Although the chicken is considered the most unpretentious poultry, ventilation in the chicken coop is an important factor on which the state of health of the livestock depends. The ventilation system can be purchased at a specialized store or manufactured independently, which will save a significant amount of money.
Why is there ventilation in the chicken coop?
Not many farmers think about installing ventilation in the chicken coop, believing that this is an extra waste of time and money. But this is far from the case, because thanks to the ventilation system, the following is ensured:
- ammonia vapors are removed from the waste products of birds;
- humidity is regulated;
- lack of dampness and heat;
- the room is saturated with oxygen;
- Drafts are excluded, which often cause livestock mortality.
All this helps to avoid morbidity, poisoning with toxic substances. In addition, chickens gain mass faster, rush better, and hatched chickens are born healthy and strong.
Without ventilation equipment, the most favorable conditions are created for the development of fungi, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and mold. Why is this happening? The fact is that birds, being living creatures, breathe oxygen, in the process of which it is replaced by carbon dioxide, which is harmful to any organism. If air exchange is not created in the hermetically sealed chicken coop, the atmosphere will be transformed into moist, heavy and suffocating, which is fraught with mortality.
Methods of organizing ventilation
The ventilation system for the chicken coop requires a simple design and does not require special effort and cost in manufacturing. The most commonly used custom exhaust hood or supply and exhaust option, but there are other methods. Each species has its own characteristics, on the basis of which poultry farmers choose their own:
- Airing. This is the most budgetary and easiest option for ventilation. For ventilation, it is enough to cut a hole in the barn and install a window structure. The natural structure is mounted in the area of the wall or ceiling, but it is better to give preference to the ceiling hole, as this additionally allows you to provide the chicken coop with lighting in the daytime.
- Supply and exhaust system. It is based on the inflow and exhaust of air masses, for which you need to purchase only a couple of pipes. Fresh air enters one of them, and exhaust air is discharged through the other.
- Mechanical ventilation. This variation is used in rare cases - when keeping a large number of birds in one room. That is, there should be a lot of space. To do this, you need to buy a fan, which is included as necessary. The usual design is mounted on the ceiling, axial - mounted in the vent window.
- Tunnel system or turbine. It is based on the installation of a turbine on the roof (in diameter it resembles a basketball ball), which is connected to a pipe (a special tunnel). It can be used only in windy weather, since it is the strength of the wind that makes the turbine knives rotate. Thanks to such actions, spoiled air is removed from the chicken coop.
DIY ventilation in the chicken coop: step-by-step instructions
Each ventilation system has its own characteristics, but there are basic general requirements:
- She must constantly provide the room with fresh air, thereby reducing the risk of infection, improving the health of the livestock.
- The design should not create a draft, therefore, special attention is paid to its location.
- To prevent the system from clogging, it is necessary to clean the chicken coop from excess garbage, litter, and stale feed in a timely manner.
- The humidity level should not exceed 75%.
- The temperature regime should be at least + 16-17 degrees for adults, and for young immature chickens - 25-28.
- The flow rate of fresh air in the summer is 0.7-0.8 meters per second, in the winter - 0.4-0.5 m / s.
- Ventilation performance is calculated as follows: per 1 square. m should have 5 hens.
- Be sure to periodically disinfect the chicken coop against rodents and pathogenic microorganisms.
To determine if ventilation is installed correctly, you need to go into the house and spend about half an hour there. If during this time a person feels bad (his head starts to hurt, there will be a feeling of lack of air, etc.), then the system is installed incorrectly, that is, there is no normal air circulation.
Any type of ventilation design involves the use of different materials and tools. If you use wood, then you will need a saw on wood, nails, boards. If it’s metal, then tools for working on metal, etc. A sealant is necessary to cover the cracks, dyes, etc.
For example, consider the installation and manufacture of the main types of ventilation, which are most suitable for use in the chicken coop:
- Natural ventilation. Punch a square hole in the ceiling or wall. The optimal size is 20x20 cm. Next, make a frame from the boards. Divide the interior of the window into a couple of parts. One of them should be completely covered with wood, after which it is stained and holes of small diameter are made in it. The walls are covered with sealant. Thus, a stream of fresh air passes through the longitudinal compartment, and carbon dioxide exits through the other section.
- Mechanical system using an axial fan. To do this, make a window in which a special frame is installed. The structure is mounted on it. A prerequisite is the availability of electrical power, since the stationary fan is powered by the mains. Modern models have sensors that monitor the level of humidity and temperature. The only drawback is the power consumption.
- Forced-air and exhaust option. You will need 2 plastic or metal pipes (length - 2 meters, diameter - about 20-22 cm) and a bend of 90 degrees. Fresh air must pass through the first pipe, and be discharged through the second. Installation process:
- make a round hole in the ceiling with a diameter equal to the diameter of the pipe;
- install pipe No. 1 in the ceiling in the place where birds rarely sit (the distance from the roof to the top of the structure should be at least 1 m 30 cm);
- in the chicken coop, the distance from the floor to the bottom of the pipe should be 20-30 cm;
- in the area above the perch, also make a hole in the ceiling;
- insert the pipe so that it is 30-50 cm lower than the first one on the street;
- both openings with pipes are blown with sealed foam to eliminate gaps;
- install special canopy umbrellas above the pipes so that precipitation (snow, rain, hail) and garbage do not penetrate into the room.
Deflector manufacturing
The deflector is a structure that is aimed at dissecting the wind blowing in its direction. This allows you to reduce the pressure inside the device and increase traction in the pipe, which performs the function of drawing. The device is installed on the roof. It can be purchased at a hardware store, but poultry farmers make a deflector with their own hands to save money.
Before starting work, the following calculations are carried out:
- to determine the height, you must multiply the cross-sectional size of the pipe by the number 1.8;
- to reveal the width of the hood, the cross section is multiplied by 1.7;
- to calculate the width of the diffuser, multiply by 1.4.
Next, you need to take sheets of thick paper, on which all measurements are transferred and patterns (patterns) are cut. After that, the workpieces are superimposed on a steel sheet and redrawn. Scissors for metal cut out elements that can be connected using a rivet gun. The final step is to install the deflector in the exhaust pipe.
Rotary Gate Valve Manufacturing
To make a rotary valve, you need to do the following:
- To create a structure you will need metal corners, wood, a welding machine. A frame is welded from the corners, on the sides of which you need to make holes. An axis will pass through them.
- Make bushings from the pipe (pieces can be used), weld them.
- Take a steel sheet, cut out the locking plate. Its size should correspond to the diameter of the exhaust pipe.
- Install the shutter into the frame from the corners, weld to the axis.
- Mount a wooden handle on the axis, which allows you to adjust the damper.
- In strong winds, the locking device can open by itself. To prevent this from happening, a heck of wood is installed.
Features of ventilation in the chicken coop in winter
In the cold season, chickens especially need heat, for which chicken coops are equipped with special equipment, insulated with hermetic materials, etc. Due to this, a certain air temperature is reached, but without ventilation it becomes stuffy in the room.
You can simply periodically open the doors to start fresh air, but in this case the heat will be lost, and the risk of creating a draft, which acts on the birds in a destructive way, is not excluded.
In winter, electrical appliances that consume a significant amount of electricity are often used to heat the chicken coop. Therefore, the installation of a mechanical fan is excluded. But there is a universal version of the ventilation system without the use of electricity. This is passive ventilation. It works silently, performs its main purpose, does not consume any energy and works autonomously throughout the day.
How to do it:
- Draw a layout of the ventilation structure, taking into account the characteristics of the room.
- Make holes in the ceiling (one above the roost or the place where birds gather, the other from the opposite side).
- Install 2 pipes according to the principle of the supply and exhaust system, but use not plastic pipes, but corrugated ones (diameter is also 20 cm).
Additionally, specialized sensors can be installed to control temperature and humidity. The latter is especially relevant. It is most advisable to turn them on only with increased dampness, so that you can save electricity.
10 helpful tips
If the curry breeder does not have a specialized education and is installing the ventilation structure for the first time, he can make a number of irreparable errors. In this case, there are two choices - entrust the installation to a professional (but this will create additional costs) or carefully study the information and use the recommendations of experienced specialists. What to look for:
- When using pipes, select a circular cross-section, as it creates better air exchange.
- If you install plastic or metal structures for the winter period, be sure to insulate them with special materials. The fact is that a large temperature difference contributes to the formation of condensate. For insulation you can use polystyrene, mineral wool and even improvised materials (straw, woolen rags, old coats and fur coats). Wrap the pipes and fix the material.
- For the density of fastening of pipe structures, they are located in close proximity to the rafters. For reliability of fixing it is better to use brackets.
- If you do not have the opportunity to buy plastic / metal pipes, but there are wooden boards available, feel free to use them. To do this, make long structures by connecting the boards with special devices. To close cracks, use construction foam. Remember that the square section of the channel does not give such efficiency as the round one.
- If the roof of the chicken coop is 2-pitched, then the pull-down structure must be installed on the visor.
- If the roof is flat, but has a slight slope, then the upper part of the supply pipe falls to a distance of 30 cm relative to standard standards (about one and a half meters).
- Both pipes must be on opposite sides of each other. This is the only way to create a normal level of air exchange.
- To avoid condensation in the knee, which is located on the street side, it is recommended to make a small hole (4-5 mm).
- The exhaust system must be cleaned twice a year, since debris, cobwebs, dirt, dust, dry leaves, etc. accumulate in it. If the design does not have a damper or visor, it is advisable to do this 3-4 times a year.
- When installing electrical equipment, several factors must be taken into account. Noise volume should not exceed 60-70 decibels.
To choose one or another ventilation system is a personal matter for every poultry farmer. But it is impossible to do without ventilation. Not everyone understands this right away and establishes structures after the appearance of negative consequences. Do not save on equipment, take care of your birds in a timely manner.
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Russia. City: Zheleznogorsk
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