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Beginning farmers face many difficulties when raising livestock and chickens. Difficulties are associated not only with the care of animals, but also with the construction of a place of detention for them.
In chicken coops for breeding poultry, it is very important to create a comfortable temperature regime. All the cold in the room sinks to the floor, so it is necessary to build a quality floor covering in the room. The warm floor in the chicken coop protects the chickens from diseases and contributes to the comfortable course of their life cycle. If the floor slab temperatures are too low, the chickens get sick or their egg production drops.
Tips for choosing a floor covering
One of the most important criteria for flooring is the choice of good materials. There is a huge variety of floor coverings, which type to choose depends on the type of chicken coop and the funds you plan to spend on the job. Most often, the following types of floors are used in buildings for chickens:
- wooden;
- concrete;
- earthen.
All of the above floor coverings differ not only in structure, but also in price, and, most importantly, in labor costs. If it takes more than one day, or even weeks, for a concrete floor, then an earthen one can be done in one day. Which sex is better, each breeder decides for himself, based on cost and requirements.
earthen floor
Often in poultry houses they leave the usual earth floor laid with hay or wood chips. However, such floors in the chicken coop cool down very quickly, especially in frost and at a stable low temperature. The main disadvantage of such a floor covering is the creation of an unsanitary environment. Parasites and diseases penetrate the dirt floor very quickly, infecting chickens through worms or the soil itself.
Due to the lack of a hard layer, at the slightest ingress of moisture, the floor of the chicken flock will be covered with dirt. Puddles of mud quickly form on the earthen floor. Therefore, if you have chosen this particular type of coating, it is better to make the top layer of clay. Of the advantages of an earthen floor in a chicken coop, only high laying speed and low cost can be distinguished. If your area has very severe winters, it is better to refuse this type of overlap.
Concrete screed
To pour the concrete floor in the chicken coop, you will need special equipment. Arrangement of such a coating can take from 1 to 5 days, depending on the area of the premises and the equipment involved. However, such labor costs are fully justified by the high strength and quality of the screed. Viruses or parasites cannot penetrate through the concrete floor.
The disadvantages of floors of this type include their low temperatures, especially in the winter season, and in the chicken coop the floor should always be warm. Therefore, for a comfortable life of chickens and livestock, additional coverage with finishing materials is necessary. Such measures will make the floor in the barn or chicken coop as warm and durable as possible.
The concrete floor is resistant not only to moisture, but also to aggressive environments, including acids. Over time, the screed does not deteriorate and does not collapse. The average service life of such ceilings is 15 years or more. And if you strengthen the floor with penetrating sealants, it will last even longer.
Wooden floor
Wood is considered the best material for flooring in a chicken coop. A similar floor can be made with your own hands both in a chicken coop and in a flock for livestock. The wooden flooring keeps the temperature perfectly and always stays warm. It does not require flooring from wood waste or straw, because the array itself is absolutely safe. However, such a floor must be treated from rot and bacteria. Impregnations of this kind are safe for both humans and animals. In addition to the impregnations described above, it is recommended to treat the floor with flame retardants.
Lime is one of the cheapest wood flooring antibacterial agents. As additional measures for warming, it is recommended to make decorative flooring on logs in the chicken coop.
Many breeders still lay straw bedding on a wooden floor. Each breeder decides for himself how to make the flooring. It depends not only on the type of floor, but also on the availability of the material. In some regions, it is much easier to get straw than sawdust or moss.
Do-it-yourself floor installation
The simplest flooring option that you can do yourself is wooden. So that the floor logs do not rot in the very first years of operation of the chicken coop, it is necessary to prepare a foundation for them. For small buildings like a chicken coop, a light foundation is enough. Most often, for such purposes, the following types of foundations are mounted:
- columnar;
- pile;
- tape shallow.
Among the three types of foundations listed above, it is recommended to build a columnar one. Its installation is faster and cheaper than a strip one, and its service life is longer than that of a columnar foundation. A strip foundation is created if it is necessary to reduce the load of the supporting structures of the building on the foundation. The chicken coop is lightweight, so the use of such a foundation is unjustified. In addition, the columnar foundation regulates the temperature difference, protecting the interior of the chicken coop from cooling. The basis for the pillars is concrete or sheet metal.
Building materials
After you have decided on the type of foundation, you need to purchase materials for construction. The minimum list of tools and raw materials for the construction of a columnar foundation includes:
- wooden floorboards (material is purchased with a margin);
- beams;
- fasteners and a hammer (if self-tapping screws are used, a screwdriver is required);
- cement mortar;
- hammer and bricks.
Foundation and floor assembly
When the wood impregnations have been absorbed, and all the tools are ready, you can start building the floor in the chicken house. The instruction for the construction of the ceiling along with the foundation includes the following steps:
- First of all, the foundation pillars are erected. For this, bricks are used, pedestal pillars 25-30 cm high are assembled from them. The step between each pedestal is 40-50 cm. If there is already a foundation on the site, they immediately start laying the log.
- When the solution of the cabinets has dried up, you can mount the logs. You can buy them ready-made or cut them yourself. Remember that the planks are laid with a slope. In the future, such a floor will be easy to clean from dirt.
- Additional insulation for the chicken coop can be provided by paving the space between the lag insulation. It does not matter what the insulation consists of, the main thing is the high safety and environmental friendliness of the material. This procedure is optional, but if your area has very low temperatures in winter, it is better to lay a heater.
- Further, boards are laid perpendicular to the lags. The optimal length of the board is 2 times less than the length of the lag.
- The boards are fastened to the beams with nails or self-tapping screws. The step between the fasteners is 30-40 cm.
- It is important that the boards fit snugly both to the joists and to each other. If you are making the floor with a slope, make sure that it is uniform in all areas of the floor overlap.
- After laying, cover the floor with lime or other antiseptic. In addition to the antibacterial function, lime protects wood from premature destruction and mechanical damage.
- An additional insulation and a kind of pillow in the chicken coop is a bedding made of sawdust or straw. The second material is more preferable, since it does not harm the body of birds.
- Some breeders use moss for bedding. If the material is available to you, you can use it. However, keep in mind that every few weeks the layer needs to be replaced.
- The flooring layer on the boards is made from 8 to 20 cm. Do not lay too much material, otherwise it will quickly soak.
The device of such a floor in the chicken coop is available to a larger number of breeders. The design has been tested by many professionals and ordinary farmers. Remember that floors need maintenance. Depending on the number of hens and the size of the coop, the litter is changed every month or two. The term may be shorter if there are a lot of birds in the chicken coop.
Conclusion
A wooden floor is warmer than an earth floor, and, most importantly, it is more comfortable. In a chicken coop with this flooring, the hens will remain healthy and produce quality eggs and meat.
