In a small farm, a very small chicken coop is enough for raising chickens. Any livestock breeder with basic tooling skills will be able to build a miniature poultry house.

Portable chicken coop: features

A mobile chicken coop for 5 chickens is an excellent option for keeping poultry on a relatively small plot of land. As the name suggests, structures of this kind are easily transported from one place to another, which greatly facilitates the procedure for providing chickens with fresh green feed. Such a design can be purchased off-the-shelf or made by yourself.

In both cases, we are talking about a fairly simple structure, consisting of two main levels. The upper level is most often made of plywood, the lower one is made of a chain-link mesh.

Coop for 5 chickens

Only one of the walls is covered with a board. This is necessary to make the structure easier to open and close.

Any portable chicken coop should have two main areas: one is necessary for incubating eggs, the second is for walking.

Important! Among poultry farmers, chicken coops equipped with a roof and a natural lawn are in high demand.

Mobile chicken coops on sale can be found in various modifications and design solutions. So, for example, they are on wheels or without them, with or without a bottom, etc. House size can also vary widely. The choice in favor of a particular option should be made taking into account how many chickens will be placed in it.

Benefits

Among the advantages that a small portable chicken coop has, first of all, it is necessary to highlight the following:

  • mobility, thanks to which the bird can have fresh greens and live food all summer;
  • interesting design (allows not only to provide a place for chickens, but also to become a part of landscape design);
  • relatively low purchase cost;
  • ease of maintenance.

disadvantages

Among the design flaws, attention should be paid to the following:

  • small capacity (if there are a lot of chickens, a mobile chicken coop will not work);
  • frequent mistakes in manufacturing on their own (if you do not fully adhere to the drawing of a chicken coop for 5 chickens with dimensions, errors are inevitable, which entails the fragility of the structure upon completion of work).

Note! In general, the mini-chicken coop is an excellent alternative to the stationary option. It should only be remembered that this option for housing for birds is summer, as it cannot be used in winter because of the lack of heating.

Making a mini chicken coop yourself

Many livestock breeders do not want to purchase ready-made structures and are looking for an answer to the question of how to build a chicken coop for five chickens with their own hands. Manufacturing technology is not particularly complex.

Coop for 5-6 hens

The construction of a mobile version of the structure involves the implementation of the following list of works in a clearly defined sequence:

  1. The frame is being made. To work, you need two triangular frames made of a 2 x 4 cm bar. The frames are connected using ordinary boards, on which handles should subsequently be provided for moving the finished structure across the site.
  2. Two side walls (bottom) are formed. For them, you will need rails of 1.5 x 3 cm. A mesh with a mesh size of 2 x 2 cm is stretched between the walls (it is optimal).The overlap between the floors is made of an ordinary plywood sheet, in which an additional hole should be provided through which the chicken will move between different levels. A ladder will pass through this same hole.
  3. Any of the two side walls of the 1st tier must be made in a removable version. It will serve as an entrance.
  4. The second tier of a mini chicken coop with your own hands for 5 chickens must be divided into two unequal parts. About 30% of the total space should be used for the organization of perches, where the chickens will lay eggs, in the remaining place the birds will rest.

    Chicken coop

  5. The roof is made of several plywood sheets, which are fastened to each other by means of hinges. This is necessary so that the lid can be lifted (eg in hot weather). One of the parts should be removable to facilitate cleaning of the structure.
  6. The last stage of work is to carefully treat the house with a protective agent against moisture and insects. Alternatively, furniture varnish is suitable.

Despite the constructive simplicity that a do-it-yourself chicken coop for 5 chickens has, ventilation is vital in it. If you neglect her equipment, the birds will be damp and cold. High humidity and low temperatures can cause chicken disease. Constant access to fresh air, on the other hand, is very beneficial for chickens. In addition, a well-functioning ventilation will almost completely eliminate the persistent unpleasant odor of ammonia.

Remember! Chickens just need the sun. Its lack or complete absence will adversely affect the health of the bird.

Coop for 3-4 hens

Building a chicken coop for 3-4 chickens with your own hands is not much different from similar work on a structure for 5-10 birds. Unless in the latter case, the poultry house has a reason to make it a little more spacious.

For a small room, two small ventilation holes in the walls located in opposite parts of the chicken coop will be enough. In this case, one should be at the top, the second at the bottom.

In the manufacture of the structure, the climatic conditions of the area where the dacha or suburban area is located, where it is planned to breed chickens, must be taken into account. For example, constant rain and strong winds can destroy the house.

The building is quite capable of serving for many years. It should only be remembered that the described design is summer, and when winter comes, the chicken coop should be moved to a warm room (shed or garage) or birds should be slaughtered.

Mini chicken coop

Tips from experienced poultry farmers

Since raising chickens in small poultry houses specific occupation, some useful advice from experienced poultry farmers will be useful to many:

  • In order to prevent a draft due to gusts of wind, the entire structure should be done without cracks. In this case, you should not forget to ventilate the chicken coop well from time to time. Alternatively, this can be done in the absence of chickens.
  • If you place the chicken coop on a small hill, moisture (its excess) will not accumulate in it.
  • For maximum protection of chickens, a mosquito net should be placed on the windows.
  • If you put the chicken coop in close proximity to the fence, the wind will not disturb the birds.
  • When moving the house around the site, make sure that the entrance and walk are located on the south side.
  • If the area of ​​the site allows, it is recommended to make a structure for 10 heads. It may contain fewer birds, but if it is necessary to increase the number of birds, no preparatory work will be required.
  • When building a mini-chicken coop, it is imperative to use a drawing.

It makes sense to build a chicken coop with your own hands only if you have the appropriate experience (at least in a minimal amount). Otherwise, the result may not be as expected.Those who have not previously had to engage in construction work are advised to contact experienced professionals or consider buying a finished structure. This option, although it turns out to be more expensive from a financial point of view, will allow you not to worry about the result.