How to insulate a chicken shed for the winter

Whether you plan to raise poultry for your family or for sale, you need to build the right chicken shed. If you lock laying hens in a dark, cold room, then it’s not worth it, it is hoped that you will be of great benefit from them. In such a room for chickens, there are no conditions conducive to the normal process of their development.

It is for this reason that it is necessary to weigh everything in advance, think over and translate your ideas into reality. It is worth noting that this structure can be built by both qualified craftsmen, and you yourself can do this work on your own. Some may argue that it is almost impossible to make a chicken shed with your own hands. However, from this article you will learn that such work is very simple and much cheaper than with the services of masters.

Tools and materials

In order to decide on the materials, you need to decide what kind of barn you want to build. In this matter, you should be guided by your financial capabilities and personal convictions. For example, by building a wooden barn, you can save on building walls, because building a barn out of brick or blocks would cost you a little more. However, for some owners, a wooden barn is not a quality home for chickens. In any case, you need to calculate all the costs and decide whether they are appropriate.

A barn on a columnar foundation is very popular in our time. The advantage of such a barn is that it will be a reliable protection against heavy rains, predators and rodents. For this build, you will need the materials listed below:

• nails and hammer;

  

• sand;
• cement;
• brick or concrete blocks;
• shovel;
• rope;
• iron mesh;

  

• bitumen;
• gravel;
• coal slag or expanded clay;
• roofing materials.

Choosing a place for construction

It is important to remember that areas such as chicken coops and other sheds where animals live always carry with them unpleasant odors of litter. Due to such circumstances, it is strongly recommended not to build this room near a residential building. Thus, you can avoid the discomfort associated not only with an unpleasant smell, but also with pollution near the house. It is best to build a barn behind the house. However, you should not give the barn a place away from home, because it can be robbed, and there is also a risk of attack by predatory animals.

Do not build a barn in a low area, as during the rainy season, the barn may flood, although this may not lead to the death of birds, however, it may damage the structure itself. Therefore, we advise you to equip a barn on top.

Drawings and plans

How to make a chicken shed The first thing you need to do is to make sketches according to which the work will be performed. This sketch is of great benefit, because thanks to the emu you will not buy extra materials that will not be used later. What should these drawings look like? The drawings must contain the dimensions of all parts. Thanks to this, immediately after purchase, you can cut parts of the appropriate size and equip the shed.

Remember that your drawings should contain not only details for the shed itself, but also materials for the cage, which will serve as a walking area for chickens. This area should be fenced with an iron mesh with small holes. The bottom of the netting will need to be dug in so the chickens can’t get out and the predators can’t get in. The drawing under the roof is also important, it is recommended to make it gable, because in this way you will have additional storage for food and other things. Moreover, the gable roof will contribute to normal ventilation in the barn.

It is necessary to plan how the litter will be removed and where to put it. Then the barn will always have a clean and pleasant appearance, in addition, an unpleasant smell will not stagnate in the room. In order to make it easier to clean the shed, you can indicate on the drawing that the floor will be made at a slight slope, making it easier for you to clean it.

Stages of work

It is very important to do the work in the correct sequence, because construction is such a process when, after finishing one work, you immediately need to complete the next one. As a rule, for the construction of any building or utility block, it is necessary to make a foundation, namely the foundation, then you can make the floor, walls and roof. Let us consider in more detail each of the upcoming stages of work when building a barn for chickens.

1. Foundation. Usually the foundation is made in the case when a major construction is being carried out for a large number of birds. If you plan to raise a few chickens, then you may not need a foundation, however, you still need to make protection against predators, for this you need to securely install iron pegs around the entire perimeter, while deepening them into the ground. After they are fixed to them at a certain height, you need to weld the base for the walls and floor. However, if financial opportunities allow you, then the best option would be to make a columnar foundation. In order to make it, you need to dig on each of the walls parallel to each other small square holes half a meter wide and also half a meter deep. Next, you need to fill the pits with a solution of cement, sand and gravel, and then build up the posts using bricks or blocks.

   

2. Gender. If the owners decide to keep chickens in the winter, then it must be remembered that the floor must be warm. Otherwise, the birds will be uncomfortable and this may affect their development. A great option would be to make a wooden floor, namely the rough and the main one. The first row of inexpensive boards is laid on the foundation, later you need to install beams that will withstand the entire structure. Between the beams you should have a small distance that needs to be filled with insulation. Thus, you can achieve high-quality thermal insulation. On top of the beams you need to nail boards of medium thickness, which will be the basis of the floor.

   

3. Walls. To avoid large heat losses, we advise you not to make the walls completely clogged with a layer, it is best to make them from a bar. A warm chicken barn is one of the most important requirements. They shouldn’t be neglected. In order for there to be normal ventilation in the barn, it is necessary to make windows that will contribute not only to regular ventilation of the room, but also to good lighting both in winter and in summer. Some may be interested in how to insulate a chicken shed? The insulation of the barn is carried out as follows: to the base, that is, to the bars, you need to nail or screw the boards onto the screws, after which add insulation to the openings between the bars. The height of the walls should not exceed 180 cm.

   

4. Roof. As mentioned above, for a barn, the best option would be to build a gable roof. Such a roof will qualitatively protect the room from moisture and snow. And, more importantly, such a roof will be a great place to store various things. Some craftsmen make a second equipped chicken coop on such a roof. The ceiling of the barn must be of high quality insulated. To do this, you need to install the flooring, fasten the beams on the ceiling, after which you need to isolate the flooring with the help of a heater. Due to the fact that the room will be insulated on all sides, the chicken shed will not be cold for the winter, and it will not be hot on warm summer days.

Shed lighting and heating

Many farmers know that poultry only spawn in areas with normal lighting. Therefore, lighting from windows may not be sufficient for good poultry productivity. Also, most chickens rush at night, which is why those who decide to make their own chicken coop need to carefully consider how this room will be illuminated. The easiest way is to run the electrics into the shed and hang a light bulb in it, which will not only illuminate the shed, but also give off a small amount of heat. The great advantage of building a barn on the territory of your house is that you can easily bring lighting into the chicken coop. After all, it will be much easier and cheaper to put an additional wire from your home than to conduct individual lighting from electric poles.

By the way, about heating the room. Remember that chickens can get sick if the room is not warm enough. Due to such circumstances, chickens may develop incorrectly or even die. There are several options for heating the barn, namely:

1. Natural heating.
2. Electric.
3. Gas.
4. Furnace heating.
5. Infrared heaters.

Each of the above heating options has both pros and cons. Choose only for you.

Conclusion

We are sure that the tips in this article will be practical for you. From this article, you learned how to make chicken sheds with your own hands. By applying the tips you have read here, your barn will be the reliable and long-lasting home for your pets, which is what we want you to do.