How To Build A Chicken Coop

When’s the last time you heard of someone building a chicken coop of their own? Never is probably a very common response to that question. It’s truly a mystery as to why chicken coops haven’t been popularized. They are beneficial both to the environment and to your wallet. All you need is a bit of determination.

Chicken coops are basically miniature houses for your chickens. They protect the chickens from mother nature, as well as wild animals. They also provide a comfortable living environment for the chickens, causing them to lay eggs. If the chickens get stressed, there is a chance that they will stop laying eggs. There are two main types of chicken coops. You can buy pre-built ones from your local hardware store. Or you can do it yourself! Don’t be fooled, pre-built coops are a waste of your money. They require the same amount of work to put together, and are much more expensive than the materials you will buy for the actual portable chicken coop.

Now that we are on the topic of expenses, are you worried about the initial cost of the chicken coop? You shouldn’t be! Chicken coops provide you with a steady amount of eggs each morning. Not only are those eggs free, they are also fresh and delicious. You can also use their waste for a valuable fertilizer for your plants and shrubs. With these two valuable things, fertilizer and eggs, the cost of your chicken coop will quickly fade into nothing. You’ll pay off the initial cost within a month or so, and after that everything is pure profit! Some families even find themselves with extra eggs that they don’t need. These not only make great gifts to friends and family, but you could also sell them!

Earlier on I made a comment about chicken coops being beneficial to the environment. When’s the last time you put your table scraps to good use? Chicken coops recycle your leftover food scraps and turn them into eggs and fertilizer!

If you are really interested in building your own portable chicken coop, I recommend a book for you. After reading this book you will be able to build different types of chicken coop easily. This will save you a lot of money as it takes over $300 to buy a chicken coop. This is obviously too overpriced. Click here to learn more about this book.

When building a chicken coop, it is suggested that you follow the guidelines below for a successful endeavor.

Element #1. – Appearance and Design:

Sketch out your design on a sheet of paper before you do anything else. Think of the colors you will paint the roof and chicken coop walls. Always keep in mind that if your chicken coop is clearly visible to your neighbors, (unless you live in a farm it will most likely be visible to your entire neighborhood,) it shouldn’t ever serve as a distraction or defacement of its utmost surroundings. So make sure to design an aesthetically looking chicken coop so that your neighbors do not complain of its detracting appearance. Once finished, always remember to remove and dispose of any types of garbage or weeds from around your chicken coop. Try to maintain an appealing landscape around it to enhance its overall appearance.

Element #2. – Using Sound Judgment:

When designing your chicken coop structure, you must use sound judgment in almost every aspect of the way.

For instance, you want to use building materials in which the cleaning and disinfecting procedures will be quick and easy. The doors you install should open inwards, not outwards. You don’t want your chickens roosting on your windows, so it is best to install sliding windows.

A question many people ask is how to build a chicken coop who’s floors are easy to hose and spray down without much puddling? Well the secret to that is to slightly slope the flooring toward the door. This way, when you spray out the chicken coop, the water will flow out, hence solving your puddling problem.

Element # 3. – Protection from Hazardous Elements:

So you want to learn how to build a chicken coop with maximum protection?

Then listen up.

As you may know, a well built chicken coop will protect your chickens from hazardous elements such as bad weather (heavy rain, wind, hale, snow, cold climates, etc,) but they will also protect them from hungry predators, theft and injury.

So how do we accomplish that?

Easy. You want to build a draft free chicken house with windows and doors that can be opened and closed as needed. Make sure the windows and doors both have proper screening systems installed in them such as a heavy gage mesh wire. Building the chicken coop on a high yet well drained area with ensure the least amount of dampness of the coop. Be sure to build your chicken coop in an area that faces the sun which will help warm and dry the soil and coop itself after it rains.

To protect your chickens from predators, the best thing to do is to bury your outside runs with chicken wire all around the coop about 1 foot deep. This will prevent some very hungry predators such as raccoons, cats and even dogs from digging underneath it.

Strategy # 4. – Coop Ventilation:

You may be wondering how to build a chicken coop that will not only keep your chickens locked up and protected from bad weather and predators yet receive the proper ventilation it requires. If so, then you already understand the importance of draft free air movement from within the coop. Chickens, much like humans, need fresh air and oxygen. The same goes for the removal of unwanted excessive moisture and carbon dioxide. A chicken coop with ample air movement and proper ventilation will help remove the ammonia build up and dampness that may grow inside its walls.

Speaking of walls, the chicken coop walls should have proper insulation installed which will help keep the chickens dry. As long as chickens are dry, they can handle cold climates very well, but humidity plus cold weather will cause health issues for your poultry. Therefore, insulated walls are a must!

Strategy # 5. – Light Source:

If you want a good source of light and warmth for your chickens during the cold months of the year and a solid source of ventilation during the hot months, then be sure to install the chicken coop windows facing the southside where they will receive direct sunlight throughout the day.

On another note, if your goal is to raise chickens that will produce great eggs all year round, then you should look into an electrical source of light. You should be able to easily install an electrical light at the height of the chicken coop’s ceiling which will help keep your chickens warm and help them lay better chicken eggs throughout the year. One ceiling light should be enough for a small scale chicken coop, for larger chicken coops though, try to install one electrical ceiling light per every 30 – 40 feet.

Strategy # 6. – Conveniently placed Wateres and Chicken Feeders:

Chicken feeders and waterers should be placed where your flock will have easy access to them. However, you have to becareful where you place them because chickens like to make a mess of everything they eat due to their chicken scratching instincts. I’m sure you don’t want to see your chicken feed mix all over the coop floors so, to avoid this, place the chicken feeders at the height of the chicken’s back. This way they will have to stretch their necks up to eat but won’t reach the feeders with their feet. Same goes for the waterers. Just make sure to keep the waterers full of fresh clean water throughout the day.

There you have it folks. 6 quick and easy strategies that will show you how to build a chicken coop fast and efficiently. Whether you’re building a large scale chicken coop or a small one, these tips should get you moving in the right direction.

Folks, did you know that the average american spends about $300 to build a chicken coop? Some even invest over 2 months of work trying to assemble the darn structure and in the end aren’t even fully contempt with their product. Not very enticing is it? A great chicken coop plan can cut your time and efforts in half while saving you a vast amount money on building materials. To learn how to build a chicken coop with maximum benefits for your flock without investing a magnitude of your time and money , click here:

how to build a chicken coop.

Dale Higgins has been raising chickens and poultry for over 20 years and is an expert in building chicken coops. You can visit his website here: http://www.mybackyardchickenfarm.com

After making the decision that you’re going to start raising your own chickens, it’s time to read up on how to build a chicken coop so you can be sure your venture is successful. There are many different chicken coop plans available that will help guide you through the process, but finding the perfect one that will meet your needs is vital.

Here are some of the main factors to consider with regards to how to build a chicken coop.

Plan For The Coop Cage

In order for your chickens to feel comfortable and safe, it’s important that they are enclosed by some form of gate that will help keep predators away. This is especially the case if you live on a farm where you often experience coyotes, as they are prime targets for your chickens. Be sure you plant the wiring of the cage about 15-20 inches deep as well so no animals are able to dig underneath it and have access to your chickens.

Look For Good Insulation

Next, you also want to make sure you’re planning for thorough insulation in your coop. If you live in an area that frequently gets rain, or potentially even snow, you must protect your chicken coop from this precipitation. Look for a how to build a chicken coop plan that gives pointers on insulating the coop properly.

Take Care Of Space

Third, you’ll want to make sure you have enough space available for your chickens at all times. Often when the chickens are starting to feel crowded this will impact their ability to lay eggs, therefore having a significant influence on the types of results you are getting from raising your chickens.

Most how to build a chicken coop guides will discuss the concept of space and ensure you’re choosing one that will comfortable fit the chickens you plan to raise.

Look After The Light

Finally, make sure the how to build a chicken coop plan you are using takes into account the lighting of the coop. You want to ensure that your chickens are easily able to see and that there is enough air circulation through the coop.

When the ventilation is not up to par, you’re going to find your chicken coop really starts smelling and it’s a far from ideal situation for your chickens to live in.

So, keep these points in mind on how to build a chicken coop. By covering all these aspects you can be sure you’ll build a coop that satisfies all of your needs.

Bill Keene is a former poultry farm and author of of the guide “Building A Chicken Coop” and website http://www.buildingachickencoop.com

So you’re thinking about buying a chicken coop kit? Some chicken coop kits are of very good build quality but then there are a lot of other kits out there that are junk and very expensive. Basically all the kits are very expensive and are not something that a budget minded person would want to buy.

If you are on a tight budget and I suggest that you avoid the coop kits and look into building your own chicken coop. Building your own chicken home will be a much cheaper and exciting way of housing your chickens. Compared to a lot of other kits, building your own chicken home could be a lot stronger and better looking.

So how do you build a chicken house? It is not that hard actually, you would just need a few regular tools and a little bit of time. I would build a house out of metal roofing. This is a very popular way of building a chicken coop and they are very durable and will last you for years.

You do not want a house that will part maintenance all the time so building it out of metal roofing will mean that you will have to have very little maintenance. So go out and find yourself some materials and get ready to build your own chicken house.you will have a good time building it and you will be proud when it’s through knowing that you built it all by yourself. Good luck building on chicken house.

Having a good home for your chickens is important for their own safety. Learn more about how to build a nice chicken coop at my website. Are you serious about protecting your chickens?

How to build a chicken coop

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That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

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