If you are considering keeping poultry for food or eggs, you may have thought about the food they will need more than where they will stay. Finding chicken coop building plans and assembling a safe and nurturing place for your flock to live can be a great start to ensuring a healthy and productive flock that meets your family's dietary needs.
Whether you want to keep your birds for the eggs they lay or as a supply of fresh, chemical free meat the choice is yours. Poultry can also help with the recycling of food scraps since they will quite happily eat any food that they can swallow. They love catching and eating flies and other insects and can be a great way to naturally keep mosquito and fly populations under control.
A good coop can mean a happy and contented flock. They prefer a sheltered area where they can sleep and need protection from inclement weather. This is especially important if you live in colder climates since the birds will need a place to go when the temperature begins to drop. Hens prefer to lay in a nest where they have some privacy and roosting on perches is an important part of their natural behavior.
You need to think about where you will be positioning your coop. Remember that you will not only need space for the structure itself but for a run as well. This is an area where the birds can move around. They have access to fresh air, the ability to exercise and access to stones and insects which form an integral part of the free range diet.
The size of the coop is important so you need to think about the approximate number of chickens you will keep. A good rule of thumb is to allow for approximately 4.5 square feet of space per chicken. When building nesting areas, consider that you should allow three nests for every eight birds. You also need to allow perching space and a thick layer of shavings or litter on the floor. Nine inches of perch per bird is more than adequate.
The chicken coop building plans you pick should also be well ventilated. There is a difference between insulating a coop and making it too stuffy and closed in. An airy coop can help keep the chance of disease at lower levels. Cleanliness is also key to keeping your birds healthy. You want to make sure that you can access the coop via a door in order to clean the coop fully. A door which opens inward is the most optimal choice.
A good coop building plan can create a comfortable living space for your flock. You will find that your birds are going to be more contented and productive if they have the right environment to live in.
Whether you want to keep your birds for the eggs they lay or as a supply of fresh, chemical free meat the choice is yours. Poultry can also help with the recycling of food scraps since they will quite happily eat any food that they can swallow. They love catching and eating flies and other insects and can be a great way to naturally keep mosquito and fly populations under control.
A good coop can mean a happy and contented flock. They prefer a sheltered area where they can sleep and need protection from inclement weather. This is especially important if you live in colder climates since the birds will need a place to go when the temperature begins to drop. Hens prefer to lay in a nest where they have some privacy and roosting on perches is an important part of their natural behavior.
You need to think about where you will be positioning your coop. Remember that you will not only need space for the structure itself but for a run as well. This is an area where the birds can move around. They have access to fresh air, the ability to exercise and access to stones and insects which form an integral part of the free range diet.
The size of the coop is important so you need to think about the approximate number of chickens you will keep. A good rule of thumb is to allow for approximately 4.5 square feet of space per chicken. When building nesting areas, consider that you should allow three nests for every eight birds. You also need to allow perching space and a thick layer of shavings or litter on the floor. Nine inches of perch per bird is more than adequate.
The chicken coop building plans you pick should also be well ventilated. There is a difference between insulating a coop and making it too stuffy and closed in. An airy coop can help keep the chance of disease at lower levels. Cleanliness is also key to keeping your birds healthy. You want to make sure that you can access the coop via a door in order to clean the coop fully. A door which opens inward is the most optimal choice.
A good coop building plan can create a comfortable living space for your flock. You will find that your birds are going to be more contented and productive if they have the right environment to live in.
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Head online and find out how to make a chicken coop. You will be able to find many chicken coop building plans that are simple to follow. Get your chicken coop set up today.
