Backyard Chicken Coops

by chicken house plans on Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 | Comments Off

Backyard Chicken Coops

With the busy lives that most of have these days, it's hard to commit a lot of time to anything that isn't work or other serious business. That doesn't mean that you can't enjoy nature and improve your self-sufficiency by taking up a hobby like poultry farming. All you have to do is keep things small, and you can raise a small flock of chickens without the endeavor taking up all of your time.

The first thing to think about is how many birds you need to fulfill your goals. A lot of people pick up poultry farming to provide a steady source of eggs. Some raise the birds for their meat. Others simply want an unconventional pet. If it's just eggs or a companion pet that you're after, then all you really need are a couple hens. Even without the presence of a male rooster, a hen will continue to lay eggs - usually around 5 each week. So with just two hens, you'll have almost a dozen eggs weekly. For small operations like this, it's only natural that you'll need a small chicken house. If you want to use the birds for their meat, then you'll have to get more chickens, which means small chicken coops won't cut it.

A small chicken house for just a couple of birds only needs to be a few square feet. In many cases, it's possible to purchase or buy portable chicken coops, otherwise known as chicken tractors. These poultry houses have the unique advantage of combining the benefits of a coop (namely protection), with the advantages of free ranging. For instance, the chickens have access to new sources of food so long as their tractor is moved frequently, reducing the amount of feed they eat.

James Eden is a chicken keeping enthusiasts. He owns and maintains Chicken House Plans, a resource for chicken keeping hobbyists. For information on more than 50 chicken coop designs, visit Chicken coop Design.

For beginners, what is a good number of chickens to start with?

This is my first year I plan to raise chickens. Should I start with 6 or 8? I'm raising them in my backyard chicken coop and want a flock that is easy to handle.

Maybe start of with 8, then if you think you can handle a few more, go for it. Good luck with your chickens. I hope it works out well for you.