photo credit: henskechristine

Chickens can be great pets, and there are numerous advantages of keeping them in close proximity to your house. Some of them include getting meat, eggs and manure for your gardens. In case you are planning to buy some chickens as pets or for your poultry farm, then you will soon fall a need for a place to keep them in a safe and secured environment. Just like dog needs a dog house, a horse needs stable, birds need cage and fishes require an aquarium, chickens need chicken coops. Chicken coop is usually the word used in reference for a hen house. If you want to keep chickens, then you will surely require chicken coops. Chicken coops ensure safety for your hens and it is imperative for a chicken owner to build chicken coops if he wants to own some chickens.

It is quite apparent that you already have spent quite a lot of money in buying chickens, so you obviously can’t spend more for purchasing chicken coops. Therefore, an economical and smart step would be to build chicken coops of your own. No, don’t worry! It is very easy to build them and if you’ll follow a good guide then you will be able to create one in just a single day. But before you directly jump into building a chicken coop for your hens, make sure you have read the following points. These strides will proffer some tips and suggestions before you actually start building one. Following and implementing these tips is more important than just reading and forgetting them.

Tips Before You Start Building A Chicken Coop

The coop you are planning to build must be spacious. Make sure it is not congested. Yourchickens should get enough space for roaming around, unusual pecking, and cannibalism. They definitely require ample space for being able to grow and survive in a sound environment. Make sure the coop is spacious enough to accommodate 7-10 chickens comfortably.

The chicken coop should be easy to maintain. Don’t create a very complicated coop which you yourself cannot maintain. It should be easy to clean. Coop’s floor must be a slope and it should be directed downwards towards the door. While building the chicken coop makes sure you have plans for its easy maintenance. Most of the chicken coop builders forget to keep this point in mind and repent later.It should ensure safety and security from predators and bad weather. Chickens get scared very easily and once they are scared they can bring your world upside down. They will create a chaos if they get scared. So, make sure you have made enough arrangements for safeguarding your hens and chickens. Mesh wire doors must be installed.Another point you should give weightage is good lighting and proper ventilation. You can use bulbs for lighting up the space inside and for ventilation; you should fit windows and doors. Windows and doors must be easy to open and close.

photo credit: laura dye

Simple Steps For Building Chicken Coop

Now that you have understood well the essential requirements for making a good chicken coop, you can now follow these steps for building one. Make sure you understand each and every step properly:

First of all decide where you are going to keep the chicken coop. The location you have opted must be airy with god lighting and surroundings. Avoid placing the coop near trees; this may create a mess in future.

Once you have decided the location to place your chicken coop, you should take the measurements of the place and accordingly decide upon the size of the coop. as mentioned above, the coop must be spacious. Keep in mind the number of chickens that are going to live in it. It is recommended that you build a large coop in advance, so that in future if you want you can easily accommodate more number of chickens.

Now, it is time for accumulating all the required materials and tools for building a coop. Wood, saw, nails, hammers, fencing, screws, measuring tape and many more. Once you have get hold of all the required material and tools for building a chicken coop, you can start cutting and taking measurements.

You should now get a ready made chicken coop plan. You can either take the help of a builder or directly search the resource books available online. It is very important to take expert help if you are unable to bring things into the required structure. Don’t hesitate in taking help from family members or experts.

Once you have bought the plan you can start following it after intensive planning. Make sure you are using the right kind of materials for building the coop. don’t buy cheap or weary things just for saving pennies.

Some Important Notes To Consider

Now that you are aware of the things, which are required for building a chicken coop, you can start with it and create a beautiful and stable chicken coop.

Please read the following important points that are imperative while doing constructions.

Don’t start alone. Take someone along and then start.

Make sure the material you are using for the interiors of the chicken coop remains dry and parched.

Don’t forget to make windows. They are very important for ensuring ventilation.

Do try making designs for chicken coops of your own. Your designs might turn out better than what you will receive online. So, don’t stop yourself from imagining and sketching a chicken coop for your lovely chickens.

Conclusion

We are pretty sure, that the information proffered on this page has helped you in building a strong and long lasting chicken coop for your hens. You can keep a sense of this page for more information about chicken coops and designs.

Be open to ideas and build a coop using strong and weather resistant material.