Large Chicken Coops And Runs

by chicken house plans on Friday, August 21st, 2009 | Comments Off

Building a chicken hen house doesn't take a lot of skill. Simply make sure you follow the tips I've outlined below and you're on your way to having the right Chicken Coop for your birds and your home.

What Size? - I like to keep my chickens enclosed in a chicken hen house with a large chicken run for exercise. Having said that, I do let them out to run wild for an hour or two every couple of days. I have a chicken coop that's about 3 feet by nine feet with a 10 foot ceiling and a run of about 9 square feet. Although some people like to have their chickens running free around the yard, it can make finding eggs and cleaning up a bit of a chore.

Walls - Use strong, sturdy wood for the walls and roof. I've used old doors and they word just fine. Insulate for added warmth during the winter and seal up any drafts.

Flooring - Have a floor than slopes gently towards the frond door. This will make it easier to sweep out and when you're hosing down the water will flow out the door, rather than pooling in the middle. Cover the floor with dried grass or straw and replace at least one a week. Make sure it's clean and dry to prevent mould or disease.

Doors and Windows - Have a door about a foot square for the hens to enter and exit through. Have some windows and ventilation holes too. Cover all of these with heavy gauge chicken wire to deter predators.

Roost - Chickens like to spend all night roosting off the ground. Simply run lengths of two by four, five feet high along each of the long walls of the chicken hen house. On these, extending across the coop, nail some nesting boards. These are one by two-inch rough wood. Place the first roost about six inches from the back and then the other about a foot away. A large-bodied chicken requires at least a square foot of roosting space in the summer. In winter, they crowd closer together for the warmth.

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Nesting boxes for chickens?

Been looking into chicken coops and runs and have me eye on a large 9ftx6ft one,which they say will hold up to 30 chickens,but I wanna give 3-6 the lap of luxury! If I did have 30 (which I wont) the nesting boxes only accomodate 3 at a time,so what do the others do who want to lay at the same time?

Your hens will actually wait and take turns at the nest boxes. You don't need to have as many boxes as you do hens. Typically, 1 box for every 3-4 hens is more than enough.

There's no set time that everyone will lay at, and the girls just kind of wander in and out of the nest boxes as needed. Also, where one is laying eggs often encourages other hens to use the same spot.

It's pretty funny to watch a couple of hens that have the same preferred box. If someone is taking too long, the other hen may kind of scoot her way in and force the other bird over.

I have a free range flock that typically contains about 20 mature laying hens, 15 mature bantam hens, and 5 mature hen ducks (not to mention the juveniles, chick pens, roosters and drakes). I typically only have 10 boxes, and the girls opt for using about 6-7 of them at any given time. I even have a few chickens that prefer to lay in the same nest box the ducks use!

Our bantams can (and will) fit about 4 at a time in a regular sized nest box. And unless your birds are brooding, very little time is spent on the nest box each day - they get in, lay their egg, and go about their day. Most of our birds prefer to roost in a different area than where they lay their eggs.

You also want to make sure your birds have access to a yard to forage and scratch in. Chickens should not be kept in their coop 24/7. Ours prefer to be inside only during the worst weather.

Also, milk crates, plastic stacking crates, old laundry baskets and other "recycled" materials work great for nest boxes. Make sure you have plenty of nesting material (hay, straw or shavings) in whatever the box is to encourage your girls to use it.

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