We’ve spoken before about the importance of chicken coop nesting boxes. The chicken coop nesting box is where your chickens go to lay their eggs.

As eggs are one of the primary reasons for keeping chickens you need to make sure that they have somewhere comfortable and convenient to lay.

A nesting box doesn’t need to be complicated. In our experience it also doesn’t need to be large. A box which is sufficiently big to house one chicken is preferable because if it is much bigger you will find them trying to lay in the same box together at the same time.

There are all sorts of ways to get a nesting box in your chicken coop. Here’s a couple of videos showing you some of the options.

Video number 2, showing you what happens when more than one chicken try and lay in the same nesting box.

Get started making your own chicken coop nesting box.

And remember unless you’ve only got one chicken you need a number of nesting boxes

The Importance of Good Chicken Coop Nesting Boxes is a post from: Chicken Coops

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There’s no doubt that keeping chickens can be a stack of fun. Our family certainly loves it, particularly the children, and in our view chooks are pretty much the ideal pet. There’s lots of positives to keeping chickens, but there are also some negatives, so let’s have a look at both the positives and negatives of keeping chooks.

Lets consider the positives first.

1. All those yummy free range eggs.

You can’t go past fresh free range eggs to eat. Nothing in the supermarket will beat them. Enough said.

2. Get rid of nasty bugs.

If you allow your chooks to free range around the garden then they will clean up many nasty bugs for you. They love to scratch to uncover those bugs. A couple of summers ago we had a massive grasshopper plague throughout the area where we live. But you should have seen how quick our chickens gobbled up hundreds of grasshoppers every day.

3. Have wonderful pets.

Our kids just love their chooks. Don’t assume that just because they are birds they won’t make a good pet. Chooks are wonderful pets.

4. Have fresh clean meat.

Some people kill their chickens for food and others do not. Some are horrified at the thought of killing their own chickens. We have in the past killed roosters for food as there is very little you can do with roosters and mostly nobody else wants them. Currently however we have found someone else who is happy to take them off our hands.

If you choose to kill your own birds to eat you can be confident in the knowledge that you are getting clean, fresh free range chicken meat that does not have any of the downsides of supermarket chicken. They are not cage reared (see the photo), they are not fed antibiotics and they have had a good life up to a certain point.

Now let’s look at some of the negatives.

1. You don’t get eggs all the time.

Sad to say but most good laying hens will still take some time off during the year for a rest. We generally find that we get few if any eggs during winter. So despite the fact that we have a yard full of chooks we do find ourselves buying eggs over winter. Of course we still have to feed them and despite the fact that we feed them or our vegetable scraps we still use commercial layers pellets which of course cost money.

2. Crows

It seems that where we live has been invaded by crows. This may not be the case where you live near us huge families of crows seem to have moved in. Explanations we have seen include that last year’s bushfires burned a lot of their feed and they have moved into more populated areas in search of food. Sadly they are using our eggs as food.

Crows are particularly wily, and once they discover where the eggs are laid it’s very hard to stop them getting the eggs, we have been struggling with this for some months. Crows are getting into our chicken coop and stealing our eggs and we have not been able to stop it.

3. Chooks get sick.

Whilst it’s probably fair to say that chooks are relatively healthy they aren’t healthy all the time. Currently we have one of our chooks living in a box in the house as she seems to be unwell. And from time to time we go into the chook yard and discover a dead chook. Of course everything dies, but this is distressing to the children.

4. Scratching.

Whilst it is true, as we said, that chooks will eat up so many nasty bugs around your garden they do so combined with lots of scratching to uncover them. This can make a little mess of your garden unless you attempt to control it somehow, though it does aerate the soil.

5. There’s some work involved.

If you are keeping chickens you need to be prepared for some work. This will include regular cleaning of the chicken coop, cleaning of food and water containers and pest control measures. Chickens can suffer from various infestations including mites, which we will talk about another day, however you do need to spend some time and do some work preventing this.

That’s a few of the positives and negatives of keeping chickens. In our view the positives overweigh the negatives enormously.

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There’s a few ways that you can get your own chicken coop to house your chickens, the obvious to are to build one or to buy one. If you can scrounge materials successfully it can be quite cheap to build your own chicken coop.

However whether you plan to build or to buy one you do need to think about a few things about where you will put your henhouse and how you will position it.

It’s best to face your henhouse towards the east or the north-east. This allows the morning sun to warm the henhouse but protects it from the hot afternoon sun in the summer. On the western side of your chicken coop plant shrubs or trees that can provide shade after lunchtime.

If you have chicken wire across the front of the coop this allows the suns rays to enter in the morning. It’s very important to have chicken wire across a part of the chicken coop for another reason as well. It is essential to ensure that the coop has good ventilation, preferably with 2 places with mesh wire to allow the entry and the exit of breeze.

As you will need to clean the chicken coop regularly you will need to allow for this when building it.

For example we built our own chicken coop with a door that is large enough to allow entry of a wheelbarrow so that we can shovel the waste material directly into the wheelbarrow without having to take it outside to do so and can also bring in wheelbarrow loads of new sawdust, which we use to line the floor of the chook house.

You also need to consider what you will make your henhouse from. We used second-hand Cyprus posts 4 inches square as uprights, put a simple frame between them to allow for nailing of weatherboards, put a single piece of timber across the centre of the roof for attaching second-hand corrugated iron and this produced a simple but very effective shed at low cost. Of course you also need to provide both nesting boxes and perches inside the shed.

Many people fail to consider the orientation of the chicken coop when building it, and also fail to understand the importance of allowing adequate ventilation.

Paying attention to both of these will make sure you maximise your chances of happy and healthy chooks. They must have a well-designed chicken coop.

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You must protect your chooks from foxes

Some people are entirely happy to build a chicken coop and expect their chickens to live in that all their life. We prefer our chickens to have an outdoors life during the day, because we feel that keeping your chooks cooped up inside all day isn’t a nice thing to do to them.

So if you’re going to let your chooks out of the chicken coop during the day you have some decisions to make.

Will you allow yourchickens to free range around the garden? There are some advantages and disadvantages to allowing your chickens to free range around the garden. They will clean up the garden of many nasty bugs that are probably eating your flowers. However chickens love to scratch and they will also scratch up the garden as well. If you have lots of nice vegetable seedlings recently planted chances are they will scratch these up, so you will need to protect them.

And if you allow your chooks to free range then you must ensure that they are all back in the chicken coop at night, or chances are very high that a predator such as a fox will turn one of your chooks into a tasty meal.

If you prefer not to allow your chooks to free range around the garden but wish to allow them out of the chicken coop during the day you will need to build a run for them. As we live in the country and have plenty of room our chicken run is enormous, and would be at least 30 metres square. This is probably too much but if you can why not.

However chooks can fly quite well and if you wish to keep them in the run you will need to build fences at least 1.8 to 2 metres high. Otherwise they will fly over the fence.

It’s also very important to realise that predators and in particular foxes will make all efforts to get your chickens. This applies in the city as well as the country. There are several ways to protect your chickens from foxes. Foxes will dig quite happily so when you are building your fence lay about 15 to 20 centimetres of the chicken wire horizontally just under the ground pointing outwards so that a fox who digs will encounter this and will be unable to continue.

If you’re lucky to live in a country like us and have access to an electric fence it works extremely well to place a single wire around the outside of your chook run at a height of about 15 centimetres, and when a fox starts to dig you will encounter the wire and will be gone.

So spend a little time thinking about your plans for your chooks during the day. Will you allow them out of the chicken coop or not, and if so will you hous them in a chicken run or allow them to free range around the garden? If it’s to be a chicken run then spend some time designing it to be fox proof.

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Don’t be concerned if your chooks are moulting, it’s normal

If you’ve not seen it before then it might seem a little strange, or even a little scary. There seems to be feathers everywhere, the chicken coop is full of feathers and your chooks look scraggly.

This is the process of maulting when your chooks lose their feathers and regrow them. It is an entirely natural process and perfectly normal.

Maulting commonly occurs in autumn, though not necessarily, and in my experience can occur at any time of the year. Moulting will coincide with your bird stopping laying.

Generally speaking a chook will moult once a year, though on occasions this can occur twice or not at all.

It is not normal for a maulting adult to lose all their feathers. Whilst the moulting takes place in certain feathers at certain times not all will be lost. Generally the feathers from the head and neck are lost first, then through the body and finally the tale.

Don’t be concerned if your birds are moulting, it’s perfectly normal. Expect to see it happen with each bird, and expect your egg production to suffer accordingly, that’s normal too.

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Follow some simple rules and you’ll have happy chooks  and lots of eggs

Happy healthy chooks are a delight to manage and will provide you with plenty of tasty nutritious eggs. However you need to spend a little time understanding what you should be doing to keep your chooks happy and healthy.

The first requirement is to provide a proper chicken coop that is well suited to their needs. The chicken coop should be large enough to house the number of birds that you have as overcrowding can cause fighting and disease. We have talked about the size of a chicken coop before.

Not only that but it must be well ventilated. If it is fully enclosed and is prone to dampness then you will have sick chickens. It needs to have openings to allow for the flow of air, and these should be covered with chicken wire to prevent the entry of foxes.

You must ensure that it is waterproof to prevent the entry of dampness.

You also need to clean your chicken coop regularly. There’s a range of different materials that you can use as litter, my preference is sawdust however straw works well too. However this will become contaminated with droppings over time and you will need to clean out the litter regularly.

If at any time it appears that any of your birds are sick they should be removed from the flock. You should examine your birds for parasites, this is the subject of a different article.

Any birds with parasites should be treated properly and you should also be treating the chicken coop at the same time as parasites happily live in chicken coops.

To treat the chicken coop my preference is commercially available flea bombs, one is sufficient. Cover all openings so that the wind will not remove the insecticide.

Keep your chooks well away for the day as well.

Follow a few simple basic rules and you will have happy healthy chooks.

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Feeding chooks isn’t difficult, but there is some basic rules to remember

Chickens, like everything, love their food. If you have hungry chickens and you feed them in the evening they will climb all over each other to get to the food.

Feeding chickens is relatively simple, however it’s still important to understand some basic principles.

At different stages of life chooks need different nutrients. Young birds, for example, need different nutrients to laying hens.

Fortunately there are commercial feeds available at cater to the different demands of birds at different ages. Grow pellets are intended for younger birds whilst layers palettes are intended for laying hens. Chickens are started on chick crumble.

It’s important to make sure you’re using the correct commercial free for birds of the correct age. If you use layers pellets for young birds the calcium content is too high and this is not good for them.

And if you use growers pellets for laying hens the calcium content is too low. Laying hens require a higher level of calcium to help form the eggs.

However commercial pellets can become expensive, and you can supplement your chicken’s diet yourself. There is no reason why you cannot feed your birds with vegetable and table scraps for example, as long as this is not their only feed.

I personally prefer to have itemised the table scraps and to add pollard to make a good consistency. My chooks love this mash and I feed this in conjunction with commercial pellets.

You can also feed grass clippings to hens, surprisingly they will eat grass and love it. Not only that but grass has omega 3 fats and this will increase the omega 3 content of your eggs. However don’t feed too much grass.

Remember however that you should not feed meat or chicken to your chooks to combat the spread of disease.

Get it right and your chickens will provide you with lovely eggs, get it wrong and you won’t get any eggs. It is not difficult to do, concentrate on a daily supply of commercial feed, supplement with some table scraps of your own and a little grass and you’ll have happy laying hens.

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Fox proof your chicken coop or you won’t have chickens for long

One of the biggest threats to the safety and well-being of your chooks is foxes.

If you live in the country you’ll know all about foxes. From time to time you’ll even see them brazenly walking around during the day.

But don’t think, if you live in the city, that foxes are a threat to your chickens. They are. There are plenty of foxes that live in suburbia.

So no matter where you live you must make some simple precautions to make sure that your chooks are protected from attack by a fox.

Your chicken coop must be fox proof. It should have a door that can be closed at night, and no entry holes where a fox can enter, even a small one.

However it’s not sufficient just to have checks for all entry points for a fox. Foxes are wily and it is more difficult to outfox them than that.

Foxes are very good at digging, and they will happily dig underneath the walls of your chicken coop to get at your chooks.

And so it is necessary to not only ensure that your coop has no entry points but also that a fox is unable to dig underneath the walls to get at your chooks.

There’s a number of ways to do this. One of the most effective is to have a concrete floor on your chicken coop. A concrete floor means that no matter how much a fox digs it is unable to get through the concrete floor. It also makes the coop much easier to clean.

Another way is to dig chicken wire into the ground beneath the walls. That way, when the fox begins to dig, he hits wire and gives up. You can dig the chicken wire vertically down into the ground, though it’s easier to dig it down 10 centimetres or so and then laid horizontally under the ground out from the walls, for about 50 centimetres.

And the 3rd way, which I use, is simply to cover the floor of the coop with chicken wire before laying down your sawdust. This is as effective as concrete but much cheaper.

The final way, which I also utilise, is very effective but more expensive. As I live on a farm I have an electric fence, and all you need to do is to run an electric wire around the base of the fence that surrounds the coop about 10 centimetres off the ground. A fox will happily dig under the fence to get to your chicken coop, but if he hits the electric wire 1st he’ll be gone.

And that has protected my chickens for many years.

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If you want good harvests in terms of meat or eggs then it’s important to examine the food you are providing your hens. Here are some of the food varieties or types of feed you may consider mixing up for production impact and effect:

Choice between mash and pellets

The use of layer mash may have standard for many years, but you need to make sure that mash or pellets provides your hens with the essential nutrition for their health. Conventional feed is packed in bags weighing between 20 kg and 25 kg and may cost you between $10 and $15, depending on quality and your choice for those that have organic ingredients, if that’s what you want. Most livestock supply stores and pet shops, have ample stocks of layer feed.

The list of ingredients and content percentages of protein, ash, fiber, oils, and vitamins figures prominently in most high-quality feed available in the market. Certain feeds contain add-ons such as grit or oyster shell, a good source of calcium. If no calcium is added, you should consider adding it in the hens’ diet.

Beware, chooks have a tendency to be greedy, hens eat a lot, and you should be able determine how much they consume in a regular meal, and don’t feed them more.

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Galvanized bins are the ideal storage facility for feeds, which needs to be used up within three months from the date they are bought and stocked in.

Grit

Utmost consideration should be given in supplying or adding grit in the feed or providing your hens the direct access to a source. Stored in the fowl’s gizzard, grit is needed for the normal functioning of the hens’ digestive system. It helps them grind and breakdown the food they eat every day.

Corn isn’t required

Using corn maize as part of the hens’ diet may be considered optional, especially when have bought a mash that already provides a complete nutritional combination. You may include it in the feed as a once-in-a-while treat, for which hens often go for it like mad eaters.

High protein in chick crumble

Although the high-protein diet of chick crumb is usually given to chicks, there are periods in a hen’s life when this should be considerably added. When your hens are molting, or if the pen grounds can no longer provide natural worms and other protein-rich creatures during winter and long frosty weather, chick crumbs are recommended to keep the birds tip-top healthy.

Consider variety in diet

The best way to bring variety in your hens’ died is to provide treats every once in a while. This means that the frequency depends on occasion (when in your judgment their lays are commendable) and the time of the year. During summer and late spring, when grubs and green leaves are abundant, you may grant a few treats. Hens run the risk of becoming overweight, off laid, and out of condition if you spoil them with too much treats. When you offer them treats, dish them out late in the day after they had their routine fill of mash to ensure that they have ingested the essential nutrients already.

Chook Treats

Among the suggested, practical treats you may give are:

 Green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, kale, and lettuce, which help give good color to the yolk

Sweet corn can be chopped off into chunks from corn cob, popped onto a skewer, and then driven into the ground. A tricky treat such as this keeps your hens preoccupied for hours and prevents them from getting bored by their end-of-day routines.

Fruits, such as grapes and oranges, may as well do down with your own supply

Pasta (noodle leftovers) and rice

Bread (white should be avoided)

Potatoes (must always be cooked) and other root vegetables

Cake

Cheese

Porridge (particularly good in winter on those bitterly cold days)

Peanuts can be another good treat during winter. You may blitz your own consumable peanuts up in the blender, add a little butter, and dish them like a special blend

Live worms, which can be bought online

 Warning: Avoid meat and fish scraps as treats because they raise the risk of salmonella in the eggs.

Water

Up to 200ml of water per day is required for a hen, but this quantity on supply should be increased during the hotter periods of the year. Moreover, hens almost always need access to clean, fresh water. Dehydration easily kicks in and metabolism and affect their lays within a couple of hours they lacked water. Whenever possible, add a splash of poultry tonic to keep the hens in good mood and administer other treatments through water.

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Essential things for a chicken coop

Building a house for your chickens can be fun. Chickens are susceptible to disease so it is best that you provide them a pen that has a solid roof. Hens like the feeling of safe, enclosed nesting areas, so giving this comfort will give you happy hens. The whole chicken pen should be a place where chickens can find comfort and security in it. You have to provide them water inside or outside their pens too. This is a very important factor that you have to consider.

Once you have given your chickens their needs then you can start adding elements so that can make your life a lot easier. Here are things that you have to take into consideration.

It is vital that you provide them automatic watering system. Chickens need access to fresh water and it is best that you provide them a water holder that holds a gallon of water. Locating it near a water spigot is ideal. You should also provide your brood chicks enough lighting so electricity is essential.

You should also provide them automatic food. You can utilize a dispenser that triggers food every day in a specific ration. There are food dispenser models you can find that hangs easily on the wall of the chicken pen. There are additional dispensers that dispense grit or oyster shell and this is useful too. This way, you can go out over the weekend for a vacation without worrying about your chickens starving. Also, hanging feeders tends to less messy with less waste.

Chicken pens must also be a safe place for your chickens. It should be completely enclosed with wire nettings so as to prevent predators from coming in and eating your chickens. Bury the chicken wire around the coop’s perimeter to prevent rodents tunneling in. moreover, the pen must provide protection to your chickens against strong winds and the heat of a hot sun. The coop should have a shaded part for their comfort.

The chicken pen must have food storage too. In cases where you can t come up with a brilliant idea for feeding them automatically, then storing food nearby is quite helpful. You can put the food inside bins or garbage cans with tight lids and store it closely in the chicken coop. Also, a bale or two of straw must be stored within the hen house reach so you can easily spread fresh straws into their nesting boxes.

The chicken pen must be cleaned on a regular basis so having a rake or broom nearby for easy access is great. You can sweep off old straw right away.

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Must haves for your chicken coop

Just like humans, chickens are unique. Not all chickens are made equal and similarly, and so as their chicken coop. when you are out planning for a coop, there are factors that you have to take into consideration. You have to consider how many chicken you got, what the chickens are for, or if they are going to be pets, or some accommodations the chickens have, or on how you are going to get to their eggs.

Knowing all these things are very important and have it answered before you begin building your chicken coop. it is also important that the number of chickens that you keep is limited to your yard’s dimension. You can keep five, or even more but however the coop must be built in such a way that it can accommodate the amount of chickens you plan to have.

It is highly important that the chicken coop plans is sturdy enough or else your chickens can become stressed and pissed off when it comes to laying their eggs patterns. In cases where you are raising chickens just for the eggs, then you have to never interrupt their habits because this can distort their habits and in turn, deliver you eggs that are not of great quality.

There is basically three chicken shacks that you can build. You can choose either little, medium or big. You will then decide to build the coop in two alternative ways. The primary way is that you build it with an A-shaped roof as this kind of roof is decent and lasts for a bit longer. This too will allow rain and snow to run off the top. However, this type seems to be a bit expensive and will require you to need more wood.

Moreover, having an A-shaped roof for a chicken coop will permit your chickens not to hit the ceiling quite as much. A rook that is flatly build will collect more snow and rain and this somehow will cause the roof to collapse. To prevent this incident, ensure that you position it an angle that will ward off snow and rain itself.

Small coops are best when you have to keep two or three chickens. These coops may consist of a small fence enclosure with a small indoor area that allows sleeping two or three chickens. This is also less costly and is best for chickens as pets. Medium coops on the other hand are bigger compared to the latter and this houses at least five to ten chickens. It can be converted into an old shed or this can be made from nothing but they match the basic elements needed for chicken coop designs.

Lastly, big coops are always great for all chickens as this accommodates a huge number of them. Chicken coops appear to be chickens house and they will surely enjoy living in theses. So you have to provide a chicken coop that allows comfort for them. For chicken coop plans, if you want to access eggs fast, then you can build a strategy in retrieving the eggs in an easy way without going to the coop. a door outside the coop that opens the nesting boxes is a great idea. Just make sure that you don’t forget to check frequently the conditions of the coop.

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Important things for a chicken coop

A chicken coop always has a chicken nest boxes that is basically fifteen inch wide and fifteen inch high. This varies too to a certain extent and you can fill the best boxes with straw or some padding down on the bottom so that the eggs won’t crack when they lay. Chickens share the same nest boxes so in cases where you more chickens, then it would be best that you give them more nest boxes in laying their eggs.

A two by four inch board works nicely as a roost. You can also utilize a tree branch that measure 3” to 6”. It is important that you place the roosts where the droppings are not blocking the way when you enter your coop so that you have to clean off your shoes. You may also want to consider positioning the roosts in such a way that you can clean the dropping easily. Chickens like roosting higher inside their coop during the night so it would be best if you positioned it four feet off the ground.

Chicken coops also need a chicken feeder inside. Farm stores have several nice collections of chicken feeders and water containers but then it can be expensive. You can make your own 5 gallon feeder and waterer by the use of two 5 gallon buckets that you can find in the bakery or deli section. A 5 gallon feeder will last about three weeks for a dozen of chickens.

Moreover, it is important that you have to have a waterer for your chicken coop. to obtain it, you need to drill one or two small holes about ¼ inch near the base of the bucket and drill it at about one inch up from the bottom of the bucket. The height or distance can vary from the bottom of the bucket but make sure the hole does not lie above the rim of the base.

You should also bear in mind that each chicken inside the coop must have a three to four square feet of space. It is recommended that you make it a little bigger than you need in case when you want to purchase more chickens later on.

Even more, build your coop that it suits the climate of your area. If you are living in a warm climate, then make sure the coop has proper ventilation to keep your chickens cool. For those living in cold climates, it is best that you keep drafts out and ensure that it is warm enough so that the drinking water doesn’t freeze.

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Create a wonderful coop

If you are planning to build your own chicken coop plan, it is best that you work on a set of tried and tested chicken coop plans. This is much more recommended rather than making it up. If you have a set of plans and some checklists with the required materials, then you can save a lot of money and time.

There are factors that you have to take into consideration before you build one or decide on what the best chicken coop plans you are planning to build. It is vital that you decide considering the number of chickens there will be inside the coop. the coop must have ample space to accommodate the number of chickens you have. This will help your chickens in laying their eggs and keep your chickens in control too. You can start off with two hens until such time that you have them under control. Once you are satisfied and happy in keeping healthy chickens, then you could comfortably keep six chickens without much fuss.

Another thing that you should bear in mind is the size of your backyard. Ensure that your backyard has enough space as to where you can set up your chicken coop. also, it is best that you build a coop that you can easily move it. It is great to have moveable one because the chicken coop is great for your backyard so moving it can allow space of goodness over the yard. More so, this allows the chickens to peck new grass and bugs in your lawn.

A great chicken coop must have access to fresh water conveniently. There are specific requirements that the chook house must meet in order for your chickens to be healthy and lay eggs happily. It is important that you consider the perching, lighting and the nest boxes inside the coop. basically, a six egg layer requires a nine square feet approximately of nesting place.

More so, a chicken coop must have access to food also. You can find food dispensers in stores near you and you can use it for your chickens. There are those that automatically dispense food to the chickens so you won’t have to worry about starving chickens.

A great chicken coop must be secured too. Ensure that the walls are high enough so that predators can’t get in and eat your chickens. Chickens are prone to be eaten by lurking animals nearby so it best that you provide them a coop that is secured from any unwanted visitors.

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Create the best chicken coop

An important factor to be considered in building a chicken coop is their security and safety. More so, it is highly essential that you protect them from bad weather such as the heavy rain, hale, snow, and extreme weather conditions. A good chicken coop must have proper ventilation because chickens need it. The coop ventilation must be considered and a draft free air movement within the coop will allow air to pass through leaving it smelling clean. Chickens need fresh air and oxygen too.

This is also true for unwanted excessive moisture and carbon dioxide. A chicken coop that has enough air movement and proper ventilation will help remove the buildup of ammonia and dampness that can grow inside the walls. This should not be the case. The walls should have proper insulation installed and this will help keep the chickens dry. With this, they can handle cold climates very well but then humidity and cold weather may cause health issues for your poultry. So insulate walls are important and you should not forget it.

Moreover, chickens need enough lighting too. A good source of light and warmth for your chickens during the cold months of the year is important. Also, they need a source of ventilation during the hot months. So it is vital that you consider installing chicken coop windows that is facing south side where they can receive direct sunlight throughout the day.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you are raising chickens for producing eggs, then you should look into an electrical source of light and install it at the height of the coop’s ceiling that will help keep your chickens warm and help them lay better chicken eggs. Once ceiling is enough for a small scale coop. for larger coops, try installing electrical light every 30 to 40 feet.

As you are to build your own chicken coop, it is important that the feeders and waterers should be placed in an area wherein the flock can have easy access to it. However, you need to be careful where you place them because chickens like to create mess with everything they eat due to scratching instincts. Placing the chicken feeders in their feet can save you the hassle of mixed food all over the coop’s floor.

Building a chicken coop fast and efficiently is nice and these tips will surely make your chickens happy.

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Things to know about chicken pens

There are factors that you have to consider before you build a chicken pen. You must consider the type of chickens you will be keeping because this can absolutely affect your chicken run designs. In cases where you feel that the chickens are heavy and large and have a low probability of flying away, then the design would be simple and you can do it with the use of some wooden posts and chicken wire or fencing.

More so, the size your group of chickens also varies. Smaller chickens have the tendency to fly over fences so it best that you design the pen with an enclosed wire or netted roof. You can also build your pen with really high fences to prevent them flying away and have them go to your neighbor’s house for dinner. It is also important that you ask your local laws for chicken keeping. If you are living in rural areas or country, then raising chickens in your backyard won’t be a problem. However if you are planning on raising chickens on an urban area, then you have to check it with your municipality and ask them about the laws.

The next thing you will have to do is choose a good location for the chicken pen like a place that can accommodate you and accommodate your chickens as well. Constructing a run that has easy access to the chicken is probably the best. This way you can easily open the chicken house anytime you want to let them loose for awhile and come up to them again easily. When it gets dark, chickens know where they will sleep and providing them space to where they can sleep inside their pen is great. Be mindful of predators that might be lurking nearby such as cats and dogs or even fox.

Stray cats may roam free at night and in the day climb fences and prey on your helpless chicken flocks. For those living in the country or rural areas, be aware of foxes, hawks or other large chicken eating predators. So it is important that the chicken pen is securely lock to keen unwanted visitors from coming inside.

There are lots of chicken pen plans you can plan and it is up to you to choose what best suits for you and your chickens. You have to remember also that the pen must have access to fresh water and food as well. you can give them a water dispenser and have it change each day, and there are food dispensers that automatically dispense food for your chicken so you won’t have to worry about starving chickens whenever you are not home.

Giving your chickens a nice chicken pen will make them happy and when they are, they will deliver you high quality fresh eggs.

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Things to be considered in planning your chicken coop

There are many places throughout that have laws regarding residents to keep some chickens and there are those that are resolutely refusing. Even if your town will allow you to have some chickens, your neighbor might oppose to it. So there are chicken coop designs that you can find to help you with this problem. There are several chicken coops that may camouflage as a recycling bin or any other structure. You can also design it with slats to make it appear like a compost bin.

You can also select stealth mode that mixes with the environment and this is a better solution compared to others. Another option you can perform is planting around the chicken enclosure. The plants you will be selecting might keep your coop concealed all year round. But then, this does not provide a great hiding place when it comes to predators that might be lurking nearby. You can trim a hedge rose or other plants and this method is probably the best. Roses are edible so when your chickens nibble a bit, they will not be mistreated.

Moreover, do not plant round the side that faces your place. This will help you enjoy watching your chickens. You will also need to look for chicken coop designs that are more of an application shed or other structure that fits perfectly for the yard. Just paint the exterior part and match with your house’s color to keep it more interesting. Your neighbors will view out their window so if they see something that is nice to look at, they won’t complain.

The ‘stealth’ chicken sheds can eventually be used with a few different designs and this helps in covering the chicken run so your chickens can’t fly out and go around the neighborhood. With this setting, you can also protect them from aerial predators such as hawks and eagles. You also have to ensure that the run be tall enough so you can lift the covering easily to access them or for cleaning.

Hens make a little bit of noise when laying eggs, so if you have neighbors that don’t like this, you can offer them fresh eggs with them when your hens start to lay eggs. They may never complain about it once they tasted it.

If your neighbors find that chickens are truly great, then you can even help them get some themselves. You will never know, at one point you will be sharing chicken stories and egg recipes with your neighbor.

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A lovely chicken pen

People always love going to their farms and relieve old memories and spending some time with their families. For many, one their most loved memories is the old hen house in their backyards. It is great to know the idea of fresh eggs from their own hen house for breakfast is truly satisfying. So to give yourself those fresh eggs for breakfast you will need to know on how to build a chicken pen and make your chickens happy.

There are various ways in building a chicken house and there are also lots of different ideas with it. Before you build one, there are many factors that you have to consider to design the chicken house nicely. The most important factor to it is that you have to know how many chickens you plan to have it used. This is important as this measure directly to the size of the chicken house you are to build and the chicken that will have to be put inside.

Another thing that you have to take note is your main goal in raising chickens. If you are planning to raise chickens basically for their eggs or you are raising them as a source of meat for your table. Either way, you should know your purpose. You need to consider that they will need a place where they can roost and lay their eggs when you build a chicken pen. For this reason, you will need a 1.5 square feet space for each inside the chicken house.

Each type of chicken has different space needs especially when they are laying eggs. You will need a space of about 8 square feet for a laying hen and a ten feet space for a large chicken. This space is very much needed so as to get them ample room for exercise and this also reduces the risk of your hens and chickens fighting other. So it is highly important that you have to take note of these things before you build one.

Moreover, in building a chicken house, it is best that you design it in a way that your chickens can find shelter from elements and provide them a place where they can retreat for shelter against the heat of the sun or the pouring rain. With this, you will be assured that will be kept healthy all year round and you will be well supplied with fresh eggs.

Buying a chicken pen can be costly and it is great to know that you can build one yourself easily. More so, it would be fulfilling and satisfying that you did it yourself.

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Basic necessities for your chicken coop

Building a chicken coop is wonderful but some of you don’t know where to start. This problem is common and you can easily look for chicken coops plans in the internet or in a store. However, there are many things that need to be done for the chicken coop to be a success. The most important thing you have to consider is that they will have a place to nest their eggs.

Looking for chicken coop plans may tell you to place roosts in the coop but then they don’t tell you whether or not you should use homemade roosts or if you have to buy them. You can do whatever plan you plan you want but in building the coop, you might consider in building the roosts yourself. You can buy those that are made from thin metal at stores near you but thin metal made coops are prone to have jagged edges. These edges then are hazardous for your chickens so you have to take note of these things.

Moreover, you will need to provide your chickens where they can eat. There are several different types of food dispenser that you can find for your chickens. There are those food dispensers that have grated openings and there are also those smaller models and other models have automatic food dispensers. You can choose your type of model but bear in mind that never give your chickens an open container of food. This is because your chickens might eat it. Also, they might defecate on it. So it is best that you purchase them a food dispenser appropriate for chickens.

This is also true when it comes to water dispenser. The only choice you have is an automatic waterer for your chickens. There are those few different models and the most common one is the galvanized metal model. It is also important that clean it on a day to day basis to prevent building up of reside and it might cause damage to the water trough.

In building them a coop, you will also need to devise a way wherein the chicken can leave their coop. this is highly important part of the plan as chickens need to be exposed to natural light throughout the day. There are several types of chicken wire wherein you can choose something that your chickens cant poke their heads through it easily.

Knowing these tips will help in building a great chicken coop. Ensure that you have a decent set of plans and you can always search the internet if you need more information about chicken coop plans. Enjoy building your chicken coop!

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Plans for a wonderful chicken coop

Chicken coops also differ from according to their sizes and shapes. You must determine the size of your yard and the number of chickens you are to place inside the coop in order to know what is the best chicken coop plans for you. Ensure that you choose large chicken coop plans if you plan on owning more than six chickens at one time. After deciding the size of the coop, you will then choose the design of the chicken coop.

Choosing large chicken coops is easy as long as you know what you are looking for. You can come up with your own plans if you want to and this will only need a little imagination and creativity. In choosing the coop’s materials, you can also build and use one that is up to your preference. The materials you choose are your decision and there is no right and wrong with it. You can combine wood and iron, or make a simple box style coop if you are low with the materials or you don’t have enough time to make one.

You can use recycled or used material scarps that your neighbors have thrown out or you can visit local dumps or hardware stores to find one. Buying the materials is not costly so it is practical. To get the job done, you will just simply need hammer and nails. Moreover, making your own large chicken coop plans is an opportunity to profit after you’ve made the coop. you can simply make your own website and let people see it and purchase it. Your local hardware stores might be interested in it and might sell your plans too. There are other methods you can use to sell your plans like publishing it in the newspapers, flyers, and from your own sales talk.

Giving your chickens a coop will make them happy. Giving them a wonderful place to live is great. Whether it be small or large chicken coop plans that you choose, in the end it is affordable and useful. Coops are a great way to be in control with your chickens and this keeps your chicken from running wild.

A great coop that provides comfort to your chickens will produce quality eggs as they are happy with their home. Grab your plans, tools and materials and create a chicken coop for your lovely chickens. Make sure that the chicken coop is secured and lovely.

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Things to consider about chicken pens

A chicken pen is also known as a chicken run. It is an enclosed area that is placed usually in a yard or lawn and allows your chicken to run loose and feed of worms, bugs, minerals on the dirt. Chicken pens are usually enclosed with high chicken wire or tall fences so as to keep predators away. A chicken run is sometimes attached to the chicken coop so that your chickens can come in and out their coop easily as they wish.

You might ask why you need to build a chicken pen. Here is why building a chicken pen is nice. Firstly, chickens need fresh air and lots of sunshine. You should also bear in mind that chickens need daylight for at least 12-14 hours for them to lay healthy eggs on a regular basis. Therefore it is not recommended that you keep chickens locked up in their chicken coop all the times so this why you will need a chicken pen.

With a chicken pen or chicken run, your flock of chicken is allowed to roam freely in the backyard. Then they can absorb plenty of daylight that they needed and also, they will have this activity as an exercise tool too. It is highly important that the chicken run should be built properly. This is to protect your chickens from going out and protect them from unwanted visitors from coming in. You should be mindful of predators that might be lurking nearby. Keeping chickens in chicken coops will allow easy access to a constrained but then a chicken pen is the best way to ensure your chickens to grow up happy and healthy.

When you let your chickens loose for quite a time in a chicken pen makes them highly active. They like it when they use their instincts to scratch and dig up soil in the hopes of finding worms for their daily intake and other minerals found in the earth. More so, a chicken run will give more space that is required for them to properly mate, bathe in the dirt and engage in small time chicken fights if you have roosters in the flock. This is a sure way of fun and enjoyment.

Give your flock of chickens a chicken pen and surely they will enjoy it. When your chicken is happy, they will likely produce fresh eggs. Like humans, chicken will also need some exercise and light. Giving them a chicken pen is perfect for that function.

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The best chicken coop plan

You may be a person that purchases chickens to raise and lay eggs. This is a lovely thought and it is easy for you to buy chickens. The thing to do is go to your local feed and tack store at the right time of the year and you can buy yourself a group of chickens. However, as you have those chickens, you will need to get them a chicken coop. chicken coops that are for sale in the market today are very expensive. Chicken coop designs might appear to be expensive but if you do it right, then you will find out that it is worth it.

It is important that the design makes an easy access when it comes to watering your chickens. Chicken coop designs should always have a way to get water to the chickens. It is recommended that you do not give them an open bowl of water as they will happily plop down on the water supply or defecate on it and might drink it. It would be best that you set up a rig up system that delivers water but does not give them full access to the water. To do this, you will need a milk jug or large bottle turned upside down and place it within a container of water that is elevated. This method will keep water contained and prevents it from spilling out. Also, there are lots of commercial variations of this particular product.

Chicken coop designs must have access when it comes to feeing your chickens. You can use the same technique as with the water system but you do not want to leave anything edible out in the open without a covering. Ensure that the chickens can take only what they need. It is important that you leave it elevated as possible.

The chicken coop design should house your chickens. You can actually feature an old shed or a section in your barn if you have one. One thing that you should consider is the height of the ceiling. Chickens love to jump around and they might injure themselves by hitting the ceiling. In cases where you can’t have a high ceiling, then make sure that you place the roosts on the floor. This is more recommended than hanging them on the wall. Roosts can be made of wood and this can last for a long period of time.

There are several chicken coop design ideas that you don’t have to spend money at all. Giving your chickens a great coop will surely make them happy and with it, they produce high quality fresh eggs.

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Things you should know about chicken coops

When building a chicken coop, there are guidelines that one should follow in order to attain a successful endeavor.

First and foremost, you have to know the design and its appearance. You can sketch out your design on a sheet of paper and think of the colors you will paint the roof and the walls. Always take note that if the chicken coop is clearly visible to the neighborhood, it should not be a distraction or deface of its utmost surroundings. So you have to ensure that the design is aesthetically looking chicken coop so your neighbors do not complain of a detracting appearance. Once you have finished, remember to always remove and dispose any types of garbage or weeds surrounding the coops. Also, it is best that you maintain an appealing landscape around it to promote overall appearance.

Another element you have to consider is that you have to use your sound judgment. When designing the coop’s structure, you may want to use building materials that makes cleaning and disinfecting quick and easy. The door is recommended to be opened inwards. Also it is best that you install sliding windows too for their comfort. Moreover, slightly sloped flooring towards the door is easy to hose and spray down without much hassle as the water will flow out on gravity.

Also, when you build your very own chicken coop, always make sure that the key factor of doing such is its safety. You have to protect the coop against hazardous elements. A well-built chicken coop will definitely protect your chickens from harmful elements such as the heavy rain, hale, snow, cold climates, and hot climates. More so, this will protect them from hungry predators lurking nearby that might eat them or protect them from thieves and injury.

In order to accomplish a secure and safe coop you will have to build a draft free chicken house that has windows and doors that can be opened and closed as needed. Ensure that the windows and the doors have proper screening systems installed. A wire-mesh screen is highly recommended. You can also build the coop on a high yet well drained area to make sure that dampness can’t be stuck in the coop. it is best that you build a coop in a place where it faces the sun so that it will be kept warm and dry the soil and coop itself after a rain.

In protecting your chickens from predators, you will have to bury the outside runs with chicken wires surrounding the coop for about a foot deep. This will help prevent some hungry predators from getting in.

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Things to consider in building a chicken pen

You might know about all the interiors regarding the chicken coop’s interior. How the chicken pen be laid out probably hasn’t crossed your mind. There are factors that need to be considered and this depends on how well you allow things. You could have a happy group of chickens or a group of irritated ones. Irritating your chickens is never a great idea.

The first thing you need to know about creating a chicken pen is that you have to determine the type of fence you want to use. It is recommended that you do not use standard wire fence since chickens can easily poke their heads through it or they can squeeze through it. This could be a problem but then as we all know, chickens are the most widely sought prey from other animals and hunted animal by humans. Surely, when one gets loose it is sure to be eaten.

When your chickens are in the pen, you have to ensure that they have water inside it. It is best that you have a water dispenser inside the pen but having water outside that they can easily access it great as well. You can improvise it with a galvanized metal watering device as this will hold up two gallons of water. Basically, the most important thing you have to do is to ensure that you clean it because it is outside the coop and this is probably on the ground.

Moreover, it is not necessary that feed them food on the outside as this is a bad idea as chicken feeds will be destroyed in the rain. Feeding them in the pen will require you to simply toss them bread or other scraps all through the day. Chickens will eat it right away and this saves you the hassle of worrying about them being hungry.

It is also vital that you make the chicken fence high but you should ensure that you provide a cover on the top of the coop. This is great to keep chickens inside and at the same time, making it sure that predators can’t climb on the fence and eat your chickens. It is also a good thing if you provide an entrance to the chicken pen from the outside so you won’t have to climb over the high fence every time you want to access your chickens. This method works most of the time. Building the best chicken coop for your chickens will produce happy chickens.

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A great coop for your chickens

Designing a chicken coop construction project is absolutely great but then you have to remember that planning prior to making one will lead to a success chicken coop. With planning ahead of time, you can save time and money by planning exactly what you want your coop design be like. Whether you have a large or small groups of chicken, it would be best that you plan it considering this. Bear in mind that the point of building a chicken coop is to provide your chickens a place to live in. so planning it very well with the kind of materials and how much it will cost you is great. A well-constructed coop is generally the key to have happy chickens and give you lots of delicious eggs.

Here are guidelines in planning a chicken coop. Firstly, you have to ensure that you provide them enough space inside their coop. A three to four square feet per chicken is ideal. Avoiding overcrowding is highly important or else this can harm your chicken. You will also have to remember to give your chickens enough room outside their home. Eight to ten square feet per chicken is a great space for a chicken run.

More so, you have to bear in mind to include some way for you to access the coop yourself easily. You will need to get in to collect any eggs or clean the coop on a regular basis. The coop must also be secured from predators that might be lurking nearby. Make sure that they can’t get in. you will need to use strong wires of some sort and make a coop that is constructed in such a way that keeps unwanted visitors from coming in.

As you are to design your coop, you are free to design it whatever you please and construct it with materials that you wish to use. Chickens are easy to please so designing your own coop to your personal convenience is never a problem. Building a chicken coop that is tall enough for you to easily get in will be a great convenience for you.

As you are to build your design, you also have to ensure that the materials you use in the construction is sturdy and strong. Also, you have to take note your local climate. Those in a warmer climate all year round can use wire doors or walls, but for those living in a cold climate, you have to ensure that you use solid walls and some insulation is also needed to stop your chicken from stressing when it is cold.

Once you have planned everything out, then you can start constructing the coop, make sure the materials are of great quality. You can use recycled materials but you have to ensure that the coop is sturdy.

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The importance of a properly built chicken coop

There are several house design plans that you can come across with regards to chicken pen so it is important that you take note of a few key points if you are to choose a chicken coop plan that will serve you for a long period of time. Chickens need to be comfortable with their coop and when they are not comfortable with it they may not lay eggs optimally. A happy chicken produces great eggs.

Here are factors that are needed to design a chicken coop properly. You have to choose the right size for your chickens and makes sure that the coop doesn’t get overcrowded. This is highly important so they won’t be stressed out on how much room they have. An overcrowded coop affects the impact on the laying of eggs and the quality of the eggs as well.

It is recommended that you have a large chicken coop if you have seven or more, and a smaller one for up to four. You can have a medium sized coop for middle sized chickens. The chicken house must have proper ventilation too. Otherwise, it gets humid and you can really feel it with your chicken coop. a not properly ventilated coop will leave foul smells and this can be a problem when it comes to cleaning it on a regular basis. It is vital that the chicken house design that you needed is a properly ventilated one.

When it comes to the fencing system of the coop, a solid fence is ideal and highly recommended. This helps keep predators out and keep your chickens safe. Fox or other animals might be lurking nearby so you have to ensure that the chicken pen is secured.

The coop must have a source of sunlight too. The chicken house must be build that there is enough light needed is possible. This will help your chickens feel comfortable and this is a means for them to grow too. It is not good if the chickens are in too much darkness since this can make them become tired and inactive. This can be a factor that they can’t lay eggs as they should.

It is highly important that the chicken coop design that ensures in building the chicken house has way for natural sunlight to get in. this helps prevent any possible problem that may occur.

Choosing the right chicken coop design plan will make your chickens happy and therefore deliver you fresh and quality eggs.

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Before you make a chicken house

Chickens need a chicken house for them to feel safe, a place for them to lay their eggs, and a place for them to retreat whenever they want to sleep. It is important that the chicken house is tall enough for you to open a door and walk into it. Your hen literally lives all year round inside a chicken tractor although they don’t have any idea about it. Having such will let you find that it is accommodating and easier to maintain your chickens.

It is best that the coop is at least four square feet per chicken so if you owned four of them, you will need a coop that is 4’ x 4’. Some people will settle on a three square feet and if you have it, show it. A coop that is eight inches wide and eight inches long and 6 inches in height provides a very comfortable digs for six chickens.

Moreover, the size of the chicken coop should contain the nests and roosts and this need to be accommodate the number of chickens you have. It is important also that the coop is large enough for you to walk into it and turn around. It can be smaller too as long as you can get into it to clean and collect eggs. You can hinge the roof so it will lift up or you can have exterior doors into the nest that is surely satisfactory.

You can also set up a window and have it screened to provide ventilation. Cross ventilation is also important so you might as well include vents on the wall opposite the window. Doors of some sort are good too. Some owners like solid while others prefer screened doors. More so, your climate will determine the type you are to use. Adding two doors at different points for easier access can be great especially if the design is on the small side. You can include a door that opens a ramp so your chickens can easily access their coop.

The materials needed for the coop can be bought in hardware stores so it is easy for you to buy one. You can also suit your own aesthetic style and design it on your own and construct it with your skills. A well-designed and maintained chicken coop is a credit to the owner. That is truly rewarding.

You can use a two by four chicken wire as they are the customary materials but other wire can be fine too as long as your chickens can’t get out of it or keeps unwanted visitors out. You may build the chicken house using concrete blocks and have a solid wood flooring so as to prevent rats and snakes from getting in and eat your chickens.

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Plans and designs perfect for your chicken coop

A chicken coop is great for your chickens as it is a safe and comfortable place for them. If you intend to buy one, that might cost you a lot of money. Luckily, there are chicken coop plans and designs that allows you to build your own coop with less money involve. Now this is truly wonderful. Here are designs in building your very own chicken coop.

There are several designs available for your coop. some of them are made of scrap lumber and left-over house paint. Most coop designs are usually free, functional, and quite lovely and you can add your own designs too. Designing your coop will depend on your needs. If you have a small flock and build a small coop for them, then it is best that you consider a portable chicken coop which is also called ‘chicken tractors’. This type of coop often does not have floors and it can be moved every few days or weeks from one part of your backyard to another so the grass does not get trampled around.

More so, your chickens can benefit this type of coop as this has a limited space for them run. The chicken droppings is a great fertilizer for your lawn and moving the coop often can allow your chickens to access bugs and fresh grass and this is also great as you don’t have to clean up the droppings.

You can also use any design according to your preference and create your own. But it is also important that you bear in mind your skill level when building it. However, you can use an already available design that you can find on the internet and this saves you time and energy.

Chicken coops can be made of almost anything. You can utilize an old shed or camping trailer, scrap lumber, PVC pipes, gallon barrels, tarps, kits, and so much more. The most commonly used material is for coop building. The size of your coop will depend if you are to buy a new lumber and this can be expensive.

There are lots of stores that sells used or scrap lumber and this is great if you are building on a 4’ x 8’ coop. You can also utilize used windows and sets of shingle too. Building a coop with lumber requires you to nail it and cut some broken pieces of the lumber and you can be creative as to what you want. Making a coop using recycled or reused materials will take more of your time but then it can help you save more money.

Chicken Coop Plans and Designs is a post from: Chicken Coops

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Provide your chickens a house

There are regular chook houses today that are available in the market. However, those commercially built chook house are very expensive and not everyone can afford it for their chicken. The good news is, you can build one yourself. Building your own chook house not only allows you to costumize your coop to your own preference but also helps you save more money and gives you ease when it comes to giving enough space for the chickens.

Chook houses date as old as the Roman Empire and they come in several designs and structural variations. Most people prefer to build their own chook house which is much easier and cost-effective too rather than buying one. More so, there are lots of designs and styles you can look in the internet however, some of them don’t say anything about the actual price. This makes it difficult for you to budget your money. When you build your own chook house, you can save lots of money especially when you plan to buy cheap materials but are of good quality. Most of these material works well like those made of expensive ones.

Before you can build your own chook house, there are several factors that you take into consideration. Firstly, it is important that you count the number of chickens you have to be placed inside the coop. figure out how they will grow as this determines the size of the choose house you are going to build. If your chickens are expected to get large, then you will need to plan a chook house that is big and has enough space for the large chickens to move about.

It is vital that the chook house has ample space for nesting and it should be sturdy too to with stand severe weather conditions. When you build a small chook house, suffocation and epidemic diseases can easily occur so it best to avoid this kind of situation. Make sure that you build a coop that is fairly close to your home so that you can check on it from time to time and you are sure they are safe from harmful elements.

As you are to build your own chook house, you should also remember that you have to provide them food. There are food dispensers you can find and there is also the automatic food dispenser that dispenses food in a time so it saves you the hassle from feeding them from time to time. Water is essential also, so there should be water always at the ready. Make sure that you change the water daily.

Building Your Own Chook House is a post from: Chicken Coops

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Ensuring a chicken coop

There are several factors that you should consider when trying to determine the type of chicken coop you intend to build. Knowing those things are highly important because before you can proceed building it, you will have to ensure that you get some key factors right so as to meet the required needs.

There are those do-it-yourself guides that you can actually find useful and there is also other information with the resources you can search for too. Building your own chicken coop must be done specifically and this is going to make a huge impact on how much money you spend for your own benefit in understanding the types of materials that is important in making an informed decision.

Here are some basics that you have to do. First, you have to take metal or wood posts and place it in an area where the ground is in a rectangular shape in any size that you want. You can then warp the chicken wire around the fours posts. You will then have to mound at least three inches surrounding the chicken wire in and out.

You can then place the post in the ground. After doing so, you will nail a 2×4 across the wooden posts slightly below the height of the posts in order to create a slope. Having this will allow the rain to fall off the tin roofing. On the opposite side, you do the same process and nail a 2×4 at the same height of the posts.

After which you can nail the tin roofing across those two 2x4s. Then you can make a door, but it is optional, as long as you have a four inches spaces hanging over the exit area. Lastly, get the pieces of plywood as long and as tall as the coop and loosely place it against the metal posts.

You might be wondering how much it will cost you. If you want a pre-built, it can be a thousand dollars or more. If you do it yourself and build your very own coop, then you are to spend less money. Chicken coops can be made from a variety of different material that includes materials such as an old shed, scrap lumber, PVC pipes, 50 gallon barrel or other recycled material that you have around your house.

The common material used in building a chicken coop is wood but then it can be the priciest. A wooden chicken coop can last for many years and ensure that it can withstand various climate changes. Bear in mind that the variety of wood will also vary in its price and this will influence your decision, so looking for several types of wood is highly important as well.

For additional information, here is a video on how to build a chicken coop.

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We’ve recently been asked about chicken nesting boxes. What nesting boxes are, what place that they have in the chicken coop and how big they should be.

So let’s look at chicken nesting boxes for a moment. As the name suggests nesting boxes are for your chooks to nest in. This means that that is the place where they will lay their eggs, and if you leave the eggs there for them to do so they will sit on them in the hope of hatching some chicks.

Of course the likelihood of chicks hatching depends on whether or not you have a rooster. But the chooks don’t know that and they will happily sit on unfertilised eggs if you leave them in the nesting box to build up.

In our view the prime purpose of the nesting box is to give the chicken somewhere that is relatively dark. They seem to prefer nesting in dark places. They can be fussy about where they nest and we find on occasions that they will often nest in some 44 gallon drums that we have outside the chicken coop instead.

Our nesting boxes in the chicken coop that we built have a removable lid. If we leave the lid off some of the boxes they will all try to nest in the box with the lid on.

We also suspect that they prefer nesting boxes that are not only relatively dark but are also quite small. A box that is not much larger than chicken is probably ideal, and if you make it much bigger you will often find that there is another chook in the box trying to lay her egg there as well.

About the most important consideration for nesting boxes is that they be easy to clean, so make sure they have some form of removable lid so that you can lift the lid to clean the box.

If you have a number of chooks make sure that your chicken coup has a number of nesting boxes. That gives them some choice and allows more than one hen to nest at any one time.

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Of course you have to feed your chickens. So let’s talk about feeding and watering chooks for a moment.

Like every pet, and let’s face it your chooks are really just pets, you need to pay some attention to feeding and watering. We do know someone who has chickens which free range around his garden every day, and he doesn’t feed them at all because he figures that they found enough bugs in the garden to satisfy their needs. But we think that’s a bit tough, you do need to feed your chooks even if they free range during the day, we do.

So in your chicken coop you need some facilities for feeding and watering.

There are feeders is available from pet shops, or if you live in a country like we do from your regional rural store. There are hoppers which take, if you buy a big one, considerable quantities of chicken pellets and allow a small amount to dribble out the bottom for the chooks to eat, and as they eat more comes out.

The advantage of buying a big one is that you can then go away for a few days and your chooks have plenty to eat. In fact the hopper that we have in our chicken house is big enough to hold enough food to feed 14 chickens for over a week.

However if you prefer you may just leave a bowl of food in the chicken coop. But there are disadvantages to this. If the bowl sits on the floor of the coop there is a good chance the chooks will stand on it and tip it over. Rather you are better to fix the feeding bowl to the wall of the chicken coop somehow about 3 or 4 inches above the ground, or in some other way secure it. We have secured ours by hanging it on a rope from the roof of the henhouse.

It is also possible to get automatic watering bowls. If you run some simple plastic pipe to the bowl it will refill by means of a float as necessary. Having water on demand also means that you can go away on holidays while knowing that your chickens are both fed and watered.

However going away for a period of time is a little risky if you simply rely on an automatic watering bowl. A blockage in the pipe, the water stops, and you come home to dead chooks.

We have got around that by using a full-size bath tub with timber planks to allow the chickens to walk up the planks to get to the top of the bath. There are then more planks inside the bath that they can stand on to drink.

However if you do this it’s important to make sure that that chickens cannot fall in the water, because they will drown if they do so. We have done this by putting some chicken wire just below the surface of the water so that if they fall in they will land on the chicken wire.

You need to give some thought to how you will feed and water your chooks. Have a look at the watering and feeding systems available in your local store and decide whether or not they will meet your needs. In our case we wanted to have feeding and watering available for periods of one to 2 weeks that did not need any attention from us. We have now relied on this many times and have never lost a chook while we have been on holidays.

So when it comes time to buy or to build your chicken coop put some thought not only into the design of the coop but also into your plans or feeding and watering your chickens.

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Here’s a lovely video that gives you some great reasons to keep your own chickens, and some good chicken keeping tips.

And it’s just nice to see how someone else does it.

So get out there and start putting some of those tips to good use and get yourself some chooks.

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We like this video because it shows an innovative design for the chicken coop. The run through is a good idea and we also like the slide out metal plate for the floor of the coop.

That allows you to clean it easier. All the droppings and other mess just sit on top of the plate and you pull it out to clean it.

It’s also very handy how the chook nesting box is so easily removed, and the trays on the floor of the nesting boxes also help with cleaning.

If you’re making your own chicken coop try to incorporate some of these ideas into your hen house. They make sense and will make life easier.
Get stuck into building your own chicken coop with some of these ideas incorporated.

Here’s A Video About An Innovative Chicken Coop Design is a post from: Chicken Coops

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