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Posts Tagged ‘how to build a chicken coop’

Yesterday, I had a great opportunity to visit some friends who just about “live off the land”.  When I say “live off the land” they grow their own food and raise chickens and other animals.  I spotted several nicely built houses that had fences around them. 

I was curious on what it was, and then my child (who is 2 years old) told me “Chickens Daddy” straight away. 

I was pretty dazzled with how sufficient they were.  This caused me to think of stories of the old days my grandmother used to tell me about how there was not any grocery stores around and how neighbors would trade their crops and chickens. 

In this economy, I thought to myself what it would most likely take to get a chicken coop started.  I began to look around on the web to discover how favored this trend is getting.  Folk are fed up with having 100.00 dollar grocery bills and the price of beef is stupid.  (So what would I want to get this started?) I thought to myself.  So I started doing some research.  I wanted to get all of the facts along with what my friend was telling me and find what all I might have to do. 

What came first the Chicken or the Coup? 

I started thinking the first thing I might must do was to locate some advice on building a chicken coop.  I mean what good is it to have chickens without a place to keep them?  I searched around searching for the right plans and found one good site that taught me how to build a chicken coop step-by-step.  I learned some vital tip when building a chicken coop that I did not know.  As an important point, I did not know how complex raising chickens may be for a beginner. 

But, after you get into the swing of how it is possible to get started it truly is an easy process after finding this out.  Here are some straightforward tips I learned that were vital when setting up your first chicken coop. 

Protection:

When building you would like a design that withstands the elements such as rain, sleet, snow and hail.  Most significantly you want to a design that protects your chickens from predators. 

Cleaning:

You want to build a coop that provides proper ventilation and provides easy cleaning to spray off walls and roosts.

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Like many people, you probably love the idea of keeping free range poultry in your backyard or garden.  The eggs will be fresh and taste delicious. If you intend to raise your hens as pets you will not think about having the occasional Sunday roast dinner courtesy of your feathered flock, but this is an option particularly for any surplus cockerels.

But, whatever your plans or aims, you must raise and keep your chickens properly in order to achieve them. These, then, are the vital steps for getting and keeping your flock in tip top condition.

Step 1, choose the breed. It is very important to get the right birds for your particular location and circumstances.  Preference for warmer or cooler climes, egg-layer or dinner table, pet or farmyard bird – there are many aspects you need to consider carefully at the outset.  You can get good advice from your local hen supplier and from poultry farmers in your area.  

Step 2, select the right number of birds. Hens must have enough room to forage and nest. Plan on about one square meter or 10 square feet for each bird.  This will govern the maximum number of chickens you should plan on getting, based on the available space you have. Three is considered the minimum, because hens like company.

Step 3, decide how much time you will have available. Your hens will need you to allocate some time every day for providing food and water, cleaning out the coop and other jobs such as inspection of perimeter fencing. Allow 10 or 15 minutes for a small flock, and expect them to follow you closely as you walk around their pen.

Step 4, build shelter and housing.  Hens need somewhere to roost safely at night, with perches and nesting boxes. You should provide fresh water and shelter from hot sunshine. Buy or make a hen house that has good access for cleaning and collecting eggs without upsetting the birds too much.

Step 5, provide security. Safety from predators is vital, and threats come from many creatures including rodents, domestic animals such as dogs and cats, foxes, birds of prey, possibly snakes and other unwanted intruders.  Many of these are expert at getting through, under or over fences given time.  You need a secure hen house, at least, and should also consider providing a fenced run or pen with chicken wire sides buried to at least 12 inches.  The chicken run will need a top as well, if there are birds of prey around or the run is close to trees – to prevent your chickens taking flight!

Step 6, consider health precautions. Hens can get sick quite easily, so you should find out what diseases are likely in your neighborhood.  Try speaking to local chicken farmers and vets, as well as online forums – you will get a lot of help from the chicken-keeping community.  

Step 7, identify applicable regulations.  You must comply with all national and local regulations relating to raising or keeping poultry, although these are seldom very demanding.  Your local town hall or government offices should be able to give you all the guidance and information you need.  

Step 8, provide a good diet.  Poultry must have access to a mixed diet of proteins, greens and grain, as well as fresh water. A good protein diet is important, and your local feed store will be able to advise on this.  You might need to include protein supplements and grit in the hen food, but usually free range hens will get enough from their own foraging. Fresh, clean water must be available at all times.  If you are going to be away you might need to fit automatic water dispensers for the chickens. The rest of your hens’ diet should be met by foraging around their pen area.  

Step 9, consider weather and climate.  So long as they have shelter from hot, midday sun, most chicken varieties are able to adapt to a wide range of weather and climactic conditions. They can take a surprising amount of cold but they need to keep their feet dry.  

Step 10, consider the local environment. Keeping chickens is usually regarded favorably by most people, so you should not face any problems here.  It is sensible to involve your neighbors, who may be concerned about noise (hens are quiet, cocks or roosters are not!) and mess (hens in small quantities are very clean).  They might like the thought of a supply of free range eggs on their doorstep!

Actually most of these vital steps are common sense and are not difficult.  Follow them and you will enjoy happy, healthy chickens for years to come. Oh, one more thing – a happy hen should lay 6 eggs a week during the spring and summer months!

Please visit us if you would like more information about keeping hens, such as how to build a chicken coop and where to get the best chicken house plans. Good luck with your birds – we know you will enjoy them!

Kids really love to eat chickens and if they will have it their way, they will eat chickens until there are no more chickens left in the world. But seriously, just like any other food out there, toxins are ever present in them which can be very harmful to your system. As a responsible parent, you should be very specific about what to put in the mouths of your youngsters and you have to be very sure they get to eat the all the healthy foods along the way. If your children are really fond of eating chickens, why not raise some of your own in your own backyard? Raising them assures you that the chickens you have are all naturally-grown and what better way to make them grow healthy and strong and natural than putting them in a chicken coop. If you need some chicken coop plans to help you build your own chicken coop, then, you are in the right place.

Of course, some might say that it would be easy to hire someone to let him build that chicken coop for your chickens. But hiring someone can be so expensive and sometimes, you just can’t be satisfied with the outcome. So, why try to hire somebody when you can do the job yourself and sometimes, things can be very fun when you try to encourage all the members of your family to help you in making that chicken coop. Let them help build chicken coop and for sure, kids will enjoy what they are doing.

Now, aside from the benefits of providing your family with good nutrition when you have chickens and possibly fresh eggs throughout your life, you can also have the chance to sell the eggs or the chickens to neighbors and other people, right? Try to learn more about chicken coop building plans and some more tips and advices and of course the step by step in building a coop and one of the ways to get these information is through a chicken coop-building book guide that is now being promoted all over the Net.

If you are looking for chicken coop plans on the internet, then you are probably hunting for the best way to make a chicken coop. However, there are main things you need to know in order to select the best plans that will suit your specific situation.

Tip #1 – Build Your Coop for Easy Maintenance

One of the biggest obstruction when maintaining a chicken coop is cleaning it. Some people do not build their coops with ease of maintenance in mind, and suffer the results later on. But you can learn from their blunders, and ensure that your coop will be easy to maintain in the future. One very important component is to make sure the floor of the coop is sloped downward toward the main door. When you wash the inside of the coop, the water will necessarily drain outside, instead of gathering in the center.

Tip #2 – Ensure Enough Space

Do not stint on the size of your chicken coop. Chickens that live in tiny coops resort to deviant pecking and even cannibalism. You do not want this! As a rule of thumb, you should allocate about 4 square feet per chicken. So if you have a coop holding 10 chickens, 40 square feet will be ample room for your chickens to grow, feed, and produce.

Tip #3 – Guard Your Coop From Weather and Predators

It is important that you make your chicken coop with safeguards in mind. Both weather and predators can destroy on your coop, so make it with these hints in mind.

Construct the coop on a high area with generous drainage and put it facing the sun. In the event that it rains, this site will not only ensure that the coop does not get flooded, but that it dries rapidly when the sun comes out.

Build your doors with suitable strength mesh wire. Believe it or not, this step is one of the most common blunders people make when building their coop. Without the proper strength, your mesh wire will buckle to even the tiniest of hunters, allowing them easy entry to your chickens.

Chicken Coop Design

If you want to find chicken coop plans on the internet, then you are probably hunting for the perfect way to make a chicken coop. However, there are main things you need to know in order to choose the best plans that will suit your specific situation.

Tip #1 – Construct Your Coop for Easy Maintenance

One of the largest obstruction when maintaining a chicken coop is cleaning it. Some people do not construct their coops with ease of this in mind, and suffer the results later on. But you can understand from their mistakes, and ensure that your coop will be easy to clean in the future. One very important aspect is to make sure the floor of the coop is sloped downward toward the main door. When you wash the inside of the coop, the water will automatically drain outside, instead of puddling in the middle.

Tip #2 – Guarantee Enough Space

Do not stint on the size of your chicken coop. Chickens that live in tiny coops resort to deviant pecking and even cannibalism. You do not want this! As a rule of thumb, you should assign about 4 square feet per chicken. So if you have a coop holding 10 chickens, 40 square feet will be ample room for your chickens to grow, feed, and breed.

Tip #3 – Shield Your Coop From Weather and Predators

It is important that you construct your chicken coop with security in mind. Both weather and predators can devastate on your coop, so construct it with these points in mind.

Build the coop on a high area with ample drainage and put it facing the sun. In case it rains, this site will not only make certain that the coop does not get flooded, but that it dries quickly when the sun comes out.

Build your doors with appropriate strength mesh wire. Believe it or not, this step is one of the most common blunders people make when building their coop. Without the proper toughness, your mesh wire will buckle to even the tiniest of predators, allowing them easy entry to your chickens.

Building a Chicken Coop