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. Read the rest of this entry
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 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. Read the rest of this entry
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. Read the rest of this entry
