Chicken Coop

by chicken house plans on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 | Comments Off

When you are in a place where you are thinking about keeping chickens, it is time for you to take a look at how to construct a chicken coop. Learning how to construct a chicken coop is a lot easier than you might think, and as long as you keep a few design elements in mind, you are going to be able to build a coop with just the basic knowledge of tools. Keeping chickens is a pleasure and you'll discover that building a coop for them to live in very straightforward.

When you are thinking about building your chicken coop, remember what the primary purpose of the structure is going to be. Not only do you need your chicken coop to protect your chickens from predators, you'll also find that it needs to shelter them from the elements. It should be placed in an area with good drainage and you'll find that paying attention to good ventilation will keep your chickens much happier in the summer! Also remember that the outside runs should have its fencing buried at least one foot into the ground.

What needs to go into making your chicken house a healthy place for your chicken to be? One thing that primitive chicken coops often ignored was the fact that they should be easy to clean. There are design techniques that will ensure that you can clean the coop quickly and easily. Just by having a door that opens inwards as opposed to outwards can make a difference, and you'll find that there are chicken house designs where the entire roof can lift off and allow for easy cleaning. One great design element to incorporate is to make the floor slightly angled so that hosing down the cage will encourage all the muck and water to drawn towards the door.

Also remember to think about insulation when you go to construct a chicken coop. When you want to make sure that your chickens are going to be able withstand the winter seasons, make sure that you think about how they are going to stay warm. Many people insulate their chicken coops with sheets of Styrofoam, which allows your chickens to stay relatively cozy all winter. During the summer, you might want to think about using white paint and bright aluminum on the roof to reflect the light away.

When you are thinking about how to design and construct a chicken house, remember that the water and the food dispensers should be placed on level with the chickens back. This can prevent the chickens from knocking them over and making a huge mess by making sure that they have to stretch up little to get to the dispensers. Take some time and plan out what the interior of your chicken coop is going to be like before you pull it all together.

There are a lot of options open to you when you go to construct a chicken coop, so remember what your options are going to be and what you can do to make your coop safe and secure.

For further information on building a chicken house, and for a set of free plans, check out:

ChickenCoopLayouts.com

Steve Somerton writes informative articles on various subjects including How To Construct A Chicken Coop? - Design Tips For Chicken Coop Construction. You are allowed to publish this article in its entirety provided that author's name, bio and website links must remain intact and included with every reproduction.

Would the least I need be 1 Rooster & a Couple Laying Hens to have eggs in Chicken Coop?

I hear that it would be too "hard" on the 1 Laying Hen so to get 2-3 to divide his "time." Any other advice on starting a small chicken coop appreciated...websites, etc.

You don't need a rooster at all, unless you want to get chicks from the eggs. I have included a really good website for raising chickens. People here have helped me a lot. Just click on the link.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/index.php