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Build A Backyard Chicken Coop – 4 Simple Steps

Are you going to build a backyard chicken coop as part of the Urban Chicken Movement?

It’s the “chicken underground” that’s sweeping the nation! City folks are re-discovering the benefits of raising chickens in their own backyards. Fresh eggs are only one of the many benefits of having these domesticated birds living in your backyard.

For me and my children, involvement with 4-H was a great way to help teach responsibility to my kids and get fresh eggs! The chickens are also gentle and very entertaining! They’ll come when called (a little food here helps) and they really don’t make much noise – or mess. As long as you do your part in keeping them and their coop clean. Which brings us to my main subject – building your own chicken coop – 4 simple steps to a great chicken coop.

Plan, Plan – Then Plan Again
Remember that old saying “measure twice, cut once?” The same applies when building your chicken coop – except it starts with planning.

How many chickens do you intend to keep? This has a direct relationship to the size of the coop you’ll need. What breeds of chickens will you have? Bantam chickens are small birds, but Wyandotte chickens are large – you’ll need to make sure you have enough space for either bird you are planning to raise.

The location of your coop is very important. For example, if you live in a colder part of the country, you may want to take advantage of the sun on a cold winter day to help warm up your chickens. You’ll need to choose a spot in your backyard that has good Southern exposure for those frosty mornings

Remember that you’ll need to clean under and around your chickens. This means you’ll have to have good access from all angles for a good cleaning. Speaking of access – determine before you build where the access door or hatch will be – then you can orient your chicken coop conveniently in the yard.

Don’t choose an area of your yard that puddles moisture – constantly wet chicken waste doesn’t make for a healthful situation. Pick a spot that’s high and dry – for the health of your birds.

These and other very basic questions should be answered before you buy materials and start building.

Use Paper – Put Your Design On Paper
With measuring tape in
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hand, sketch out basic shapes and dimensions on a piece of notepaper. It’s ok to crumple up and throw away many sheets before you settle on a good design. Transferring your thoughts to paper can mean the difference between success and failure – and failure is not what this is all about!

Don’t be too concerned if your sketches aren’t classical pieces of art – we’re looking for practical and sturdy first – beauty second. Do any of your neighbors (or friends out in the country) have chickens and coops? It can be a great to copy what works – you’ll get a lot of good design tips if you look at something already built.

Get Materials
Notice this section is titled “Get” Materials? If you’re a thrifty person, you may look at local newspapers and maybe even Craigslist to see if anyone is selling (or giving away) a chicken coop. Be cautious here, you don’t want someone’s junk, but I personally have seen a number of nice-looking and very usable chicken coops sold very cheaply – or even given away.

If it isn’t possible to find a used coop, then you’ll have to build from scratch. From the sketches you made, try and write down a list of materials you’ll need – everything! From 2×4′s to nails to chicken wire, if you have what you need on paper, you really can avoid some trips to the hardware store. One thing that has really helped me is to take the sketch to the hardware store in addition to the list I’ve put together. If I can’t get the exact bracket or piece of lumber that I planned on using, the sketch can help me substitute something I can get.

Don’t forget tools! Besides the basic tools – hammer, screwdrivers, square, saw, tape measure, etc., I always have my 18 volt electric screw gun. Over the years, I have really depended on that tool to help build tons of projects. While screws are definitely more expensive than nails, only screws allow you to take something apart without ruining the wood! This has saved me many times.

Now – Just Build It
I can’t stress enough the need to protect yourself – eye protection is critical, ear protection is nice, and a good set of leather gloves can be a lifesaver on a cold day.

Take your time with the construction, and don’t be afraid to modify your design as you go. Sometimes we miss critical features or other things, and as you build your chicken coop, you may find out you really missed something that you’d like to add – or correct. It’s always easier to make small changes as you go, than end up with a severely compromised chicken coop.

Get help, if you can. Often, two heads are better than one – and 4 hands are definitely useful if you’re dealing with large or bulky items.

I’ve learned that if I follow some basic steps like these I outlined, my chicken coop projects usually turn out a lot better than the ones I’ve seen hacked and band-aided together. And, your chickens will be happier. Remember – happy chickens make more and bigger eggs. And, that will make YOU happy.

By: Darrel Whiggins

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Join the “Urban Chicken Movement” and raise chickens in your backyard! I WANT TO LEARN HOW to build a chicken coop – and raise chickens myself!

If you think you merely need to throw up four walls and a roof, enclose it in a fence and you have a chicken coop, we need to talk. It isn’t hard to build a chicken coop, but there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind.

The first one is to have a clear idea how many chickens you’re building your coop for. Did you know that you need at least three square feet of space for a chicken to feel comfortable? More living space is always better but never go below that figure. This will ensure that your chickens are happy and healthy.

Remember, you can never build a chick coop too big for your chickens, if you do you can always add more. Building one that is too small can be a problem. The reason you don’t want to squeeze too many chickens into a coop is because it will effect their ability to lay eggs. It will also cause social problems when the chickens begin to compete for space in the coop.

Another aspect that is very important when you are learning how to build a chicken coop is realizing how important protection is. Many people that are new to raising chicken will have to learn the hard way how relentless other animals will be when they smell an easy meal.

There are many predators that will be hungry for your feathered friends. They will dig under the fence and try anything else they think will help them get into your hen house – And if you fail to take the necessary steps to keep them safe, you will wake up one morning to a depressing sight.

Predators include the neighborhood cats and dogs, but this can also include rats, badgers, foxes and coyotes. There may be other predators depending on where you live, so you need to keep that in mind when you are learning how to build a chicken coop. The appearance of your coop is as important as all of the other elements. If your hen house turns into an eye sore, you are running the risk of turning once cordial neighbors into disgruntled ones.

There is no reason why you shouldn’t build a chicken coop that adds a unique aspect to your backyard. Coops can be a very pleasant addition to the landscaping that gives you a great conversation starter. This is better than the alternative – giving the neighborhood something to talk about. As you can imagine, there are many different ways to build a chicken coop, and there are as many styles as there are tastes. Picking one that will fit your needs and the needs of your chickens is important.

Do you know how to build a chicken coop? You do now! Click here to get access to excellent plans for many different styles of chicken coop by visiting: http://build-a-chicken-coop.iqbanq.com.

  

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It is important to have chicken coop building plans prior to constructing a coop for your chicken. Raising chicken entails the responsibility of providing them comfortable shelter for nesting and one that will keep them safe and happy.

Hobbyists for building a coop for chicken are gaining in numbers because it is easy to build a coop by yourself. In addition to the fun and exciting experience of building your own chicken coop, you can generate more savings by constructing a homemade coop for your chicken.  

However, it is important to know that one cannot just easily build a chicken coop without any construction plans. There are important elements to consider prior to building a homemade coop for chicken.

First you must include in your construction plan how many numbers of chicken you plan to raise. The dimensional plan of the coop will rely on this data. It is vital to observe the minimum space allotted for each chicken in a coop, which must be at least 4 sq. ft. for each chicken.

If you are considering raising 5 chickens in a coop then you must follow an ideal dimension of 20 sq. ft. for the coop. Building a larger coop than the minimum space required for each chicken is recommended.

Then you must also consider in the design plan of your coop how to provide the chicken with proper ventilation. Chicken need fresh air and a common way to address this is to include in your plan a vent or a window to keep out stale air and let in fresher air. 

It is also important to indicate in the plan where to place the window or vent. Ideal location will be on either the east or the south part of the chicken house where fresh air is likely to come from. It is important to maintain the cleanliness of the chicken coop to give the chicken a healthier environment to live. You must include in your plan how you can easily gain access to cleaning the chicken coop with a personalized design.

A trick that many commonly employ is to provide the chicken coop with a perch. This wi helps provide the chicken a spot where to leave their droppings. You can then place a tray below the perch to collect the droppings for easy cleaning.

Without the perch, there is the tendency for the chicken to leave their droppings scattered anywhere in the chicken coop such as on the feeders, the nesting boxes, or on the water feeders making cleaning more tedious and leaving the coop untidy.

You need to get the exact measurements required to provide the ideal home for your chicken. The nesting box must be deep enough to keep the eggs safe. The ideal depth is 4 inches. 

You are likely to enjoy a bountiful supply of eggs when your chickens are happy, comfortable, safe, and healthy. You can provide them the best and ideal chicken coop by building one that complies with the highest standards of constructing a chicken coop. You can ensure this by sketching out chicken coop building plans that address important factors that will provide your chicken a comfortable home to live in.

Did you find those tips on Chicken Coop Building Plans useful? You can learn a lot more about Building A Chicken Coop On Your Own Here at http://www.buildingachickencoops.com

  

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Cheap Chicken House – Build Cheap Chicken Coop

So you want to become a chicken breeder, but you have a very tight budget and no idea where to save some additional bucks during the construction process? Truth be told, you can build your own cheap chicken house for less than half the price of the commercially available. If you have enough motivation and cunning, the cost to build cheap chicken coop may be just a pack of nails and your time.

Obviously, if you want to save money on your chicken house, you need to search for cheaper alternatives to expensive materials. Of course never make price the determining factor in your project, quality is the king. Becoming too concerned about the price of your coop will harm you in the long run, when what you have done begins to rot or fall apart.

Start from the ground

In order to build your chicken house well, you need to find a part of land that is even and will support your structure well. It is a matter of utmost importance as building on undulated ground will cause your construction to get crooked with time.

If you can’t find terrain that would be sufficiently even, you can do two things. You can either outsource the task by paying someone that will do it for you or, finish the task by yourself. If you decide that you are capable of doing modifications of that caliber, keep in mind that it is much harder to make the ground even than it is to fill up holes.

Choose the materials wisely

Materials are the next point on your list of things to cut back. Don’t be lazy in this department as prices of good wood can be really high so, always ask in several places before taking your wallet out.

The next method to cut the costs of a chicken house is asking people living near you if they don’t have any spare materials. Many of your neighbors will have useless wood scraps that are too small to use in major build but are good enough for a chicken coop.

Build your windows intelligently

Supplying your chickens with enough light should be a major concern of yours. In order to function properly and lay many eggs, your flock requires 14 hours of sunlight every day. This can be either done by intelligently placing windows inside your chicken coop or installing electri
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cal light. However, including artificial light in your chicken house plan will result in high electric bills so, have it in mind.

That is why you should place your windows, so they are facing the side on which the sun rises. This will maximize the amount of sun your chickens receive, and it is free. You should also make sure, nothing is blocking the sunlight from shining into your chicken house. If there is a tree that stops light, you should cut it.

Assess your needs and build the right size

It is important to keep in mind how many chickens your coop will have to accommodate. It all depends on what is the purpose of your chickens, are they supposed to lay eggs only for you, or you want to also sell them. If you want to make money on your eggs, you will want to build a bigger coop that can hold many chickens.

On the other hand, if you want your chickens to supply enough eggs for you and your loved ones, you don’t have to worry about the size too much. Housing 2 to 3 chickens should meet the requirements of most of the families, unless the only thing you eat is eggs.

As you can see, there are many ways to save while building your cheap chicken house. If you will be creative enough and spend some additional time planning your every step you can build cheap chicken coop for no money. Even if you will spend some cash, intelligent planning should help you to economize on your construction.

By: Emma White

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

If you would like to read more about chicken house plans, visit my site. I will make sure you know the most important factors that make a best chicken house plan, all the issues and mistakes you may make while building your own chicken coop.

Anyone that raises chickens will need a chicken coop. The question for many is how to build a chicken coop? With a bit of ingenuity and some rather basic materials, you can have a chicken coop in relatively no time at all.

The first two considerations that have to be made are how large you want your coop or coops to be and what type of materials you will be using. The other thing that is really a key factor is the placement of your coop. Everyone’s environment is not the same so the rules and conditions for your chicken coop could vary.

Obviously, the chicken coop is going to provide shelter for your chicken. This is very important because there are many wild animals that could pose a great danger to your chickens. One very important part of any chicken coop is the “run.” This is the area outside of the actual shelter itself where the chickens are free to roam around in.

The standard rule of thumb for how to build a chicken coop is to allow room for eight chickens and three nests. There must also be sufficient area for the chicken to be able to perch too. This would be about nine inches or so of perch space. One of the biggest problems that people make is building a coop that is too small. Doing so will prohibit your chickens from flourishing as well as they could if the coop was the adequate size.

There should be four square feet for every chicken. This simply means that if you plan to house four chickens then you would need an area that is 4×4. The windows of the chicken coop should always face south and it is of the utmost importance that there is sufficient ventilation throughout the coop. As a matter of fact, for a chicken coop to be fully functional then it should have these common characteristics:

Storage space

A proper entrance way

Sufficient ventilation and lighting

An area that accommodates the coop to be properly cleaned

The climate in which you live will dictate to a good degree how you will build your coop. If you reside in a warm climate then you can often get away with wire netting and mesh. However, if you live in a colder climate then you will have to consider actual slider windows.

It is very important that when you make the plans for building your chicken coop that you take into consideration that the chicken coop is at least four feet tall and is also buried at least a foot into the ground. This will stop wild animals from digging underground to get to your coop. It is also a good idea to make sure that the top is covered by mesh or something that will prohibit wild birds from getting in and possibly spreading any disease to your chickens.

Building your own chicken coop is easier than you might think! All you need is the right blueprint. For a step by step guide on how to build a chicken coop visit Chicken Coop Plans

  

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How To Build A Chicken Coop – Tips For A Successful Home Made Chicken Coop

Have you joined the “chicken underground” as you look for ways on how to build a chicken coop?

If you’re interested in raising chickens in your backyard – in the city, you’re not alone. The “urban chicken movement” is gaining ground in major cities across the U.S. with the goal of allowing city residents to keep a number of chickens in their backyards.

Proponents of this movement say that it’s a part of the “back to earth” movement that’s been gaining popularity as the country goes “green.”

Fresh eggs are a definite benefit of this movement.

If you want to keep chickens in your backyard, you’ll definitely need a coop – a place for your chickens to call home. Like any other do-it-yourself project, learning how to build a chicken coop – and building one are something the average homeowner can do with a little planning, and some common sense.

As someone who has raised chickens myself – and built a few coops in the process – I can offer a few tips on how to easily and safely build a chicken coop yourself.

Safety Counts – For Your Chickens
Like any other animals, chickens need good care and nurturing. Since they won’t be living inside your home, you will have to provide them with a coop that will provide protection from extreme weather and other animals that like to eat chickens – predators.

Chickens can survive winter’s cold and summer’s heat, but only if they have a well-built chicken coop to live in. Solidly built, with quality materials and thoughtful design, this structure, if designed well, will make it easy to care for your flock.

If you live in the Northeast where winters can be especially brutal, a Southern exposure on those cold winter mornings can really help warm up those cold birds. Likewise, if you live in the warm and dry Southwest, you’ll want to protect your chickens from excessive summer heat by avoiding Southern exposure.

Also, don’t forget about predators. Even in the most domestic of inner-city neighborhoods, stray dogs, cats, raccoons and a variety of wildlife flourish and would love to make a quick meal out of your chickens. To prevent this slaughter, your coop must be built off the ground and with pos
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itive-locking doors, hatches and windows. As a first line of defense, bury the first 6 to 12 inches othe chicken wire that surrounds your coops in the ground. That will prevent other animals from digging under the fence to get atyour birds.

Even in cold climates, ventilation is a must as the birds produce wastes that can build up dangerous amounts of ammonia and moisture that can sicken and kill your chickens if not properly removed.

Provide Heat And Light
I live in a cold-winter climate, and the warmth from several light bulbs at night provided enough heat to allow the chickens to survive even the coldest of nights. Of course, our coops were well-built and had insulation to help keep in what little heat was generated. But, it was enough heat – you don’t need to go to extremes when winter sets in.

Another benefit of the artificial light from light bulbs was additional egg productivity. As fall turns to winter, the amount of time the sun shines decreases dramatically, and chicken’s egg-laying tapers off. If they have a light available past sundown, their egg productivity doesn’t decrease as much.

You don’t need a fancy electrical system – just make sure it’s done in a safe manner that’s compatible with building codes in your area.

Make It Easy To Clean
Surprise – chickens produce a lot of waste along with fresh, great-tasting eggs. You can’t have one without the other. And a build-up of wastes that are allowed to gather can promote disease and sickness in your chickens. To avoid foul smells and disease, regular cleanings will be needed. So, why not design and build your chicken coop to be easy to clean – from the start?

Use materials that are easy to clean like plastics, treated lumber, galvanized steel, aluminum and concrete. You can also design-in features that can make cleaning much easier such as floors sloped towards a door or hatch (for easy hosing out), access panels or windows that allow access to the entire interior, and drip pans that are easy to remove when full of waste.

When planning on a location for your chicken coop, pick a well-drained spot that gives easy access to all sides.

Learning how to build a chicken coop is not difficult or costly. Most people who can read and hold a hammer can most likely get the job done – and do it well.

Take action and join the “chicken underground” today. Breakfast never tasted so good!

By: Darrel Whiggins

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Join the “Urban Chicken Movement” and raise chickens in your backyard! I WANT TO LEARN HOW to build a chicken coop – and raise chickens myself!

  

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How To Build A Chicken Coop Guide

Building chicken coops can be an adventurous experience, but remember your fun and excitement should not ruin your chickens. People often love to keep chickens, its not only fun to watch them grow, but you also get a huge supply of fresh eggs regularly. Moreover, you will appreciate yourself to provide a cozy shelter for these little ones to live comfortably. So, now you are excited to build a perfect chicken coop. Before you build a chicken coop, you need to be careful about a few things to ensure maximum comfort and safety for your delicate, fluffy chickens.

- Size: Firstly, while building a chicken coop, you need to think about the size of the chicken coop. The size plays a major role for proper growth of your chickens. It solely depends on the number of chicken you plan to keep. The chicken coop should be of comfortable size where the chicks can roam around freely, yet feel secured. If you build a smaller chicken coop, chances are that your chickens may not be able to grow properly as they may not feel comfortable, at times they may feel suffocated too. Remember, your chickens are free birds so they need enough space to enjoy their freedom. Moreover, your chicken will grow in future, so the height of chicken coop in another important factor to be considered while building a chicken coop.
- Safety of your Chickens: You need to think about the safety measures for your chickens. You need to save them from predators as it your responsibility to take care of the little ones. You must see that the chicken coop you build must be safe and secured for your chicken and no predator can attack it and cause harm to your lovely chickens.
- Maintenance: The chicken coop you build should be easy to maintain. The little chickens are going to litter around. So it must be easy to clean regularly. Cleanliness is utmost important so as to prevent any diseases or illness spreading in your chickens. Design a chicken coop that is wide and easy to clean, also ensure that the water and disinfectant used to clean the chicken coop should drain away easily rather than getting trapped in the center of the coop.
- Bright and warm with proper ventilation: The next thing to be considered while building a chicken coop is that it should be bright as well as cozy. Proper ventilation is a pre-requisite and all these things are essential to prevent any sickness that may harm yo
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ur chickens. Your chicken coop should be warm and dry in cold and wet seasons, and it should be airy during the hot season. This will keep diseases at bay and your chickens can enjoy living in a chicken coop built by you.

To get a better idea about How To Build a Chicken Coop Guide, there are several online stores presenting a complete guide to help at every step to build a perfect chicken coop. Remember, you are taking a responsibility of nurturing a LIFE of an innocent bird, so assure that you take all the precautionary measures to ensure their safety and wellbeing.

By: Jamie Hanson

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Get complete information on < href="http://www.buildachickencoopplans.com">How To Build A Chicken Coop at buildachickencoopplans.com and Stumble Submission

  

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My dad had recently finished a construction in his garden and he had a lot of wood left over so I took the opportunity to use the leftovers to build the Chicken coop.

I did not have any detailed plans but drew a rough sketch based on a similar design I had seen. Then I started putting it together with a friend of mine. It is a simple split level design, basically a elongated triangle. The nest boxes and perches are in the upper part with the door in the floor. The advantage of this design is that the living area is suspended above the grass. This is particularly useful for us as we have a very limited space allocated for the chicken and this maximizes the room with 2 layers.

The main thing you need to remember when building a chicken coop is that the chickens need something to perch on when they sleep and some nest boxes to lay their eggs. They should have about 6-9 inches of perch per chicken and one nest box per 4 birds. In my design the perch ran down the middle of the upper layer with a nest box at either end. The chickens seemed to like it so that was the important thing.

For us keeping chickens in an urban environment was a great experience. We never had any complaints from the neighbors, in fact quite the opposite. There is one old man who lives a couple of doors down who said he loved hearing the chickens as it reminded him of they days when it was quite normal for a household to have a couple of chickens in the yard. After all, unless you get a cockerel they do not make much noise. Maybe more than a cat, but not as much as a dog.

During the day we normally let the chickens scratch about in the rest of the garden. This is their natural instinct and if you want your chickens to be happy it is important to have an area of grass or soil where they can scratch about for things to eat. It will keep them happy and occupied all day.

The biggest problem in urban areas of England for chicken keepers is the foxes. For a long time we did not have a problem. Due to the location of our house we did not get foxes in the back garden very often. However, once they knew the chickens were there they came back every night. We managed to catch one on video a few times which was nice, beautiful creatures but a real pest. But don’t let this put you off. It is not difficult to make your coop fox proof and if you follow some good plans, protection from predators will be part of the design. It is all part of the adventure.

So if you are thinking about how-to-build-a-chicken-coop get on with it, stop finding excuses. It is not rocket science. You will learn a lot as you do it and have great fun at the same time.

Chicken coop plans http://www.squidoo.com/Build-a-Chicken-Coop-for-Laying-Hens

Build A Chicken Coop – Mistakes To Avoid When Building A Chicken Coop

In everything that you do, if you want to do it right, there should be plans. This would make things easier to execute. When you have already sketched your plans, you would also be able to manage your time well.

Plans for a chicken coop should be made precisely to give the best home to the best chickens in your area. The better the quality of your chickens are, the more chances you have of making it big in the poultry industry.

First, avoid making chicken coops which are too small for the number of chickens that you will house. Count all the number of chickens that you will raise as a start of your poultry farm. Take into consideration that it is advisable for each chicken to occupy 4 sq. ft to give them enough room to move around. A cramped up room for chickens might not let them grow to the best potential that they could have. If you are aiming to raise healthy chickens, then you have to obey this tip.

Second, do not forget to provide access points to your chicken coop. Some builders and owners only have in their minds that chicken coops are built to keep the fowls in, and this is exactly the reason why some coops are built without access to it for easy cleaning, feeding, watering, and harvesting of the eggs.

Third, do not just put up your chicken coop anywhere. The location of the coop should not depend entirely on your whims, wherever you like it. There are many things to consider before you should come up with the final decision of the coop’s location. To avoid water problems, situate the coop in an elevated area to provide natural drainage for water. For the coop not to easily get wet, the roof should be built with a visible elevation too for water not to get deposited inside it and for water to flow directly onto the ground. For the coop’s interior to easily dry up in case it gets wet, the floors should be slanting. A wet-proof coop will help contribute to maintaining healthy chickens. If they stay dry, they will not easily get sick.

Fourth, do not totally enclose the chicken without providing them proper ventilation. The coop’s windows should face right so as to scoop out cold air during warm weather and to keep away cold breeze during cold weather.

Last, do not forget to install protection around the coop. You should keep predators out. It is of n
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o use if other chicken-preying predators will be the ones to benefit from your chickens. Make sure that aside from providing the coop itself with durable walls, there should also be barb wires which will be buried 12 inches into the ground to ensure that they will not be lifted off easily, and 4 feet high above the ground just enough to keep predators away.

By: Stan Eric

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Visit Chicken Coop Plans and download the guide that will show you how to build chicken coops in your backyard! Check out also ChickenTractorPlans.org for more tips on how to build chicken tractors!

  

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If your playing with the idea of building your own chicken coop, stop for a moment. Before you go any further, let’s talk about the dangers of building a chicken coop incorrectly. By taking the time to think your project through and looking at real chicken coop plans, you are avoiding some of the dangers you can run into.

So what are these dangers? First, a chicken coop needs to be warm. Hens love the sun, so it needs to be built so it will get the most sunlight possible each day. Even though your chickens will want to stay warm, you will need to put some effort into one aspect of building a coop that many beginners may over look. Ventilation.

Staying warm doesn’t mean cutting off all of the air flow. It is common for poorly ventilated chicken coops to build up ammonia and carbon dioxide, both of which can be deadly to your birds if too much is allowed to build up.

This is one reason why following plans is very important when you learn how to build a chicken coop.

Another good reason to take the time to properly build a coop is egg production. The number of chickens you raise plays a direct role in the size of your coop. Each bird needs at the very least three square feet of space in the hen house. Of course more is always better, but never force them into an overcrowded coop. If you do, the chickens will spend more time fighting over space than laying eggs. The eggs that are produced will be of poor quality and all of your efforts will go to waste.

Many of you may have thought about buying a small chicken tractor or getting a prefabricated coop you need to construct yourself. But there is a great big advantage in learning how to build a chicken coop yourself. First, you will save a bundle. Most commercially constructed coops will start at around $500 going as high as $2500. When I saw prices like that, I had to chuckle. You see, if you build a chicken coop yourself, you have better control over the cost. Some can even be built for under $100.

One of the benefits of building it yourself is durability. Protection is one of the most important parts of building a hen house and one that you shouldn’t overlook.

There are many different types of threats to the health of your chickens if you fail to learn how to properly build a coop. Your neighbor’s dog might think it is a good idea to help you out with your chickens, but I can assure you, it is anything but amusing. Cats can also be a problem if you don’t take the proper precautions.

Some other predators can take the shape of rats, foxes, coyotes, badgers and hawks. Of course there will be others, and they vary depending on where you live. If you aren’t sure what to look out for, you will want to spend a couple of minutes and ask around.

Now that you know what to look out for, it is time to get your hands on some plans!

Click here for coop plans.

And while you’re there, make sure you claim your free copy of my ebook on my website: http://build-a-chicken-coop.iqbanq.com/

  

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Which Chicken Cage Style Is Right For Your Poultry?

There are a good number of things that ought to be taken seriously when it comes to choosing the type of chickens coops that is able to best fill your needs. The first issue is the amount of chickens you will be raising. The greater the number of birds, the bigger the shed will have to be.

Day-old chicks require less room than started birds or mature birds. Immature chicks must have more heat, so depending on the climate in your locale you might need to furnish some extra heat or insulate your pen. Colder regions may make it necessary for you to build a completely enclosed poultry shed, but hotter areas may permit you to get away with bigger external areas constructed with chicken wire.

Fowl coops come in lots of different sizes and varieties. The littlest type is the chicken ark or tractor and is small housing fit for just a few pullets. It will normally come with a small wood house segment and an out-of-doors segment constructed from wire. The rationale for its minuscule dimension is to make it easy to move around the backyard. Chicken arks are portable.

This style of coop will permit hens to graze around for a percentage of their own meals. Once your chickens have pecked a particular location clean, the entire ark can easily be moved to a brand new area of the backyard where there are other fresh vegetation to eat. Pullets like to peck around for food so this type of chicken housing is great for maintaining a happy and healthy flock. As a bonus, cleanup is merely dragging the chicken tractor to a new location.

Raising larger numbers of birds will necessitate building a bigger stationary edifice or multiple portable chicken arks. Larger houses will be in the form of chickens coops, also accepted as chicken sheds, and will certainly be more expensive because extra wood and extra chicken wire will be necessary. It will also take some extra thought and preparation. Make sure to obtain a first-rate design before beginning on a bigger undertaking because you don’t want to make expensive mistakes and find out too late that you constructed it incorrectly and spent more cash than was necessary.

With a small chicken tractor you can minimally purchase an inexpensive feeder, waterer, and nesting box and put them into the housing. However, with bulky poultry pens
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you should create them with efficiency in mind. Contrasting the chicken tractor, the bigger chicken house must be cleaned consistently, which means you are required to plan ahead. You may very well want to put in an all-wire bottom two feet off the ground. This will stop droppings from building up in the housing itself, and will make it much easier to move them to your garden area when required.

With bigger sheds you must plan for ventilation, nesting box locations, maintaining hygienic feed and water, and a host of additional things. Windows are required to keep fresh air blowing through. This will usually permit the coop to remain drier and is able to stop odors from building up. It will be able to let in extra light which is needed for optimum egg production. Artificial lighting ought to be added to your chicken shed if you expect to have your pullets laying all year long.

You might also want to place your nest boxes so that you can collect eggs from the exterior of your chicken housing. A large amount of preparation is necessary if you would like to steer clear of mistakes. You may believe you know precisely what you want, but it’s better to get a good quality chicken coop guide anyway. You may possibly learn proficient ways for doing things that you never thought of before. And in view of the fact that first-class chicken coop manuals can be found inexpensively online, it would be an intelligent idea to get one.

By: Joshua A Harding

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Joshua has raised chickens for over 25 years and has manufactured all of his own poultry pens throughout that time. He is an expert on raising chickens for meat and egg production. He keeps a site where you can read related articles regarding building chickens coops, raising chickens effectively, and more.

If you want to learn how to build a chicken coop, so it will meet expectations and needs of your chickens, this article is for you. Chickens aren’t choosy animals, but they require few things in their life to stay happy, health and lay eggs regularly. However, this article isn’t only about convenience of your chickens, by following tips I share below, you will be building a chicken coop that is easier and faster to clean as well as keep in good condition.

Light

Chicken are very dependent on light when it comes to their life cycle. They go to sleep when it is getting dark and wake up with sunrise. That is why you have to build windows in your chicken coop that will supply a lot of light.

You should place windows in your chicken coop in a way that will allow your flock to get as much sun as they only can. Especially in the mornings. Most of the windows in your chicken house should be in a direction of the sunrise.

Second use for windows is creating air circulation inside your chicken coop. They allow your chickens to breath with fresh air and save you from dealing with bad smells while you are cleaning the chicken coop.

Failing to supply your chickens with an appropriate source of light will decrease their performance and cause them to lay eggs less frequently or during weird hours. So if, for some reason, you can’t supply them with natural light, try to substitute it with electrical. This, however, should be done under supervision of someone who knows how to build a chicken coop.

Electrical light is a great idea, but you have to make sure that the installation is well hidden and won’t become a pecking target. The other thing you have to remember is that with electrical light, your bills can get really high, so my recommendation is to always search for natural solutions.

Size

You have to remember about creating a chicken house of the right size. You should estimate how many chickens you are going to keep and based on that choose an appropriate plan. Each chicken requires from 4 to 5 square feet to feel comfortable.

If you are unable to find a perfect fit for your flock, always choose bigger coop. Small chicken coops will force your birds to crowd on a very limited space and that can cause disease spreading and in some extreme cases cannibalism.

The next dramatic result of keeping your chickens in a small space is, aggression. Chickens that don’t have enough room, can become aggressive towards you, other members of the flock and the chicken coop itself. They also tend to break their own eggs so, pay attention to the size of your chicken house.

What is your budget?

Budget is a very important factor you should consider while learning how to build a chicken coop. It can be the single reason that will kill your entire undertaking. That is why you should always establish how much you can spend before starting to build.

There are many ways you can cut the cost of construction. One of the most obvious ones is buying cheaper, but still usable materials. This, however, requires information on what kind of materials are chicken safe and, which aren’t.

Another way you can decrease the money you will spend is, by finding free materials. Yes, it is possible. Just ask around if some of your neighbors don’t have spare pieces of wood they don’t plan to use. You will be surprised how much stuff you will receive.

However, if all the above methods don’t work for you, I recommend to hold building your chicken coop for some time. It is better to wait until you save an appropriate amount of money, then rush into construction. This will insure you are building a chicken coop that will last long and not some low-quality dummy that will fall apart faster than you have built it.

How much time can you spare

Your time limitations are very important when you are discovering how to build a chicken house. If you have problems finding an hour every week to clean up your chicken coop, you have to give it some thinking.

Taking care of your chicken house is very important. So if you have problems finding enough time to clean it, forget about complicated chicken house designs. By creating a simpler construction that is easier to access and keep clean, you invest in happiness and health of your chickens.

Always build chicken houses that have plenty of well designed access points. They will make cleaning and collecting eggs’ way easier. By simply making the floor of your chicken coop slightly tilted in the direction of the entrance, you will cut the cleaning time by more than half. This simple trick will allow you to hose down your chicken coops floor, helping you to save a lot of energy.

Land and climate

It is really important to choose the right place for your chicken house. It should stand on an even, hard ground in order to be durable and useful to your chickens. That is why, you should spend some time thinking about this issue.

What kind of a climate you are living in? Does it rain a lot? What kind of a soil is in your backyard? Is it cold for most of the year?

If you are living in a place, where the soil is very soft and it rains a lot, you should raise your chicken coop above the ground, or else it will drown with time. Especially if your chicken house is very large, and you own a large flock.

If it is cold in your area for most of the time you have to use thicker materials and insulation that will help your chicken to remain warm during harsher weather conditions. If the thicker walls alone don’t do the trick, you may also want to install an artificial heather that will keep the right temperature when it is needed. For more specific advice on heathers ask a person who has experience in the area of how to build a chicken coop.

Do you want a mobile chicken coop?

The next thing you should ask yourself is, will you move your chicken coop a lot. If yes, you may think about building a mobile chicken house. It will allow you to change location of your flocks’ home with ease.

The only disadvantage of such a solution is the size limitation. In order to create a mobile chicken coop, you will have to attach wheels to it. This, on the other hand, will force you to build a chicken coop which size allows you to carry it. The next thing you have to think about is the hardness of the ground in your backyard. If it is very soft you won’t be able to pull your chicken coop through it, without getting stuck.

Protection from predators

Topic of predators is often missed by many people who learn how to build a chicken coop. But this issue is of utter importance and if neglected can lead to loss of your entire flock.

You should start from establishing what kind of predators are in your neighborhood. You can do it either by asking people near you or searching this information on the Internet. The thing you are after is the method they will try to attack your chicken coop.

If they will try to go from the top, you should cover the top of your chicken run with a fence. If you are dealing with really big animals that may try to destroy the fence of your run or chicken coop overall, use the most durable materials you can find. If you think they will try to dig their way to your chicken house, make sure you dig the fence at least a foot into the ground.

In addition to these tips, you should also remember to tweak the weakest link of nearly all chicken coops and runs, doors. Try to find ones that have a tight fit, multiple latches and overall there is no way to get in, for unwanted animals.

As you can see learning how to build a chicken coop requires a lot of time and experience on your part. That is why you shouldn’t rush in to the building. Don’t hope you will combat all the obstacles along the way. It is plain stupid and you will have to spend more time doing necessary modifications then, you would spend on the entire construction, only if you would invest more time into crucial preparations. So spend some more time learning how to build a chicken coop and plan your chicken house with confidence.

If you would like to discover best chicken house plans, that will be convenient for you and your chickens, you have to visit my site. Aside from tips on creating a great chicken coop, you will also find a wealth of information about chicken housing.

  

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Building Plans For Hen House And Chicken Coop

The internet can instantly provide you with hen house plans, chicken coop schematics, or any other information you might need for your farm or back yard projects. It’s important to take a systematic approach to constructing coops in order to avoid any time wasting mistakes. This article shows you where to download the best chicken coop plans available.

Tips Before You Start

1) Work out the best position for your chicken coop. Determine if there is adequate sun for your particular breed of chickens, and make sure it’s far enough away from the house (so it won’t smell)!

2) As well as the general position of the coop, think about your own access. You need to make sure you can easily clean the floor, and also take in and out food and water.

3) Are you building on-site or in a workshop. I highly recommend building on-site, especially if you’re constructing a larger, premium sized coop.

4) Raising chickens usually starts as a small hobby. However, consider building a large coop, even if you only have a couple of chickens. Chances are you’ll eventually be getting more chickens than you originally thought!

5) Finally, what material will you use for the floor? Saw dust and dry grass make good coverings, but there are also other options. Think about this hard, as it will depend on the climate in your area (i.e. rain, snow, etc).

As you can see, there are a few things to think about before jumping into the actual building of the coop.

By: Steve Kennett

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

If you are serious about starting construction, check out this How To Build A Hen House website now for the best hen house plans on the internet. Good luck!

  

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