Chicken Coop House Plans

by chicken house plans on Monday, April 5th, 2010 | Comments Off

When building a chicken coop, one of the most important things you can do (if not THE most important thing you can do), is pick out the right Chicken House Plans for you and your chickens.

Most people aren't even sure what to look for, so they just take the first thing they can get and end up wasting tons of time and money on building a poorly planned coop. It is a shame, but it happens.

So, what are the four things you should look for when you're building a chicken house for your chickens?

1) Design

How is it designed? It has to suit your needs to the T if you want to get a good chicken coop. Does it have logical places for nesting boxes and roosts? Does it provide for adequate ventilation?

2) Comfort

Going back to design, does it seem like it would be easy to get in and out of your chicken coop, for both you and the chicken? Are the nesting boxes designed for privacy and comfort?

3) Durability

How durable does the chicken coop look? Does it look like it could withstand winds and rains and such? If it is a portable chicken coop can it hold up to being moved around the lawn numerous times?

4) Finally, and most importantly: How easy is it to use it?

How easy is it to feed your chickens, to take care of your chickens, to water your chickens and gather your eggs? Make sure you can easily feed it, and your chickens will feel right at home when it's getting ready to sleep or lay eggs.

And there you have it. Those are the four things you should look for when you're trying to choose chicken house plans for your back yard chicken operation.

It all boils down to: reliability, comfort, practicality, and how at home your chickens can feel while you are still being able to take care of it.

Choosing the right chicken house for your back yard chicken operation does not have to be an overwhelming task. Use the internet to research chicken house plans to select the best plans for you. You are just a click away from more information about building a chicken coop or chicken house.

How to raise chickens for butcher?

I am thinking about getting chicken. I have a house in a rural area. I plan to get about 3 roasting hens, getting what eggs i can out of them, and butcher them before they reach a year old.

As chicks, what sort of light do they need? For how long?

How big does the coop have to be(For 3) when they are ready to move in?

And please, if you get attached to chickens, don't answer. I plan to raise, kill and eat them, not love them as pets. I don't particularity want them to have horrible living conditions, but I don't want to spend hundreds of bucks for food.

PS, sorry but I have no idea where to put this.

There's more to this than most people realize.
As chicks, they need a lot of attention. Before obtaining any chicks, you will need to prepare a space for them. The pen should have fresh wood shavings, clean water containers, and plenty of chicken feed. Remember that what they eat, you will be eating, so think twice before you slack on the feed. Chicks will need to be fed & watered twice a day, and they'll need heat lamps in the beginning as well, every day, 24 hrs a day, until they get their first adult feathers. It's a good idea to put the brooder in a small fenced area so they can get some exercise outside, but have access to the heat lamp. Daily cleaning of their space is necessary too.

Since you want both eggs and meat from the chickens, you'll want to get dual purpose chickens. They are smaller than commercial broilers, reaching a mature body weight of about 5 1/2 lbs. A healthy hen will produce roughly 200-250 eggs per year. Columbian Rock or Light Sussex are good breeds for your intentions. They'll need to be vaccinated, and protected from disease exposure, which means limiting their exposure to wildlife, including birds. You'll also need to learn lighting management, which is important to egg production. Lighting will stimulate egg production, and help to synchronize the pullets so they begin laying at approximately the same time. Between daylight and artificial lighting, the chickens should be exposed to light 12 hours/day by 19 weeks, gradually increased to 16 hours/day by 21 weeks.

As the chicks mature (when they reach about 4 weeks old) you'll want to add Grit to their feed. This helps with digestion. Your best bet is to allow them to roam during the day, and close them in a coop at night.

Nesting boxes will need to be provided for the chickens. 1 nest should be provided for every 5 hens. They should be 2 feet off the floor, and at least 12"x12". Nesting material should be placed in the nests and replaced regularly. Hens will sit on perches, especially at night, and this will help keep the nests clean. Choose a hard wood, rounded, and not too wide, but deep enough that they don't puncture their own footpads whilst wrapping their feet around it. Temperatures should be maintained between 54ºf and 78ºf. Sudden increases of decreases in temperature will stress the hens and adversely affect egg laying.

Laying hens should have ready access to feed and water. Calcium intake is very important for laying hens; the main source for this is usually oystershells in their feed. You can also add egg shells to their feed, crushed. They need to be able to move, to wander if you want healthy eggs and healthy meat. Good ventilation is also essential to prevent the build up of gasses. The coop will need to be large enough to accommodate the nesting box(es), a separate area for perches (one per chicken, at least a foot wide), and room to keep a water source. Wood chips are fine for litter, but not sawdust as the chicks will not differentiate between it and feed, and it can kill them.

Get your feed from a reputable farm supply shop. They'll be able to tell you the best kind for the type of chickens you are raising. They'll also tell you the best Grit, and when and how often to add any supplements.

Happy Valley Hen House Building Guide: Clear, step-by-step plans that anyone can follow to build their own Happy Valley Hen House chicken coop of tractor
Sale Price: $16.49