How to Build a Chicken Coop - It’s Easier Than You Think!
Anyone that raises chickens will need a chicken coop. The question for many is how to build a chicken coop? With a bit of ingenuity and some rather basic materials, you can have a chicken coop in relatively no time at all.
The first two considerations that have to be made are how large you want your coop or coops to be and what type of materials you will be using. The other thing that is really a key factor is the placement of your coop. Everyone’s environment is not the same so the rules and conditions for your chicken coop could vary.
Obviously, the chicken coop is going to provide shelter for your chicken. This is very important because there are many wild animals that could pose a great danger to your chickens. One very important part of any chicken coop is the “run.” This is the area outside of the actual shelter itself where the chickens are free to roam around in.
The standard rule of thumb for how to build a chicken coop is to allow room for eight chickens and three nests. There must also be sufficient area for the chicken to be able to perch too. This would be about nine inches or so of perch space. One of the biggest problems that people make is building a coop that is too small. Doing so will prohibit your chickens from flourishing as well as they could if the coop was the adequate size.
There should be four square feet for every chicken. This simply means that if you plan to house four chickens then you would need an area that is 4×4. The windows of the chicken coop should always face south and it is of the utmost importance that there is sufficient ventilation throughout the coop. As a matter of fact, for a chicken coop to be fully functional then it should have these common characteristics:
Storage space
A proper entrance way
Sufficient ventilation and lighting
An area that accommodates the coop to be properly cleaned
The climate in which you live will dictate to a good degree how you will build your coop. If you reside in a warm climate then you can often get away with wire netting and mesh. However, if you live in a colder climate then you will have to consider actual slider windows.
It is very important that when you make the plans for building your chicken coop that you take into consideration that the chicken coop is at least four feet tall and is also buried at least a foot into the ground. This will stop wild animals from digging underground to get to your coop. It is also a good idea to make sure that the top is covered by mesh or something that will prohibit wild birds from getting in and possibly spreading any disease to your chickens.
Building your own chicken coop is easier than you might think! All you need is the right blueprint. For a step by step guide on how to build a chicken coop visit Chicken Coop Plans
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Author: Sandra Maria Stammberger
