on concrete, one, even a large, layer of bedding may not be enough. In cold climates, additional insulation may be needed. The floor must be properly laid and the surface of the floor must be kept dry.

Disinfection of floors in the chicken coop

An effective method is wet thorough processing in the absence of birds. The disinfectant solution is applied to surfaces by spray or aerosol. In the presence of poultry, surface treatment will be of less quality due to a weaker concentration of preparations and agents. Otherwise, disinfection is a danger to the chickens themselves.

Birds are recommended to be treated with veterinary drugs so as not to infect the chicken coop again. Dry methods: adding ash when arranging an earthen floor and painting hidden wooden structures with slaked lime. The flooring during sanitization is completely changed. Moreover, both slaked lime and wood ash are added in small quantities to the diet of laying hens, that is, they are not dangerous, but only if properly prepared and aged for a long time.

Hydrated lime is used when painting wooden structures to protect them from decay, mold and insects. It should be remembered that quicklime is dangerous. Wood ash is part of the combined ash-sand or ash-sulphur dry baths to combat period.

It is believed that fresh wood ash is a danger to livestock, and requires drying for at least three months. The danger lies in the high content of alkali and potash. The argument against raw ash is compelling, but the controversy continues. As with the admissibility of using coniferous shavings or spruce branches (needles). If drying is a sufficient guarantee of the safety of the bird, it is worth taking the time to dry it.

How much does it cost to make a floor

The cost of the floor will depend on the prices for building materials in the region, on the quality of these materials and on the area of the house. The urgent need for waterproofing and drainage (drainage) of groundwater will increase the price. Wherein the total cost it can turn out to be small, even if we are talking about a concrete solution, the thickness of these floors is small compared to the floors in the house, the area of \u200b\u200bthe chicken coop is also incomparable.

With self-arrangement of the floor, a lot can be taken from improvised means. Studying the characteristics of different floors and how they are made will help determine which option is more suitable. There are no significant differences in the complexity of the work; equipping your house with a good floor is quite simple.

Heated chicken coop in winter- a tricky business. In sub-zero temperatures, the egg production of a bird is critically reduced, and the birds themselves get sick more often. How to avoid such troubles?

Chicken coop heating options

Previously, chickens were thrown into the attic in winter, settled in a warm barn, in the underground, or even in the house. Today, such measures are considered obsolete, the issues of winter maintenance and heating of the chicken coop can be solved and modern ways. Namely, to automate the bird care system. It should be noted that well-known radiators, convectors, heat guns and potbelly stoves are quite dangerous ways of heating, because the chicken coop is full of dust, droppings and fluff. infrared lamps explode quite often. It is not advisable to install a heating boiler or a brick oven, a boiler room, a boiler room in such a room. How and with what else can you heat a chicken coop in winter?

Underfloor heating, namely infrared film, surely becomes a good help in farms. Its cost has become very affordable, and the assortment generosity allows you to choose the most suitable option for a variety of purposes. And the installation of the film in cages for hens, flocks and any premises where immature young and adult birds are kept is quite quick and easy. Because infrared heating and poultry farmers fell in love.

Floors on the ceiling

Infrared floor heating in a chicken coop is not quite a floor. The film is mounted on a wall or ceiling, therefore, it is possible to prevent contact of the heating system with the bird. It does not warm the air, but the walls, the floor, the perches and the chickens themselves. And objects are already giving off heat into the air by convection. Therefore, the heating of the room occurs evenly, without dust whirlwinds and oxygen combustion. The warm floor in the chicken coop is fireproof, it does not make noise, its operation does not require constant monitoring. And yet, infrared heating allows you to reduce the humidity of the air, thereby relieving the chicken coop from fungus and mold. In this way, winter heating chicken coop with IR film allows you to achieve the microclimate necessary for the healthy life of birds.

How to calculate and mount

First you need to calculate the footage of the film. It is better to install it on the wall: mount the film so that the heat is directed to the nests and perches.

We present the calculation of the film for an unheated wooden room.

Initial data 1:

The size of the chicken coop is 10 sq.m., 3 external load-bearing walls (100x100 timber insulated with mineral wool), wall height 2000 mm, window 500x500 mm, wooden frames, double, insulated door 600x1200 mm, earthen floor (from below waterproofed with roofing material). Region: Krasnoyarsk (winter temperatures -20 ... -35). The required indoor temperature in winter is -5 ... +5.

Calculation of a warm floor in a chicken coop for Krasnoyarsk

Based on the fact that the minimum temperatures in the Krasnoyarsk Territory can reach -42°C, the total heat loss of this room will be about 0.65 kW. We summarize the heat losses of the front door - 250 W and the windows - 100 W with the heat losses of the room, obtaining a total heat loss of 1000 W. To maintain the required temperature and compensate for heat losses, we calculate the heating power per cubic meter of the room:

The total volume of the room (hen house) is 10 sq.m x 2 m = 20 cubic meters.

Required power per cubic meter 650 W / 20 cubic meters = 32.5 W / cubic meters. Summing up the additional heat losses, we get 650 W + 250 W + 100 W = 1000 W - the total power of the required heating system.

A standard infrared film has a power of 0.22 kW/sq.m, hence for space heating 1000 W / 220 W / sq.m. will be required. = 4.55 sq. m of film.

Initial data 2:

Chicken coop size - 10 sq.m, 3 external load-bearing walls (100x50 timber insulated with mineral wool), wall height 2000 mm, window 500x500 mm, wooden frames, single, door 600x1200 mm, earthen floor (from below waterproofed with roofing material). Region: Moscow region (winter temperatures -8 ... -15). The required indoor temperature in winter is 0 ... +5.

Calculation of a warm floor in a chicken coop for Moscow

Based on the fact that the minimum temperatures in Moscow and the Moscow region can reach -30°C, and the room is not sufficiently insulated, its total heat loss will be about 0.55 kW. We summarize the heat losses of the front door - 175 W and the windows - 75 W with the heat losses of the room, obtaining a total heat loss of 800 W. To maintain the required temperature and compensate for heat losses, we calculate the heating power per cubic meter of the room:

The total volume of the room (hen house) is 10 sq. m x 2m = 20 cubic meters

Required power per cubic meter 550 W / 20 cubic meters = 27.5 W / cubic meters. Summing up additional heat losses, we get 550 W + 175 W + 75 W = 800 W - the total power of the required heating.

A standard infrared film has a power of 0.22 kW/sq.m, hence for space heating 800 W / 220 W / sq.m. will be required. = 3.64 sq. m. film.

Mounting

The distance from the heating surface to the perches should be about a meter. In addition to the film itself, you will need double-sided tape, a mounting kit, a thermostat, a reflective backing, and a couple of sheets of plywood. One sheet of plywood is needed in order to install a heating system in the chicken coop (the film is laid only on a flat surface), and the other is to prevent the bird from pecking at the infrared film. A reflective substrate is required so that heat does not escape through the walls to the street. A thermostat - to regulate the operation of the film and save energy. Thermal sensors record the temperature in the chicken coop, as well as the temperature of the heated film, and, depending on the set program, the heated floor in the chicken coop turns on and off independently. Thus, smart electronics itself monitors the temperature in the room. Chickens for joy.

The design itself looks like this:

We fix a sheet of plywood on the wall with self-tapping screws, to which we then attach a reflective substrate with double-sided tape. We fix the structure with planks. Then we prepare the infrared film for installation. To do this, we fix the clamps for the supply of electricity on the current-carrying busbars of the film, crimp the clamps with the supply wires of the power cable and isolate them at the place of fastening with a bitumen gasket. Then, with the same bituminous gasket, we attach thermal sensors to the surface of the film, and isolate them. Thermal sensors should not be superimposed on the radiating element, it is attached between the emitter strips on the film surface. At the next stage, we attach the infrared film ready for use to the wall of the chicken coop. First, we cut out a window in the reflective film - in the place where the fragment of the film with the temperature sensor will be located. We attach the film to the substrate with double-sided tape, with the tire up. We fix the wires on the substrate with ordinary adhesive tape, sheathe the entire structure with a sheet of plywood on top (to prevent the bird from pecking at the film) and fix the plywood with self-tapping screws. When installing an infrared underfloor heating in a chicken coop, care must be taken not to get into the contact busbars and radiating elements with self-tapping screws. To do this, we outline the contour of the fasteners with self-tapping screws on plywood. We place the thermostat in an area inaccessible to birds and close the appropriate signal and power cables with corrugated pipes. That's all, chicken coop ready for winter.

Which film to choose

The field of application of infrared film is expanding every year, new generations of it are being produced, suitable for the most unexpected solutions. Almost any film can be mounted on walls and ceilings. Vertically, horizontally, locally. It remains to choose a manufacturer you trust. And take into account some features: for example, if you have a very humid room, choose a film with a moisture-proof coating. Practice shows that for an ideal result it is not necessary to buy the most expensive and "promoted" infrared film. In our case, we can be content with the cheapest South Korean film (Lavita LH, RexVa Xica, Q-Term), it fully justifies itself in work.

In the process of building housing for chickens, the owner may have a question: “What kind of floor to make in the chicken coop: which is better?”. This question is correct, since the productivity of chickens is affected not only by high-quality nutrition, but also by comfortable conditions. If chickens live comfortably, then they have no health or performance problems.

Special requirements in the arrangement of the poultry house relate to flooring. In this article, we will figure out what types of floors are, how to make them with your own hands and find out which floor is the best.

In poultry farming, there are a number of basic rules for keeping poultry. These rules are recommended for all chicken breeds.

Basic principles:

The area of the barn depends on the number of chicken flocks. On one square meter place 2-3 hens. It is better to make a dwelling wooden, insulated, with an earthen, adobe, concrete floor.
The ceiling in the poultry habitat should not be high. A height of 150 centimeters is enough, otherwise cold air will be more concentrated in the house in cold weather.
The temperature in the room should not be lower than 0 and not higher than +25 degrees. If it is too cold in the house, it will cause frostbite on the combs and earrings of the chickens. In addition, the birds will stop rushing, they will consume a lot of food. Days of heat also have a negative effect on chickens: they stop eating, their weight and productivity decrease, chickens lay eggs with a thin shell.
The chicken coop must be well ventilated. Fresh air must constantly get inside, otherwise the air in the room quickly becomes stale, bacteria, fungi and viruses that are dangerous to the life of birds multiply in it. The easiest way is to install an opening window in the house. But it is best to install a hood. With their help, it is easier to regulate air exchange.
Air humidity - no more than 70%.
If you plan to breed chickens with year-round egg production, then it is imperative to equip a window in the poultry house, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich should be at least 10% of the floor area. In a season with a short daylight hours, the house should be well lit by sunlight, and if it is still dark in the barn for most of the day, then additional lighting is installed - lamps.
The dwelling of chickens is equipped with long wooden perches, which are installed opposite the window, so that the sun illuminates the dormant chickens as best as possible. It is forbidden to place poles on the floor - the optimal perch height for egg chickens is a meter from the floor, for meat ones - at a height of 40-50 centimeters ..
In the quietest corner of the room, nests are placed from wooden boxes. For 5 layers, one nest is required. The size of the nest is 35 * 30 centimeters. The nest is lined with chopped straw, hay or shavings.
In different parts of the house there are feeders, drinkers and an ash bath. For feeding, use a long, shallow container, such that all birds can eat at once. So, if a flock consists of 20 birds, then the length of the feeder should be 1-1.5 meters.

Gender Requirements

Since the birds spend most of their lives on the floor, it must be made of quality materials so that the chickens do not have health problems and rush well.

What should the flooring look like?

safe;
hard;
environmentally friendly;
waterproof;
warm.

The surface of the floor should be perfectly leveled, without chips, pits and bumps. If it is wooden, then nail heads should not stick out on the wood. If it is concrete, then it should not accumulate moisture. Any floor must be thermally insulated so that in winter the heat does not go into the ground and the chickens do not catch a cold.

Important point! Do not use plastic elements when building a chicken coop, as they quickly corrode and mold form on them.

The role of sex in the life of birds

In general, the climate of the room will depend on the quality of the floor. If it is made from the right materials of good quality, then regardless of the weather outside, the house will maintain the optimum temperature. And this will allow the birds to stay healthy and miss various sores. The floor protects from low temperatures, acts as a heater.

If the floor is cold, for example, it is made of concrete, then excessive moisture will concentrate in the room. In addition to the defeat of birds with various diseases, they can also stop rushing. If the birds' paws do not get cold and cold all the time, then the chickens will gradually develop a high resistance to disease, and their productivity remains at high level regardless of the weather outside.

Bedding types

The floor in the chicken coop is covered with bedding. According to the degree of filling of the litter, there are two types:

Deep (thickness from 10 centimeters).
Shallow.

The litter in the chicken coop is needed not only to concentrate heat, but also to absorb moisture from the waste products of the inhabitants of the house. Finely chopped straw, soft hay, shavings, peat are used as deep bedding - thanks to these materials, the barn can not be additionally heated in winter. Beneficial microorganisms multiply under the litter, which contribute to the production of heat - under a layer of hay or straw, the temperature sometimes reaches 32 degrees.

The litter, which acts as a heater, is rarely changed, only in cases where it is heavily soiled or wet. Bedding material is harvested in the summer at the rate of 10 kilograms per bird.

Important point! Do not throw away used bedding. Over a long time, grass (hay, straw) turns into compost, which is then used to fertilize the land and feed garden crops.

Enthusiastic farmers purchase specialized enzyme-rich formulations to equip their poultry houses, which release a lot of heat and contribute to the natural heating of the chicken house. Such litter is changed no more than once every six months.

Important point! The arrangement of the mesh floor requires a lot of money. In addition, in a chicken coop with such a floor, it is difficult to control the temperature, and the air in the room is often waterlogged, harmful gases accumulate in it.

Floor disinfection

The floor in the poultry house is cleaned and disinfected once a year if deep litter is used and 4-5 times a year if shallow litter is used. In the first case, cleaning is carried out at the end of summer. First, the bedding is completely removed, and then the flooring is disinfected with a solution of soda ash, sodium hydroxide or formaldehyde.

Particularly carefully clean the corners of the room and "stall" places, that is, those where the litter accumulates the most. Then the floor is dried and fluff lime is poured on a dry surface (up to 500 grams per square meter), and a fresh layer of bedding at least 15 centimeters thick is laid on top.

The litter during operation is regularly turned over so that air penetrates into its layers, which contributes to the development of microorganisms. When the chickens trample down the surface layer, fresh material is poured on top.

Experts recommend, after loosening the contaminated bedding, sprinkle it with superphosphate, spending 400 grams per square floor. It is better not to lay bedding under perches, as these places get dirty the fastest, which means that straw or hay will have to be changed often. It is more rational to install metal pallets under the poles, which are easy to clean from feces.

In order for the litter to last as long as possible in the barn, it is important to correctly place the birds in the room. So, if the birds are kept on deep litter, then on one square meter of the floor they contain 4-5 egg and 3-4 meat individuals.

Conclusion

The floor in the chicken coop performs a protective function: it protects animals from cold, dampness and mice. When planning what it will be made of, one should start from the general design of the structure, where the chicken coop will be located, what external factors will affect it. Guided by your financial capabilities and the climatic features of the region, you can choose the most suitable option for keeping chickens.

If the floor is thoroughly insulated and waterproofed, then it will last a long time, and at the same time the birds will feel comfortable and show high productivity all year round.