How to build a chicken coop for the summer with walking

Someone wants to keep chickens on the site or dacha for the soul, and someone for saving. It does not matter. It is important that they need a room - a chicken coop. And then a lot of questions immediately arise: what size, from what, how to make, what should be inside. After building a chicken coop in the country, you must immediately take all this into account. Then it will be easier for you to serve it and the chickens will delight you with weight gain and a large number of eggs.

As a rule, they start a bird in the spring and put the first chicken coop in the summer. If you are not going to keep the bird in cages, then it is wiser to build it right away with a walk - a fenced area where they will walk in the daytime.

Summer chicken coop with walking

Such a chicken coop is convenient in the country, in a private courtyard, it is built easily and quickly. A common wooden frame is made, divided into two unequal parts. The big one - the corral - is sewn up with a net, the second - the smaller one - is taken away under the chicken coop itself and is sheathed with some material from the outside, equipped with perches inside. The construction technique is the same as frame wooden shed.

Do-it-yourself summer chicken coop in the country in a couple of days

Such a summer chicken coop in the country is ideal for 5-20 chickens. You can build on 50, and on 100, just the more livestock, the more sizes will be required, and the sequence of actions itself will remain the same.

One of the options for "apartment" summer walking

If we talk about a shed for chickens, then 5-6 chickens will need 3 squares, 10 chickens - 5 squares, 20 chickens - 10 squares. It is advisable to take more places for walking, but it all depends on your realities. The approach is as follows: layers, if they become fat, rush worse, so it is advisable for them to take more space. For broilers, the picture is the opposite: they should move little. Therefore, they are given less space.

Construction step by step

First of all, a frame is made from a bar. It is more convenient to collect it directly on the site, which was planned for a summer habitat for a bird. It is more convenient to clean it if the height in the middle allows you to rise to full height. Everyone's height is different, but you can navigate by 2 meters.

If you are building for 5-20 chickens, the timber can be taken 50 * 50 cm. It will go to vertical posts and slopes that form the roof. The rest can be assembled from an edged board 100 * 40 mm. You can see the frame in the photo.

It is divided into two unequal parts - walking and chicken coop. In this case, the length is 1.5 m + 4.5 m. If the walk is large, you may need additional racks that will prevent the bars from bending. In principle, they already need to be installed here (every 2-3 meters), but the significant thickness of the board (40 mm) and the lightweight material on the roof (film) made it possible not to do this. As soon as the frame is made, consider the 1/3 summer cottage built.

Summer chicken coop frame with walking

Next comes the arrangement of a shed for chickens. Another cross bar is laid between two intermediate posts, which mark the border of the walking area and the chicken coop. It fits between two vertical posts and is fastened with nails. For confidence, you can reinforce the corners. Then the logs are laid, the floor is laid on them. On the flooring, you can use an inch (25 mm) edged board, moisture-resistant plywood or OSB (OSB).

We collect the floor in the chicken coop

Floor even in a summer residence is highly desirable. Firstly, it is warmer, and secondly, no one will dig in. Well, it's more convenient to clean it. Chips were poured onto the floor: chickens dig well in it, and it absorbs moisture well. Then they swept everything away, carried it out.

Inside, this version of the summer cottage is divided into two halves - for different breeds of chickens (layers do not get along with broilers), therefore there are two doors. They are made on either side of the B-pillars.The walls are covered with edged boards. Pieces of the board are nailed to the frame posts. The boards were taken from the pallets - the length was just enough. They did not worry especially about the cracks, they were then lined with packing cardboard from the drafts inside (they took the boxes from the store). It was secured with a stapler and staples.

Between the boarding and the cardboard, a fine metal mesh was nailed: from rodents and other small creatures.

These are the doors to the chicken coop (right and left half) and the chicken shed from the inside - before the upholstery

After the walls and floor are ready, we started to arrange the roof. Stuffed longitudinal strips (thin), covered with reinforced film. It is much more reliable than conventional polyethylene. Better, of course, polycarbonate, at least over the chicken coop, but it is more expensive, although much more durable.

They did not make a "dark" roof deliberately: then you need to make windows, and this is an additional hassle. But if you wish, you can make a roof and windows.

This is a view from the inside of the chicken coop to the ceiling

So that there was no sail, we nailed several rails from above. With this design, the film can be removed for the winter: the reinforced one can serve for several years.

How to nail the film

Half of the walk is covered with cardboard so that on hot days there is a place to hide. The cardboard was laid on slats, and on top there was already a film. The walk is also divided by a net, for this they nailed another board. A fine metal mesh was attached to the three obtained guide staplers and staples.

View from the walk to the chicken coop: two halves as twin brothers

The sides were covered with plastic mesh. They laid a stone on the bottom: neither the bird would dig in and other living creatures would not fit outside.

This is a front view

To build such a chicken coop in the country is a matter of one, maximum, two days. And the main one is warm - chicken shed all summer can be open - dry, ventilated. In the onset of cold weather, the bird is transferred to winter apartments.

You may be interested in reading how to make automatic watering in the country or about drip irrigation.

What to put inside

The internal arrangement of the chicken coop in the country is the same as in the winter apartment. Drinking bowls and feeders are placed in the pen. It is better not to put feeders with handles in the middle - chickens are sitting on them, the droppings are in the feed, you have to throw them away. The best option is vessels with low sides for young animals and higher ones for adult birds. Then they stand side by side and peck calmly.

Fasten ordinary thick branches - here's a roost for chickens. There is more than enough in the chicken coop in the country

Inside the chicken coop you need to roost. One meter goes for 5-6 chickens of small breeds, and 4-3 large breeds. It is made at a height of about 50 cm. Thick branches can be adapted to the chicken coop in the country. Just fix them well.

Nests will also be needed. Old boxes are suitable in which dry hay is placed. You can knock them down from the remnants of boards, scraps of plywood, Chipboard and other similar materials.

An approximate calculation is one nest for 2-3 chickens. They will mainly fly into two or three nests, periodically changing them, but some chickens will choose empty ones for spending the night.

You can make such civilized nests

They put them on the floor, if there is not enough space, they hang some on the wall, making a ladder to them. Ladder - an inclined board with thin strips nailed across - so that the paws have something to cling to. This is enough for summer apartments.

More details read about the internal arrangement of the chicken coop here.

Photos of beautiful chicken coops

As you can see, chicken coops for summer cottages can be a decoration. There are very simple models that do type of frame greenhouses - on arches from plastic pipes.