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
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
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. Read the rest of this entry
What do nesting boxes in chicken coops actually do, and how big should they be?
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. Read the rest of this entry
