Chicken House Plans

Chicken House Plans - Self Sufficiency

Chicken House Plans

Chicken House Plans

One Step at a Time.

Building a coop with a set of chicken house plans is the best way to go to avoid frustration along the way.  But before you make your decision on whether to wing it or using a set of chicken house plans, reading the article below may help you in making a final decision.

Building a chicken house does not have to be difficult or expensive. You can even use old plywood and materials that you find around the house or borrowed from neighbors junk piles that they have been wanting to get rid of anyway.

Here is my favorite link for: Chicken House Plans

Your Checklist and Your Chicken House Plans

A checklist can save you time and money and a whole lot of headache.

Your checklist enables you to have all the necessary supplies at hand before you start building your coop. Without this checklist for supplies needed you very well may end up running back and forth to the hardware store while you are building your chicken house.

It is important that a set of chicken house plans comes with a checklist will help you to keep focused. Knowing how to build your hen house step by step can save hours of undoing progress made just because you missed a step.

Ask yourself these question before you get started will help you have a better understanding as to what type of chicken house plans are needed to house the chickens.

1.    How many chickens will I be raising?

2.    What type of chickens will I be raising?

3.    How much space is available for my Chicken Coop?

4.    What are the city law ordinance rules in my area?

5.    Do I expect predators (cats, raccoons, coyotes, dogs)?

For more Information on chicken coops and raising chickens, this website has some really amazing details.

There are many different shapes and sizes for chicken house plans. Here are a couple nice looking Chicken Houses.

Some of the following designs are available for you to choose from:

Small Chicken Houses: If you only plan on housing a couple of chickens or you don't have a lot of space, the small chicken houses are really nice. They cost a lot less to buy or build and they are very easy to maintain.

Medium Chicken Houses: Ideal for 5 to 10 chickens, this coop should be used if you have a fair amount of chicken and possibly plan on adding more chickens to the pen. Large Chicken Coops:

Large coops can be a bit pricey. If you have the room and plan on raising a lot of chickens this is the ideal option. More eggs for you!

Wooden Chicken Ark or Chicken Tractor: This type of chicken house is designed to be portable. The floor of the coop is open so that the chicken tractor can be moved around the yard, giving the chickens a fresh area to peck around in. This type of coop can house anywhere from 1 to 4 chickens. If you have a big enough yard that you can continually move the chicken ark around for fresh feeding ground then this type would be a good option. Already made

Plastic Chicken Houses: These types are great if money is not an object. They can be a little pricey. They come with all the necessities that a chicken or two might need; made with predators in mind, feeders, privacy for nesting and more.

If you need more information to help you choose which chicken house plans will best suit your needs you can visit my favorite Website for lots more ideas.

Mobile Chicken House Plans

Have you seen the mobile chicken houses? Being able to move the chicken house around the yard allows for a more sanitary environment. Chicken waste is high in nitrogen and can saturate the area with nitrogen and pathogens very quickly.

If the chicken house is light in weight it can be moved around easily to keep the chickens happy and healthy. What are the Benefits of A Mobile Chicken House?

1.    They cost less

2.    Easier for maintenance and cleaning

3.    Easily monitor the birds

4.    Great protection during the winter and summer months

5.    Easily relocated to.

6.    Light in weight

Chicken House Plans That Keeps Your Chickens Happy

So what does it take to keep chickens happy? Happy chickens means more eggs. Build your chicken coop so that there is plenty of room for private nesting Build your chicken house so that watering and feeding is easy Build your chicken house so that collecting eggs is easy and fast Build your chicken house so that it is draft free and yet still has adequate ventilation Build your chicken house with predators in mind. Build your chicken house with perches.

A Final Word Before You Begin Building Today

There is nothing more frustrating then being half way done with your creation and finding out that a crucial step with skipped and you are going to have to start over. This is sure to deter anyone from finishing the job. Making sure you have adequate chicken house plans will keep this from happening.

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Heritage Chickens for Laying Eggs

Heritage Chickens for Eggs

Ancona:

These are excellent winter egg layers.  They produce medium size white eggs.  There coloring is dark which makes them great if you have predator problems.

Araucana:

This bird lays colored eggs. The eggs of color could be green, red or shades of blue. They are multi-color, shades of black, silver, brown/white and gold.

Blue Andalusian:

Lays large white eggs. Their coloring is blue-laced feathers.

Black Minorca:

Eggs are large and white.

New Hampshire:

This beauty is known for it’s early egg production.

Dark Brahma:

Lays light to dark brown eggs. This bird has a gentle disposition.

White Langshan:

 Lays dark brown eggs.  This is a big bird with lots of feathers.

Silver Campine:

A study producer of white eggs, this is a smaller bird with silver hackles.

Dominique:

Lays brown eggs, this bird is of medium size.

Mottled Houdan:

 Produces a good supply of white eggs, this bird has a beard!

Single Comb Brown Leghorn:

 This bird is known for it’s reliable large white egg production.   The Single Comb Brown Leghorn is very colorful.

Lakenvelder:

 This is a small bird that lays white eggs.

Golden Spangled Hamburg:

 Another reliable egg layer of white chalky eggs, is a small bird.

Black Australorp:

 Produces a large quantity of light-brown eggs.

Buff Orpington:

 This chicken is excellent for laying winter eggs.

Rhode Island Red:

 This bird lays brown eggs.

Barred Plymouth Rock:

 This bird produces a great supply of large brown eggs.

Speckled Sussex:

 A reliable layer of light-brown eggs.

Columbian Wyandotte:

 This chicken lays brown eggs.

 

Chickens that Lay the Quickest Eggs

If you are looking into raising chickens and wondering which chickens will give you eggs the soonest, below is a list of chickens that that will put eggs on your table the soonest. Some chickens like Leghorns mature quickly and can start laying eggs as soon as 21 weeks.

  • Pearl Leghorns
  • Indian Rivers
  • Cherry Eggers
  • ISA Browns
  • Golden Comets
  • Leghorns
  • Leghorn hybrids
  • Anconas
  • Red Caps
  • Monocras
  • Whitefaced Black Spanish

Raising Chickens for Eggs?

 

Chickens are chickens right?  Sure, but if you want to raise chickens, choosing the right chicken for you depends on what you want them for.  First you must ask yourself; what do you want them for.  Do you want to supply your family with fresh nutritional eggs?

Most people who raise chickens do want them for their egg laying abilities.  Doing a little research to find the best egg layers will tell you that the best egg layers are hybrids.

The following is a list of the best egg layers:

Hy-line Brown
Golden Comet
California White
Cherry Egger
Indian River
Plymouth Rocks
Rhode Island Reds
Rhode Island Whites
Leghorns
Golden Comet
White-facd Black Spanish
Australorps

The following list of chickens lay extra-large eggs:

Rhode Island Reds
Hy-line Browns,
Cinnamon Queens
Golden Comets
Brown Sex Links
ISA Browns
Jersey Giants
Australorps
Plymouth Rocks
Orpingtons