How to build a do-it-yourself chicken coop for 50 chickens

Many owners of country houses, as well as those people who live in rural areas, prefer to make a living by raising valuable breeds of chickens, such as broilers. This way of earning is really not bad, because meat and chicken eggs are products that are always needed in any home and in any kitchen. Thanks to such work, you will be able to provide your family not only with finances, but also with those products that you grow at home. However, to be frank, this type of work brings with it difficulties that you will encounter. The first difficulty you may encounter is that you will need to decide on the breed of chickens. The second of these difficulties may be the construction of a chicken coop. Why is it difficult? Because this room is made primarily for living beings, and in order for them to grow and develop normally, it is necessary to properly equip their home.

Most people prefer to raise no more than 50 chickens, so you need to build a chicken coop that can easily fit this number of chickens. However, how to build a do-it-yourself chicken coop for 50 chickens? First you need to decide on the type of chicken coop, whether it will be a small but compact chicken coop or it will be a chicken coop with wide and spacious rooms. Although this article will not present drawings with which you could build a chicken coop, however, you can read tips that will help you get the job done efficiently and in compliance with all the necessary requirements.

Competent calculation of the design of the chicken coop

In order to get eggs and meat in the chicken coop, it is necessary to create favorable conditions conducive to this process. Qualitatively and competently made chicken coop plays an important role in this. Such a chicken coop serves them as a shelter from cold winters, hot summer days, predatory animals, as well as a dining room and a home at the same time. During the construction of the chicken coop, you should consider all these points.

In order to make a chicken coop with your own hands, you need to follow simple instructions. Remember that the right chicken coop includes not only a place to sleep and feed, but also an area where chickens can walk. A significant drawback of so many chickens on the territory of their home is the unpleasant odor that is released from the feces of these birds. Therefore, you need to decide in advance on a place to build a chicken coop.

Decide on sizes beforehand. When planning a place for a chicken coop, keep in mind that for 5-7 chickens, an area of ​​at least one square meter is required. If you are still determined to build a chicken coop for 50 chickens, then the area that you need to allocate for it will be 10 square meters. For example, a chicken coop can have such dimensions – 4 m by 2,5 m. However, if you plan to grow individuals of several breeds, for example, broilers, then it is worth considering that one square meter for 5–7 chickens may not be enough for these birds.

In the photo below, you can see a chicken coop project for 50 chickens.

Due to the variety of building materials, you may be wondering which ones you need to build your own chicken coop. Also a very important point is that the materials should not be very expensive because the chicken coop deserves less attention than structures such as a house or a garage. Be careful what you read below and then you will be able to save a lot of money on building a chicken coop. Since every novice person in this business would like to build a chicken coop without investing a lot of money.

Materials

First of all, you should take the time to decide on the type of materials from which the walls will be built. For example, you can use the following materials:

• brick;
• cinder blocks
• tree (beams);

  

• adobe;

Such materials are easy to buy at an affordable price, however, the materials listed above are not the only ones, because there are others that differ in price, durability, strength, frost resistance and much more. Many owners of summer cottages prefer to build a chicken coop with bricks, however, this building material has one significant drawback – it is not able to retain heat. Due to this phenomenon, the chicken coop will freeze in winter, which can lead to the fact that the birds will get sick and die. That is why a reasonable solution would be to make a chicken coop out of wood, for example, from logs or other sustainable material.

Regardless of what material you choose to build the walls of the chicken coop, you will need additional components, without which the construction cannot be completed. These are materials such as:

1. Sand.
2. Gravel
3. Armature.
4. Boards, plywood.
5. Insulation. Expanded clay.

   

6. Wooden beams.
7. Iron grid.
8. Sawdust.
9. Roofing materials.

In addition to the materials listed above, you need to stock up on the necessary tools, such as a level, trowel, tape measure, hammer, nails, and so on. And also remember that you need to make a scheme according to which the work will be performed, so you can prevent redoing the work. And most importantly, the fact that you can make a chicken coop in the shortest possible time.

Step by step guide

1. According to a pre-made drawing, you need to markup. To do this, you need to drive in pegs or reinforcement at each of the corners of the building. After that, you need to pull the fishing line around the entire perimeter and check the diagonals, such work is performed using a tape measure. After you have double-checked the markings and made sure that the diagonals and corners are even, you need to alternately drive the pegs into the ground, one meter apart from each other. These will be the future centers of the foundation pillars.

   

2. The next step will be digging holes half a meter wide by half a meter and the same depth of half a meter. Holes must be dug in the places where the pegs were installed. Be careful to keep the distance between the recesses, and also make sure that the holes are parallel to each other.

   

3. At the bottom of the pits, it is necessary to make a pillow by pouring sand. After that, it is necessary to make a solution of cement, crushed stone, water and sand. Pits must be filled to ground level. After 2-3 days have passed and the mortar has dried, it is necessary to increase the posts to a height of 20-30 cm using bricks or other building materials. When building up the posts, use a level, so you can avoid unevenness.

   

4. Cover the foundation with roofing material. If the roofing material is thin, then fold it in half. The next step is to install the first crown. In order for the material in the corner joints to be more durable, cuts should be made in half the thickness of the timber.
5. Installation of floor lags. A beam with a section of 150 by 100 mm is installed on the edge, while maintaining a distance of one meter. For convenience in further use and cleaning the floor, the beams can be installed at a slope. Further, on the fixed logs it is necessary to lay a draft floor from the boards. On these boards, you need to fill the waterproofing layer of the film and fill the bars with a section of 100 by 100 mm, observing a distance of 70-80 mm. Later, the gaps between the beams must be sealed with insulation, and a wooden finishing floor should be filled on top.

   

6. The walls of this type of chicken coop are laid using the tenon-groove method. All joints must be packed with quality linen or other insulation. Remember that the minimum height of the walls should be 190 cm. And after the walls are completed, finish the walls with lime, which will serve as an antiseptic. And after all the work listed above has been completed, you can start warming.

   

7. For the manufacture of the attic, use beams and boards. After the ceiling is sewn up, it must be insulated, such work can be done using expanded clay. The roof for the chicken coop is best done with a gable roof, so you will have additional space for food and other accessories.

   

8. Think carefully about what kind of fence you want to make for chickens so that it does not take up a lot of space from you with its dimensions, and is convenient for walking and feeding chickens. If you are raising broiler chickens, then remember that they need constant walking. A large chicken coop will be convenient not only for the chickens, but also for the owners themselves, since they can easily turn around in it.

   

Chicken coop for 50 chickens photo:

As for the interior of the chicken coop, you can do everything here, as it will be most convenient for you, however, remember that you must ensure that the broilers have devices such as feeders, nests, drinkers and small poles where they can stay overnight. Install poles on different walls and levels, so the birds will not drop droppings on each other. Nests can be made from ordinary boxes lined with hay. For 50 chickens, only 10-15 nests will be enough. In addition, not all chickens will be laid, because the coop will contain roosters that are raised exclusively for meat.

Conclusion

Do-it-yourself chicken coop for 50 chickens is quite simple. The main thing is to decide on the materials from which it will be built. After all, the materials must be not only cheap, but also reliable, and also suitable for the birds that will live in it. We are confident that if all the above requirements are met, you will be able to make this facility as quickly, efficiently and, most importantly, comfortable for its residents. Now you only need to decide on the breed of birds, buy food and start making money on it. With proper care of these animals, you will have a good income, which is what we wish you.