Even before the final decision to breed chickens, you should find out everything about the features of caring for them. the poultry breeder needs to take care of equipping the chicken coop with ventilation, drinking bowls and feeders: hens should have unhindered access to food. It is equally important to monitor the health of birds and regularly carry out cleaning in the main place of their maintenance. We must not forget that insidious predators who want to feast on fresh prey can get into the yard. In order to protect the livestock from cats, dogs, rats and other predators, an aviary for chickens is needed. About how to build an aviary for chickens with your own hands, and we will discuss further.
DIY chicken aviary
Aviaries and their purpose
Aviaries for chickens are cages that protect birds from attack by predators.
Their design allows chickens to move freely in the allotted territory in the fresh air. And if the perimeter reserved for the aviary is equipped with a canopy or a roof, then the birds will be protected from weather factors: the scorching sun, rain, wind and hail.
It is best to erect such a structure as an aviary, right next to the chicken coop.
In addition, an aviary is easy to build with your own hands. All that is needed is a wooden frame and mesh. Any other durable materials are also suitable: plastic, slate, glass, etc. The main thing is that the aviary fulfills its main purpose. When breeding birds on large farms, more durable metal structures are used. They are more expensive and make them more difficult, but for industrial purposes they are indispensable, because the service life of one such structure with proper care can reach 100 years.
What should be an aviary
Do-it-yourself aviary is easy to build. But before starting construction, you should be aware of the functions that the planned construction should have. These include:
- protecting livestock from predator attacks;
- shelter from the sun, wind, and atmospheric precipitation;
- ample space for chickens;
- free access to food and feed;
- free movement in the allotted territory.
It is best to choose a place near the main place of keeping birds, so many farmers supplement chicken coops with aviaries.
You should also take care of a suitable flooring, where it is planned to build the building. It is important for chickens, adult birds and even broilers to eat greens, worms and insects.
On concrete areas, they will be deprived of this, so ordinary soil is considered the best place for aviaries.
If the aviary does not adjoin the chicken coop, then you should also know where it is better to install it. When choosing a place, it is taken into account:
- Distance from residential buildings as well as fruit vegetation. The enclosure is located in the most remote part of the courtyard so that it can be easily seen by a person.
- The noise of the place. The most favorable are areas remote from the place of keeping other birds and animals, as well as the roadway.
- Lack of drafts and shade.
The correct location of the aviary is the basis of the comfort of birds. And their productivity will depend on how comfortable they feel.
The location of the litter in one of the corners of the aviary also plays an important role. The basis of this flooring is sand, and the coating can be made of dry hay.
Types of aviaries for keeping birds
Even with a well-organized ventilation system, chicken coops cannot give birds enough fresh air. In addition, the content in the room adversely affects the growth and egg production of birds. The reason for this is Vitamin D, which is an indispensable trace element for all living things, so a chicken coop with an aviary is exactly what every farm needs.
The first thing the farmer should decide on is the type of enclosure that will be most effective in the conditions in which the hens are kept. All enclosures are divided into:
- stationary;
- mobile;
- portable.
With your own hands it is easy to make any design option, whether it is a ground aviary or suspended. The main thing is to acquire the necessary materials and take into account the advantages and disadvantages of a particular design. So, a portable device will be effective only in the summer. Its advantage is the ability to quickly move from one piece of land to another. This is especially effective during the period when the bird ate all the vegetation in the territory allotted for its maintenance.
You can also make a mobile structure. Such enclosures have special wheels at the base that allow the building to be moved to another place without additional effort. But portable and mobile designs have one drawback: the complexity of year-round use. This disadvantage is resolved by making a stationary aviary. It is not difficult to ensure proper bird care in such a structure, the main thing is to take into account the number of livestock: chickens, broilers or ordinary chickens.
A photo helps to get to know each type of aviary better, just drive the name you need into the search bar.
Calculating the required size of the construction being prepared for construction is an important stage of work.
Any mistake can affect the growth of chickens and their egg production, so you should be aware of the features of this important stage. The first thing you should pay attention to is the breed of chickens. Huge areas should not be erected for broilers. For one individual, 1 sq. M is enough. m. If the aviary is designed for ordinary poultry, chickens and adults, chicken coops are calculated based on a proportion of 1.4 square meters. m on the head.
What is needed for construction
About what material to choose for the future aviary should be determined immediately after choosing a place. The most inexpensive and reliable is a structure made of wood or metal, covered with a mesh. The ease of installation still requires a person to be able to work with a welding machine, if he is interested in the durability and quality of the planned construction, so this must be taken into account before going to a construction store for materials such as:
- reinforced mesh;
- steel pipes (length - 2.5 m) or wooden beam (dimensions are the same);
- bolts, nuts and other mounting materials;
- metal corners (if it is planned to produce a welded structure) or a bar of a smaller section;
- wire;
- cement, sand or ready-mixed concrete dry mix.
As a working tool you will need:
- hammer;
- screwdrivers or screwdrivers;
- set of wrenches;
- pliers;
- level usual building or water;
- welding machine (if it is planned to manufacture a welded structure).
Anyone who knows how to use the tool can make an aviary with their own hands. But before that, you need to correctly calculate how many square meters of mesh will go to the strapping of the structure.
Aviaries for poultry are selected according to the number of livestock. So, if there are 10 chickens or adult broilers, then the minimum aviary area is 14 square meters. m. It is better to round up to 15 square meters. m
The net is sold in rolls with a height of 2 and 2.5 m. The required size is calculated by the formula:
S = a * b 2h (ab) 6;
Where:
- a and b are the sizes of the sides of the aviary, m .;
- h is the height of the aviary, m .;
- the number "6" - the stock of stretching, overlap tolerance, etc.
Some farmers pull the net to the walls of the chicken coop. In this embodiment, the mesh consumption is less by the area of this wall.
Also, chicken coops can be erected simultaneously with an aviary. Such facilities also have their advantages.
Building the base of an aviary
Anyone who knows how to use a hammer, keys and screwdrivers can make an aviary on their own. If all the calculations are done, then you should get down to business:
- The territory of the future building is marked out and pits 0.5 m deep and 0.3-0.4 m in diameter are dug at its corners.
- At the bottom of each pit, pipes or beams are installed (vertically, in level), reinforcing the elements with gravel, stones and pouring mortar.
- Work stops until the solution solidifies completely (from 3 to 5 days).
- At the required height of the ceiling of the structure, corners are welded (around the perimeter) or the bars are screwed with screws so that a stable structure is obtained.
- If the "skeleton" of the building is metal, grid hooks are welded on poles and corners every 25-30 cm.
- A trench 30-40 cm deep and 15-20 cm wide is dug along the perimeter of the walls of the future structure.
After these actions, the mesh is pulled and the base is concreted:
- Having hooked the end of the net for hooks, it is stretched towards other posts with hooks (in a wooden structure, the net is tied with wire to a bar).
- The joints of the mesh are tied with wire.
- In wooden structures, curved nails can be used to fix the walls.
- The trench is poured with concrete so that its lower ends are immersed in it.
During the construction process, it is important to give preference to high-quality building materials. Poultry health also depends on what products they interact with.
It is better not to use light damage materials. And do not choose what, due to exposure to the sun or rain, will release toxins or vapors.
How to make a roof for an aviary
Equipping chicken coops with aviaries or creating a structure separate from the main place of keeping birds, one should not forget about protecting birds from natural factors: the sun and rainfall. It is not difficult to save the livestock from the negative influence of nature. The roof of a wooden frame covered with slate, plastic, tin sheets or other materials will save chickens and broilers.
Roof construction begins with tying the walls of the structure with wooden boards perpendicular to them with bolts and nuts or self-tapping screws. Position them through each meter. The wooden base of the roof is coated with moisture-proofing agents (Olif, etc.), which will make the structure more durable and can help prevent wear. After this procedure, the coating itself is laid, which is fixed with screws to the wooden base located under it.
Thus, it is not particularly difficult to build an aviary for your beloved chickens on your own, the main thing is to get drawings and all the necessary materials in advance. It will be useful to look at what the aviaries for chickens look like in the photo.
