As a rule, setting up a chicken coop yourself involves the use of fairly cheap but high-quality materials. The area of ​​such a room for keeping hens should be sufficient to ensure a comfortable stay. It is very important to correctly determine the size of the chicken coop. Such a room should be suitable for normal movement, so for two or three chickens there is one square meter space, but the minimum area is 3 m 2.

Proper arrangement of a chicken coop requires the presence of a walking enclosure, which is fenced with a net. To keep ten laying hens, you will need to build a building measuring 200x200 cm with a walking enclosure of 200x700 cm. The entrance and walking area are located on the south side, which is well protected from gusts of wind and drafts. Required condition The organization of the walk is a canopy over it, which will protect the poultry from the sun and precipitation.

The construction site must be sufficiently dry, without waterlogging and moisture accumulation. It is important to install a drainage system around the building to remove rainwater. It is recommended to create an artificial hill under the foundation using broken bricks, gravel or crushed stone. It is advisable to pour a clay base and a sand cushion 150 mm high on top.

How to make a cage for laying hens (video)

Pros and cons of cage farming of laying hens

Today, cage keeping of poultry is actively practiced in Russia. Moreover, such rules for raising laying hens apply not only to industrial farms, but also to home poultry farming.

The advantages of a cage system for keeping laying hens in backyard poultry farming are:

• the presence of complete mechanization of the main processes of raising poultry, including feeding, watering, removing droppings and collecting eggs;
• the ability to most productively use small poultry houses and the location of large livestock in a limited space;
• a noticeable reduction in costs not only for maintenance, but also for energy supply;
• the ability to create optimal, most comfortable conditions for chickens, including the use of artificial lighting and ventilation, as well as effective heating;
• the ability to minimize the number of personnel involved in servicing poultry;
• the ability to control feed consumption;
• the ability to monitor the condition of laying hens and provide veterinary services.

Despite the high efficiency indicators of the cage system, this option for keeping poultry also has certain, sometimes very noticeable, disadvantages, which mandatory should be taken into account by the poultry farmer when arranging the poultry house:

• increased costs associated with the acquisition of capital equipment and maintaining it in working condition;
• increased costs for electricity, which is spent on maintaining the uninterrupted functioning of all mechanized processes;
• the need to use fairly expensive feed to ensure maximum good nutrition productive poultry;
• the need to ensure and control the presence of an optimal, comfortable microclimate in the poultry house.

Among other things, as the practice of cellular maintenance shows, With such a system, veterinary costs inevitably increase, associated with the prevention of avian infections and preventing the development of hypovitaminosis. This feature is due to the lack of sunlight and the relative crowding of poultry, which provokes a weakening of natural immunity and requires the use of not only high-quality and fully balanced feed, but also the addition of special additional vitamin and mineral complexes.

Self-production of cages for laying hens with a double bottom

Proper production of cells requires compliance with certain simple rules:

• standard, most convenient sizes are selected based on the size of the room allocated for the arrangement of a poultry house with a cage system for keeping poultry;
• in the cages there should be a nipple drinking system, represented by high-quality polyethylene pipes with nipples and drip eliminators;
• a feed distribution line is fixed outside, represented by a special chute made of high-quality materials;
• tape or trays should be installed under each tier to remove bird droppings;
• the cages should be arranged with a slight slope, which will allow the laid eggs to roll out onto a special chute of the egg collector.

How to build a chicken coop with your own hands (video)

Also, when independently producing cages equipped with a double bottom, The following parameters must be taken into account:

• The standard stocking density is no more than 5-9 heads per square meter of cage floor area. Indicators vary depending on the breed characteristics and size of the bird;
• the feeding front indicators are approximately 80-100 mm per adult productive layer;
• The watering front indicators should be one nipple per five heads. When using a drinking chute, these figures are about 20-30 mm for each head.

As practice shows, cages with a double bottom are easy to use and easy to make yourself.

How to make nests for chickens with your own hands

Making your own chicken nests is not difficult, but It is imperative to choose the optimal design in all respects, the most convenient design:

• box design, which is a kind of “house” that resembles a standard box with a convenient opening. The so-called box nests can differ in the number of cells, but the main advantage is ease of use and the ability to quickly train the bird to fly in the right place;
• homemade designs, for the manufacture of which almost any available materials are used, including cardboard boxes, wicker baskets and wooden boxes. Such nests are most often used by novice or inexperienced poultry farmers, and the main disadvantage of operation is represented by the irrational use of poultry house space and the fragility of the structure;
• nesting structures, equipped with special egg collectors. This option is considered to be the most rational, but requires correct implementation in accordance with the drawings. A special feature is the presence of a special tray in the device socket. In order for the laid egg to roll into such a tray, it is necessary to arrange an inclined floor in the nest or make a funnel-shaped small hole.

Regardless of the type of structure, it is necessary to adhere to the standard dimensions of the nest:

• construction depth – 300-400 mm;
• structure height – 300 mm;
• construction width – 300 mm;
• the height of the nest above the floor is 300 mm;
• The location of the take-off platform is 100 mm from the entrance.

For self-production, it is best to use sheet plywood, which must be treated with sandpaper, which allows you to eliminate all roughness and burrs.

Making a simple chicken coop with your own hands

To build a chicken coop yourself, you will need not only to purchase all the necessary building materials, but also carry out construction in accordance with the basic norms and rules:

• arrangement of a support-column foundation based on blocks. At this stage of construction, you need to mark according to the specified dimensions of the chicken coop, after which it is removed upper layer soil, and holes are dug for supports measuring 400x400 mm with a distance of one and a half meters from each other. A crushed stone-sand cushion is poured into the pits, which is carefully compacted, after which a concrete base is poured, and block supports with bitumen waterproofing are installed;
• erection of timber structure. The standard height of the walls should be 1.9 m. The walls are erected after the supporting pillars are covered with waterproofing material in the form of roofing felt. Correct and reliable fastening of the installed beams is carried out with wooden dowels. A door and window opening is installed on the south side;
• flooring At the initial stage, windproof insulation is laid, fixed with 25x100 mm boards. High-quality slab insulation is laid between the joists, after which 50x150 mm boards are sewn perpendicular to the joists, and waterproof sheet plywood is laid;
• at the final stage it is carried out roof arrangement. It is preferable to make a gable structure. In this case, horizontal logs will be represented by ceiling beams, and the rafters will be installed at a standard angle of 35-50 degrees. Then the sheathing is filled and waterproofing and insulation are laid. The roofing material can be anything. The ceiling surface is insulated and sheathed with sheet plywood.

How to keep chickens in cages (video)

Very important properly arrange the air exchange system in the form of supply and exhaust ventilation from plastic pipes diameter 14 cm.

To obtain the highest possible egg production from chickens, a number of requirements must be met, including proper feed and sufficient daylight. But no less important is to provide poultry with comfortable living conditions, which can be represented by either a traditional chicken coop or a high-quality cage system.

Most people love delicious pastries for tea. Almost no recipe is complete without using eggs. Buying them in the store is quite simple, but due to the large number of additives that are used on factory farms for chickens, it is left minimal amount useful substances. Domestic chickens are another matter. But for this you will need to take care of the place where they are kept. You can build an aviary or cages for laying hens. Are there any advantages to keeping chickens in cages and how to build them yourself? This will be discussed in the article.

Basic information

It is difficult to find more unpretentious birds than chickens. Some owners choose this type of household because chickens do not require special care and consume a small amount of food. But the benefits of having them are enormous. These are not only eggs, but also chicken meat. For greater productivity, it is important to ensure that the chickens’ home is comfortable. When it comes to an aviary, no special knowledge or skills are required. Cages for laying hens are a completely different matter. They must meet certain parameters so that the chickens do not feel stressed. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the size of the cell itself. For an ordinary domestic chicken, which is purchased for eggs, you will need an area of ​​0.6 m2; if this is a broiler breed of chicken, which, in addition to eggs, is purchased for meat, then it is necessary to provide up to 0.8 m2 of area. This is due to the size of the chicken.

In conditions of free movement around the enclosure, only one container with food and water is installed for chickens. But with regard to cages for chickens, you will have to make sure that each cage is equipped with a separate feeder and a container with automatic water supply. Stress for chickens is a closed small room, so the walls in the cages should not be made of solid material. It is better to use a mesh for them. But it is necessary to select a high-quality mesh with a sufficient cross-section of the rod. This will prevent predators from chewing through the cage wall and getting to the chickens. It is also important to take into account that the cells are selected in such a size that the pest cannot crawl through it. But you need to leave enough space for the chicken's head. So that she can calmly take food from the feeder, which is most often located outside.

Pay attention to the room in which the cages with laying hens will be located. It must have a good floor. If it is made of wood, it is made strong to withstand total weight cages and birds. There should be no roof leaks or mold. It is advisable to insulate the walls so that a constant temperature is maintained inside during the cold season. This is necessary to prevent the development of chicken diseases, which can lead to the death of the livestock. Some owners keep birds only for the warm season. In this case, the cages can be placed not in the barn, but on the street. But you will need a good canopy that can protect the cages from gusts of wind and heavy rain.

The nuances of keeping in cages

Many people are faced with the choice of whether to keep chickens in cages or let them go free. To find the answer to this question, it is necessary to analyze some nuances. The positive ones include:

• high level of security;
• ease of care for each individual;
• lack of interaction with other birds;
• positive effect on fertility;
• ease of egg collection;
• space saving;
• less feed consumption.

Compared to a chicken enclosure, which can easily be invaded predator birds and other animals such as foxes and wolves, cages provide excellent security for chickens. In addition, such contact can lead to the development of various diseases that are quickly transmitted from one chicken to another and even to humans. The consequence of this may be death or the need to use strong antibiotics for chickens, which will cost a pretty penny. Inoculating every chicken in an open space is quite problematic. They must be caught one at a time and marked or moved to another place. In cells, this process occurs very simply. Simply open the door and everything will be done in a few seconds.

When chickens roam freely around the territory, the search for eggs turns into a whole quest. They can be found in various crevices and even at the very top of haystacks. With chicken cages, this issue can be easily automated, saving time and effort. For laying hens that are kept in cages, it is easier to provide all the necessary conditions so that they lay more eggs and so that this period lasts longer. If the territory used for a chicken enclosure can accommodate 100 birds, then when using cages, this number can easily be increased to 300 or more. There is another side that should not be ignored:

• low mobility of chickens;
• a certain stressful state;
• no exposure of chickens to sunlight;
• close interaction between birds;
• lack of natural nutrition.

It's true that when the bird moves less, the meat stays tender and cooks faster. But for the chickens themselves this has a negative effect. Development does not go through the required stages. Despite all the efforts of the owner, the period during which hens lay eggs, as well as the number of eggs, may decrease due to the depressed state of the hens. Birds also need a vitamin that is produced when exposed to sun rays- vitamin D. Even if cages for laying hens are placed outside, the sunlight may not reach the birds sufficiently. This leads to the development of diseases that are associated with the skeletal system. When a bird walks freely around the intended territory, its food is not only what is poured into the feeder. Chickens' diet includes various insects and plants. This cannot be achieved in cells. If one chicken gets an infection, it will be passed on to all the others. short time, because chickens are constantly in contact and are in a confined space.

Types of structures

Having set a goal, you can find an abundance of all kinds of drawings, methods of implementation and sizes of cages for laying hens. There are no strict rules about exactly what shape these chicken products should be, but there are two basic principles that should be followed when assembling cages. To a greater extent it concerns the floor of the cage. He can be:

• deaf;
• sloping

In the first case, the floor of the chicken structure is made of wood or other material and covered with natural material, for example, hay, sawdust or straw. In this case, to collect eggs you will have to disturb the hen's peace and stick your hand into the cage. In the second case, the floor is made double. The upper part is made of a lattice, along which the egg rolls into a special egg collector. All garbage and waste from chickens is collected in the lower part of the floor, which is blind. Most often, it is made retractable so that you can freely pull out the box and clean the cage. Usually they stop at the second option if the goal is egg production. The egg itself spends less time in contact with the bird, so there is less chance of disease transmission, and the egg is cleaner. Both of these types of cages for laying hens can be assembled with your own hands without any special skills.

Note! Some farmers have found it useful to make chicken cages that can easily accommodate up to 10 chickens. If a large number of chickens is planned, then more chickens can be placed in one cage, and individual structures can be placed in rows and floors.

A short overview of this option can be seen in the video:

DIY cages

A good solution is to assemble cages for laying hens with your own hands. In fact, various materials can be used as a base. You may already have most of them at home, so take a look at the diagrams below. The video will allow you to clearly see the finished options. A thorough analysis will make it possible to replace some components with more affordable ones.

Wood construction

The design of chicken cages made of wood requires less material investment and is also much easier to assemble. To work you will need the following tool:

• hacksaw or jigsaw;
• roulette;
• screwdriver;
• self-tapping screws;
• pliers.

The material used will be a square wooden beam with a side size of 4 cm. 5x3 cm and 5x4 cm will also be suitable. A metal grate will also be needed. If you are the owner of a welding machine, then you can make it yourself from thin reinforcement. But usually the costs are similar to those for which you can buy a finished canvas. The second option will be less troublesome in terms of time. For a solid bottom you will need moisture-resistant plywood or OSB sheet. Instead, galvanized sheet metal is used. It is easier to work with it, giving it the required shape.

The first thing you can do is sit down and sketch out drawings of cages for laying hens, which you will later assemble with your own hands. Below are some sizes of cages for chickens, from which you can deviate slightly to fit a specific room. You need to take a tape measure and walk around the room in which the structure will be located. A general measurement is made of the width, height and depth at which the design of the cages for chickens is planned. All numbers are transferred to a piece of paper and a large rectangle or square is drawn. You can draw it in perspective. After this, it is divided into individual squares or rectangles. Floors are also calculated. The thickness of the timber must be taken into account.

The beginning of the assembly stage will be cutting the components for the frame. It must be strong and stable, since the efficiency of the entire farm will depend on it. The height of each rack is calculated taking into account the fact that full height one cage for keeping chickens will be approximately 70 cm and a width of 140 cm. The total length and height of the planned structure must be divided by the indicated numbers and then it is easy to find out how many individual bars are needed. The size of the cross bars will depend on the depth of the structure planned. Usually 70 cm is taken as the basis. All materials are fastened with metal corners. The end of this stage will be a frame without shelves.

Advice! If the overall dimensions of the structure are not too large, then wheels can be used instead of regular legs. In this case, it will be easier to clean under the cages, and also easier to take the houses outside if necessary.

The second stage of assembling cages for laying hens will be making a solid floor with your own hands. To do this you need to measure inner space, which was obtained after assembling the frame. Rectangles or squares of the required sizes are cut. In the corners, cuts are made under the timber so that the partitions fit without much difficulty. They are screwed around the perimeter to wooden blocks. Thus, the structure becomes more stable. At the end of this process, the side partitions between the cells are prepared from a metal lattice. They are screwed to the top and bottom beams.

In addition to a solid floor, you will need a sloping floor with an egg collector. It must be made at an angle so that the eggs can roll into the gutter. Its width will be equal to the width of the cage, and its depth will be slightly greater. Install a sloping floor at an angle of no more than 9 degrees. In this case, the minimum useful height that will remain in the cage must be at least 45 cm. You can fix the inclined floor using wire to the side walls that were mounted earlier. An outlet of 15 cm is made beyond the boundaries of the cage, after which it is bent to form a semicircular structure where the eggs will be retained. There should be space left under the floor to mount a tray on the floor sheet to collect waste and debris.

Note! The back wall for the entire structure can be solid. It is easy to make from the same metal mesh. You should not make it deaf, as this may have a bad effect on the bird.

One of the difficult stages of making cages for chickens is organizing the front walls. They must meet several parameters in order to maintain their functionality. Most often, the front wall of the cage also serves as a door. The latter can be done on the entire plane or left only a separate window in the middle. You can use ready-made canopies or make them yourself from pieces of steel wire, simply by hanging the mesh on hooks fixed in a wooden beam. The chicken should be able to easily poke its head through the front wall, so if the size of the cell is not enough for this, then you need to cut a small window in the cage. A video about wood cages can be seen below:

Advice! You can make drinking bowls for chickens yourself from available materials. But for cells it is better to use ready-made factory ones with automatic feeding. This approach to organizing cell infrastructure will avoid rapid water pollution. Feeders are mounted below the drinkers, but the chicken should have free access to it.

Profile construction

The assembly of cells from a metal profile has much in common with the previous version. The advantage of this approach for cell manufacturing is the long service life. When using an aluminum frame, the total weight of the structure may not increase compared to a wooden one. To work you will need the following tools:

• roulette;
• marker;
• hand hacksaw, reciprocating saw or grinder;
• riveter or screwdriver;
• drill;
• fastening consumables.

You can take as a basis the dimensions given in the previous version of the cells. Using the same algorithm, the required number of racks and crossbars is manufactured. You can only fasten them together using rivets or small self-tapping screws. Cage rivets would be a more durable option. Next, a blank floor for the cage is made. It can be a wooden base or a galvanized sheet. The back wall is also made of mesh. The front walls of the cells serve as doors. An example of such a design can be seen in the photo below. Be sure to make an inclined floor along which the eggs will roll.

Note! Cages for quails are assembled using the same design, but they will be smaller, since the size of the bird itself is smaller than that of a chicken. The quail drinking bowl can be placed in the cage itself, if it is convenient. The feeder is located outside the cage, as is the case with chickens.

A video about such quail cages can be seen below:

Conclusion

As you can see, assembling a cage for chickens or quails is a long but simple task. The main thing is to choose all the sizes correctly and be smart. If you plan to roll the structure out into the fresh air, then slate or other material is mounted on top of the product that can protect the bird from rain.

Not so long ago, cages for chickens were considered a necessity only in poultry farms and large farms. Today, many breeders who want to get more eggs from laying hens are thinking about such a purchase. Why is this happening? What are the advantages of keeping poultry indoors? How to make a cage with your own hands? Let's look into these issues.

Requirements for cages for chickens

Chickens are unpretentious birds, but for maximum productivity you need to take care of a place that is comfortable for them. It is especially important to properly equip cages for laying hens. There are several important points to consider here:

1. The size of the cage must correspond to the number of birds. One individual of an egg-bearing breed should have up to 600 cm2. If the breed is egg-meat, then the space can be increased to 800 cm 2 per bird, since such varieties are usually large.
2. Each cage should be equipped with a feeder and waterer for chickens.
3. There should be no blank walls.
4. The floor must be reliable, otherwise it will sag over time from the weight of the birds.
5. The cage lattice should be strong, the cells should be small. This is an important requirement, since predators such as ferrets and weasels are able to fit into a fairly small hole. The largest cells are made in the front wall so that the chickens can stick their heads into them to eat; their approximate size is 5:10 cm.
6. Special microclimate: the cage should always be warm and dry.

“Apartments” for raising chickens at home are installed indoors, for example, in a barn or chicken coop. In summer, it is possible to move the cells outside, but for this, the roofs of the structures should not allow moisture to pass through. To cover the cage with your own hands, in this case you can use slate or other inexpensive material.

Types of structures

Cages for chickens, depending on the capabilities of the breeder and the goals of breeding the birds, can be different. You can find the most incredible drawings of such structures, but all of them can be divided into the following types:

1. With bedding. In this case, the floor is made blank and covered with straw or sawdust.
2. With sloping floor and egg collector. This option involves a double floor, top part which is made of a lattice and has a slope. The lower part of the bottom is solid and is usually equipped with a sliding mechanism (tray). This design allows you to keep the cage clean and dry. The eggs roll down an inclined floor and fall into a special chute. This cage option for chickens is the best because it reduces the time the laying hen has in contact with the egg.

Any type can be assembled with your own hands. Even novice farmers can cope with this task at home.

Typically, cages for laying hens are made into group cages. The cage is designed for 7 – 10 individuals; in large farms this figure can be much higher. A cage battery for laying hens is suitable for a very large flock. It consists of cells in several rows and floors; it can also be assembled at home.

Pros and cons of cage keeping

1. Restricted movement. Chickens are active birds; they feel oppressed in a confined space, so the period of egg production may decrease.
2. Lack of sun. Natural ultraviolet irradiation allows vitamin D to be synthesized; when kept indoors, it must be given in the form of food supplements.
3. Dietary restrictions. Cages limit the birds' consumption of natural feed such as grass and insects, so all missing substances will have to be added to the feed in the form of mineral supplements.
4. Rapid development of infection. Viral diseases quickly spread among birds in a confined space, since an infected chicken is in close contact with the rest of the flock.

Supporters of closed housing justify their opinion by the fact that cages solve many problems that are quite difficult to cope with with free breeding:

1. Safety. The likelihood of a chicken being eaten by a predator is reduced to zero.
2. Ensuring control over poultry health. In a limited space, a sick bird can be noticed earlier and have time to provide it with veterinary care.
3. Reduced likelihood of infectious diseases due to the lack of contact with wild birds.
4. Providing the necessary conditions to increase the duration of egg production.
5. Facilitating the process of collecting eggs. You don't have to look for a poultry product. Free-roaming birds may fly not in designated nests, but on the floor or in the street.
6. Saving feed. With limited movement, chickens eat less. In addition, when kept freely, a significant portion of the grain is eaten by sparrows and other wild birds.
7. Possibility to accommodate large livestock in a small area.

Free movement of chickens will bring certain benefits to their health, but will create many inconveniences for the breeder. Yet negative sides Confinement can be minimized through careful care.

Do it yourself

Making a cage for laying hens with your own hands is not difficult, you just need to stock up on materials and know the technology of the process. It is also advisable to first make approximate drawings that will help you navigate during construction. For construction you will need:

• wooden beam or metal corner for the frame;
• bolts;
• galvanized welded mesh with mesh sizes 25:50 mm and 50:50 mm;
• tin for the tray and door;
• spring for door and hinge.

Step-by-step instructions for making a cage with your own hands for laying hens will look like this:

Prepare all the necessary parts with the following dimensions:

№	Name	Quantity	Dimensions, cm
From galvanized welded mesh with a cell size of 25:50 mm:
1	Back wall	1 PC
2	Side wall	2 pcs
3	Ceiling	1 PC
4	Mesh floor	1 PC
From galvanized welded mesh with a cell size of 50:50 mm:
5	1 PC
6	Door - you will receive it by cutting it out of the front wall, do not forget to remove the excess parts by making a hole with the dimensions indicated in the drawing	1 PC
From corner 2:2 cm
7	Legs	4 things	length 80 cm
8	Ceiling frame

Today many people raise chickens in their summer cottages. There are several ways to maintain them. Breeding this bird in cages is considered one of the most convenient and promising. Today, such designs can be purchased ready-made if desired. However, they are quite expensive. Therefore, many owners of summer cottages or their own country houses would probably like to learn how to make cages for laying hens with their own hands.

Benefits of cage-free chickens

There are only three ways to breed this bird - walking, aviary and in cages. The latter method is becoming increasingly popular these days. The main advantages of using structures such as laying hens when breeding include:

• Opportunity rational use chicken coop area. In this case, many more chickens can be raised on a smaller area.
• Better sanitary conditions. With this method of breeding, droppings are collected only under the cages.
• Since the eggs are rolled out of the cages into special receptacles, they do not get dirty or break. In addition, there is absolutely no risk of them pecking.
• When grown in cages, it is much easier to monitor the health of chickens, as well as to carry out selective selection.
• It is easier to monitor the chickens' nutrition. When feeding, food is not carried around the room.
• Water is easy to access for birds and always remains clean.
• Gather laid eggs much easier.

Of course, the cellular method of breeding laying hens also has some disadvantages:

• Chickens do not have access to grass and pebbles. Therefore, it is necessary to add to the feed vitamin preparations and coarse sand.
• It is necessary to constantly monitor the microclimate in the room. The chicken coop will have to be ventilated frequently. In addition, you will need to think about a way to efficiently heat and light it.

What materials will you need?

Before you start making cells, you need to stock up on the necessary materials. You can find out which ones exactly from the table.

Cell Assembly Tools

Cages for laying hens are made using the following tools:

• Grinder for cutting corners.
• Jigsaw for cutting sheet metal.
• Hacksaw for making a feeder and tray.
• Welding machine.

Where to begin?

So, how to make a cage for laying hens? Let's look at this in more detail. And let's start, of course, with the drawing. There are some rules for its compilation. Firstly, the diagram must be made in compliance with all proportions and dimensions. Secondly, when drawing up a project, you should take into account the design dimensions recommended by experts.

So, what should be the size of a cage for laying hens? In order for it to be comfortable, its length should be 52.5 cm, width - 61 cm, height - 52 cm. Of course, the dimensions of the cage also depend on the above. They are suitable for a fairly large bird. For smaller chickens, the “home” can be made smaller.

There is another fairly common design option for a laying hen cage. In this case, its length is 38 cm, its height from the top point of the bottom is 45 cm, and its height from the pallet is 68 cm.

Diagram of a cell with this design:

Sometimes a cage is made with the expectation that it will contain several chickens at once. In this case, you also need to correctly calculate the dimensions. When choosing a size, it is assumed that there should be at least 0.1 m 2 of cage floor per chicken. When kept alone, this figure is usually 0.5-0.6 m2.

Design Features

Cages for laying hens consist of the following elements:

• Frame with legs
• Welded rods in the form of a lattice.
• Partitions.
• Pallet.
• Sloping mesh bottom.
• Feeders.
• Drinking bowls.

The main feature of a cage designed specifically for laying hens is the presence of a special sector for collecting eggs. Cages raised for meat most often have a straight horizontal bottom.

Frame assembly

The frame is manufactured in several stages:

• Four identical segments are cut from the corner. Their length should be equal to the height of the cage plus extra space for the legs. These will be the frame posts.
• The frame is welded from the same material. Its length should be equal to the length of the cage, its width corresponding to its width.
• The frame is welded to the racks from above strictly horizontally.

bottom of the cage

Do-it-yourself cages for laying hens, as already mentioned, are made with an inclined floor. For the bottom, it is better to buy ready-made galvanized mesh. It is attached to the frame with a slight forward tilt (6-9 degrees). Part of the floor should protrude beyond the cage by 50 mm (the length of one cell). Its very edge needs to be folded upward. This design will allow you to collect eggs with maximum convenience. They will not be trampled or pecked. As soon as the hen lays the egg, it will roll forward down the floor and stop, held by the curved edge outside the cage. You can weld the mesh to the frame through pieces of corner.

Grill, trim and drip tray

Next, the sides of the cage are scalded with metal rods. The back wall is covered with plywood or boards. The same material is used to make the opening roof. The distance between the bars of the grill can be quite large, but, of course, such that the bird cannot crawl between them. The height of the grill bars in front should be equal to the distance from the top of the cage to the very high point rear floor. Thus, at the bottom of the front part there will be a gap high enough for rolling an egg.

At the very bottom of the frame you need to make a pallet. It can be made from a plywood sheet, securing it between the posts, or from galvanized sheet.

Drinker and feeder

A drinking bowl is made by bending a piece of tin into a trough and riveting the walls to the sides. Hang it directly above the feeder so that the chickens can easily reach the water.

Where can cages be installed?

Now you know how to make a cage for laying hens. However, the assembled structure must also be installed correctly. There are some recommendations regarding the placement of such “dwellings” for chickens in a barn. For example, under no circumstances should cages be installed directly under a window. Otherwise, the chickens will catch a cold. It is best to place them on the wall opposite the window.

Certainly, the best option there will be cages for laying hens on legs. If the structure is installed directly on the floor, you need to lay bedding under it. The latter is used straw, hay or sawdust.

Cell blocks

Typically, “homes” for chickens are assembled into multi-tiered blocks. In this case, the cell diagram is also drawn first. The doors in the cells of such a complex are made not from above, but in front. For their manufacture, you can use the same galvanized mesh. In this case, the feeder is mounted under the door, above the egg receptacle. A tray for collecting litter is made of tin in the form of boxes and installed between the tiers.

In this case, purchased drinking bowls are usually used. They are containers installed on the roof of the last tier. Hoses are pulled from each of them into the cages. To ensure that water stops flowing after filling the container below, the design uses a special float system.

These are the blocks and cages for laying hens (photo):

Block feeder

For a prefabricated structure, a wooden container for grain and mash is, of course, unlikely to be suitable - due to its bulkiness. Therefore, in this case it is better to make feeders from tin. This material makes it easy to manufacture, among other things, a removable structure. At large quantities chickens on the farm, the latter option will be the most convenient. The fact is that the feeders in this case are much easier to wash and disinfect.

A feeder for a cell block is made as follows:

• A strip 30 cm wide is cut from a sheet of galvanized steel.
• Next, a bend is made on it at a distance of 8 centimeters from the edge at an angle of 95 degrees.
• Then another 5 cm is marked on the strip.
• The bend is made at an angle of 100 degrees.
• The long end of the resulting feeder is bent with a “hook”.
• Next, the feeder is hung on the front wall of the cage.

Often feeders for chickens kept in cages are made simply from a strip of tin bent in the middle.

Large cages for chickens

Sometimes farmers and summer residents practice keeping chickens in cages very big size. This design can be installed either simply in the yard, or in the barn itself. Last option used primarily to protect chickens from ferrets, foxes and rats. In this case, the drinking bowl and feeder are installed inside.

The cage itself is an ordinary frame, assembled from timber with a section corresponding to the size of the structure, covered with chain-link or covered with galvanized bars.

What types of commercial cell blocks are there?

Of course, you can only make a not too large complex for chickens yourself. If you are planning to breed this bird thoroughly, you should think about purchasing an option such as ready-made cages for laying hens. The price for single structures can range from 500 to 3000 rubles. The cost of blocks is usually 20,000-50,000 rubles, depending on the number of cells, tiers, and the degree of equipment of the complex. Block cage structures are produced today by many manufacturers. Some complexes are equipped with automatic water and feed supply. Sometimes such blocks are additionally equipped with heaters.

Such complexes are quite expensive, and therefore you should be careful when purchasing them. Breeding and keeping chickens in them will be successful only if the following conditions are met:

• Doors should open and close easily and without creaking.
• Trays for collecting litter should be easily removed from under the cages and be made of easy-to-clean material.
• It is better if all parts of the block are made of galvanized steel. The usual one will rust very quickly. In addition, galvanized metal structures are easier to maintain.

remember, that right choice cells will help improve business profitability by increasing meat and egg production.

Features of raising chickens in cages

As you can see, making chicken cages yourself is not particularly difficult. And the method of raising poultry in them is quite convenient. So what about using exactly this technology for obtaining chicken meat and eggs are definitely worth thinking about.

Household owners in European countries have practically abandoned keeping caged chickens. The refusal was due to the fact that such treatment of birds is considered inhumane. And, of course, the inability to obtain environmentally pure product. Because the lack of walking has to be compensated with various vitamins and other chemical additives.

But cellular content also has its advantages.

Advantages of keeping laying hens in a cage:

• Possibility of accommodation more birds in a smaller area. This is important when you have 6 acres, but you want to grow a vegetable garden and always eat a fresh egg.
• Easier to monitor bird health. If necessary, carry out vaccinations and therapeutic measures.
• Sanitary and hygienic conditions for keeping poultry are improving. Since cages are usually made with a tray for collecting litter. And it is convenient to remove, clean and disinfect.
• Increased security. Chickens often die because they become food for predators. They can be attacked by both a dog and a cat, and there’s nothing to say about the threat of chicken coops - a ferret. So the cage will secure their existence in this regard.
• Feed is used more rationally. It is the chickens who eat it, and not its voluntary helpers: mice, rats, migratory birds.
• Easier to collect eggs. Not trampled, not pecked, they roll out into the tray themselves.

What types of cells are there?

They can contain not only chickens, but also other birds. There are some, such as quails, that cannot be kept in any other way. So the requirements for houses for all birds are the same. You can read about them in the article “Quail Trouble for Beginners.”

Conventionally, all of them can be divided into two types - ready-made and homemade. Here is an example of a finished three-tier “Professional” cell battery.

Three-tier cage "Professional"

One section of this cage battery can accommodate 7 chickens. The dimensions of the space for one laying hen are 49x58x55 cm.

Features of the finished cage “Professional”

This “beauty” meets all the requirements for comfortable living of birds in limited space.

• It is easy to assemble and disassemble. That is, it is mobile. It will be easy to store and move to the right place.
• The side and back walls are solid. Only the rear still has ventilation holes. But still, this will not allow the space around the cage to be splashed with droppings and other debris.
• Large feed tray. That is, it will last longer, you can pour it in less often, and since it is wide, you can do it from any container.
• There are limiting windows installed on the feed receiver. The chicken does not eat carefully, and limiters will help cope with this problem.
• The top of the cage is covered with a steel sheet. It can be easily removed for maintenance.
• Nipple drinkers are installed inside, the installation height of which is adjustable.
• The tray for collecting eggs has high sides, which protects them from damage.
• Pallet. In which the droppings are collected and all the garbage is pulled out. This device makes it easier to clean and disinfect.

One section of a three-tier battery costs about 5,000 rubles. This means that for three you will have to pay 15,000. True, for three sections they may also offer you a bottom with wheels and all sorts of discounts as a gift. This, of course, is very convenient, but the price will still be within these limits.

Homemade product

Ready-made cells are good, but financially they are a bit expensive. That's why many people make them themselves. Moreover, this work gives wide scope for creativity. There are no strict rules in its manufacture, no specific requirements for materials and components.

About homemade cells, you can completely say: “I made him from what I had.” This is the basic principle of its construction. Only in this case will the goal justify the effort expended. And a lot of them need to be applied. If you buy everything new to make it, then it’s better to buy a ready-made one and not fool yourself.

When making a homemade cage, the main thing is to ensure that it complies with zootechnical standards for keeping poultry.

Standards

In addition, in the room where you place the cages you need to constantly maintain an air temperature of plus 16-18 degrees. This is important due to the dense proximity of birds and the lack of walking. If the temperature is more than 30 degrees, the egg production of laying hens will drop, and after 36 degrees the bird may begin to die. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to ensure a flow of cold air into the chicken coop during hot summer months.

Making a cell

This work is of a purely individual nature. It will happen differently for everyone, but there are some common points.

General events

Before you start making a cage you need

• study samples of ready-made and home-made cells published in various information sources,
• make your own model from them and transfer it to paper in the form of a drawing,
• conduct an audit of the material available to you suitable for making a cage,
• draw up a cost estimate.

After carrying out all this research work, make sure that “the game is worth the candle.” After that, start. Here is one of the options homemade cage

If you have a large number of birds, you can try to make multi-section cages, which provide the possibility of installing additional modules. Here are these, for example.

Appearance batteries will be like this.

Instructions

The stages of work are as follows:

• We make the frame from the material you chose. It would be better, of course, if it was a metal corner. Cut out the parts according to the drawing and connect them together. Check the rigidity of the structure. Please note. That there will be living beings inside that move. That is, the center of gravity is constantly changing, which means the structure will experience multidirectional loads.
• We fix the bottom. This the most important detail designs. The comfortable existence of the bird largely depends on it. It must be mesh and have a slope.

1. The optimal size of the cells is 2x2 or 2.5x2.5 cm. In this case, the droppings will flow into the pan, and the chickens will not damage their paws.
2. Do not make the floor slope steep. Six degrees is enough. The main thing is to ensure that the eggs roll into the tray to collect them.

• Under the mesh bottom we place a tray for litter and garbage. It is advisable to make it retractable. Then it is removed, thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. For a pallet, it is important what material it is made of, since it is constantly exposed to chemically active substances. If it is metal, it will quickly rust. It will have to be changed frequently. It is better to take a material that is not susceptible to corrosion for these purposes, for example, polycarbonate.
• The roof, rear and side walls are made of solid material. It can be metal, fiberboard, plywood, plastic.

1. Ventilation holes must be made in the back wall.
2. The side walls can be used as doors. To do this, they are hung on loops and closed with a hook or latch.

• The facade wall is made of mesh or rods. The width of the cells should provide the birds with the opportunity to freely get food.
• It is better to place feeders and drinkers outside the cages. The drinking bowl is fixed above the feeder, and not vice versa. Otherwise, all kinds of debris will get into the clean water. Many poultry farmers prefer trough drinkers rather than nipple drinkers. The latter are usually installed inside the cage. And when the chicken drinks, it shakes its head, water splashes everywhere and ends up in the pan. As a result, the droppings begin to emit an unpleasant ammonia odor.

Summarizing what has been said, it can be noted that cage housing is beneficial only in the case of a large number of chickens. In this case, you need to carefully weigh all the pros and cons in favor of purchasing a ready-made or homemade cage. The decision will depend

• on your carpentry skills,
• provision of the necessary tools,
• availability of auxiliary materials.