This article will describe how to build a chicken coop for laying hens. Other types of chicken such as broilers or pullets will require different types of enclosures. Different materials may also be required.
A pen of about twenty square meters will be acceptable to this little flock. It is true that factory farms squash two hens into one small basket where they can barely turn around. This is not an ethical or healthy way to produce food. A larger enclosure will allow hens to produce really healthy organic eggs in perfect conditions.
A bed, or patch of loose sand in the pen will allow hens to scratch, and pass sand through their feathers. This keeps them clean or healthy. A pen may be designed to be moved so that it can be shifted around the garden, but the drawback to this is that it is less secure, so a permanent fixture is recommended.
A variety of materials may be used, as any journey through a human settlement will illustrate. Stolen bill boards, bits of plastic and discarded buckets all do duty as materials for chicken houses. But assuming that one wishes to build a fairly smart structure, the most essential materials will be chicken wire, poles, planks and sheets of iron or plastic.
Poles should be sunk in the ground so that they define the basic shape of the coop. Two poles may be placed close together to support a gate, preferably tall enough to allow one to enter without having to stoop, or crawl. Entrances and exits will be effected frequently.
For layers it is important to have a covered space at one end of the run, preferably with a pitched roof. This will be dry and cool, or warm as the case may be. Inside there should be a ledge holding boxes partially filled with sweet smelling hay. Hens will hop up to the ledge before stepping into the laying box to produce an egg every morning.
Bearing in mind that plump chickens are a basic food stuff not only for human beings, but also for foxes, weasels, dogs, cats, snakes and many others, the pen should be designed with security in mind. A trench of about sixty centimeters deep should be dug around the enclosure. The perimeter wire should be stretched to the bottom of the trench and held fast there by rocks or concrete. This will temporarily deter Mr Fox. The overhead wire mesh will foil the airborne attacks by birds of prey. That is how to build a chicken coop.
A pen of about twenty square meters will be acceptable to this little flock. It is true that factory farms squash two hens into one small basket where they can barely turn around. This is not an ethical or healthy way to produce food. A larger enclosure will allow hens to produce really healthy organic eggs in perfect conditions.
A bed, or patch of loose sand in the pen will allow hens to scratch, and pass sand through their feathers. This keeps them clean or healthy. A pen may be designed to be moved so that it can be shifted around the garden, but the drawback to this is that it is less secure, so a permanent fixture is recommended.
A variety of materials may be used, as any journey through a human settlement will illustrate. Stolen bill boards, bits of plastic and discarded buckets all do duty as materials for chicken houses. But assuming that one wishes to build a fairly smart structure, the most essential materials will be chicken wire, poles, planks and sheets of iron or plastic.
Poles should be sunk in the ground so that they define the basic shape of the coop. Two poles may be placed close together to support a gate, preferably tall enough to allow one to enter without having to stoop, or crawl. Entrances and exits will be effected frequently.
For layers it is important to have a covered space at one end of the run, preferably with a pitched roof. This will be dry and cool, or warm as the case may be. Inside there should be a ledge holding boxes partially filled with sweet smelling hay. Hens will hop up to the ledge before stepping into the laying box to produce an egg every morning.
Bearing in mind that plump chickens are a basic food stuff not only for human beings, but also for foxes, weasels, dogs, cats, snakes and many others, the pen should be designed with security in mind. A trench of about sixty centimeters deep should be dug around the enclosure. The perimeter wire should be stretched to the bottom of the trench and held fast there by rocks or concrete. This will temporarily deter Mr Fox. The overhead wire mesh will foil the airborne attacks by birds of prey. That is how to build a chicken coop.
About the Author:
Chicken Coop Plans can be found anywhere online nowadays, but there are just one or two that do their job well. Those Plans usually have a price, but you will get what you pay for.. Check here for free reprint license: How To Construct A Chicken House In The Backyard Garden.
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