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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.

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. Read the rest of this entry

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. Read the rest of this entry

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. Read the rest of this entry