Posts Tagged ‘chicken coop’

In this article I would like to list a simple way to build a chicken coop for your backyard. This is how I myself built a chciken house for my chickens. This plan can be modified for a homemade chicken coop to accommodate any number of birds. Read the rest of this entry »

Chickens are wonderful creatures and we can fully understand the reason behind someone wanting to own them. You can get some prize winning chicken e.g. silkies, so you can show them off at the county fair. It is also a good idea to get some regular hens so you get good eggs every day. It does not matter what you do, there is no way around learning how to build a chicken coop. This chicken coop will be the home of your birds. You should do you best in order to make sure those chickens are protected. We are going to give you some tips on building a chicken coop. Take note that we have already built two coops on our land, so this is not coming from someone who does not have knowledge.

First of all, you will need to take the size into consideration. For whatever reason a lot of people say that a big chicken coop is better. However, if you have to transport your birds around, big one is no good.

Those big ones are not harder to build. If you plan to build a big chicken coop, then your workshop won’t do it. Keep in mind that your chicken need enough space in order to be relaxed and healthy, so you should have about four square feet per chicken. For instance, if you have four chickens, then they will need to have sixteen square feet.

As you are positioning the coop, you need to make sure you place it where the sunlight is the best during the early mornings.

Chicken are very smart and interestign animals as they know that when the sun goes down then it is time for the chicken to lay. Whenever those birds get enough sunlight, they could lay up to five eggs each week.

As for the materials list for building a chicken coop, you will not need a lot. Yes, you will need some wood for the frame as well as the nesting area. You will also need some wire mesh in order to close them in and don’t forget about the nails.

If you are on a tight budget, then you could always use treated pine or hardwood. When it comes to the materials you need, it all depends on what you prefer.

If you are building a big coop, then you will definitely need to build it on site as it will not be easy to transport. In fact, when it comes to do it yourself projects, it is best if you build it on site. Take note that you may need someone to help you when it comes to lifting the walls up and nailing them on the coop. You may also need some help on the roof part. In order to make your chicken coop to last longer, you may always add some shingles on the house. Of course you can make adjustments to your chicken coop once you are done. You will also need to make sure the chickens are secure in their house as they have many predators. Now that you know how to build a chicken coop, it’s time to start making those plans.

For a step by step guide on how to build a chicken coop visit Chicken Coop Plans

Chickens are fun to watch and they can provide you eggs and meat. Often times people buy chickens and let them live outside and to find whatever shelter they can provide for themselves. There are two problems with raising chickens in that manner, the first are the many predators that are hunting your chickens, there are numerous stray dogs that will wipe out a flock of chickens not to mention skunks and other animals. The second problem is that they do not lay eggs well when they are raised that way and when they do lay eggs it is difficult to find them. In this article I am going to give you two different ideas about how to make a chicken coop.

The first and easiest way to make a chicken coop is to convert a shed or an older camp trailer. Very little mods have to be done this is why a camp trailer is a great solution for making your own chicken coop fast and easily. The most that needs to be done is to take the cabinet doors off and remove the table. There are all ready plenty of areas that they can roost. The cabinet areas make good laying boxes, all you have to do is put some straw in the cabinets and they will make their own laying areas. Once you have made this conversion it is easy to build a covered chicken run off the front of the trailer, it is important to remember to block off the underside of the trailer so that your chickens don’t escape underneath. A word of warning, if you plan to convert an old camp trailer into a chicken coop be sure you don’t intend to use it for anything else. Old camp trailers do not cost more than $200.00-$300.00 you can even get them free sometimes if you are willing to pull them away.

Often times when we ask how to make a chicken coop or anything else for that matter we try to rack our heads to come up with ideas for the perfect plan. If you are an advanced builder you will not have any problems at all building a chicken coop, however, if you are a newbie than you might prefer my second idea. Rather than pull your hair out coming up with elaborate plans for making your chicken coop, you can go to your local hardware store and buy a set of plans for a small or large wood shed for about $5.00 and even less. Of course the size of the chicken coop will fully depend on the number of chicken you have or want to have. It is important to remember that you will have to build a roost and laying boxes if you decide too go this rout. A roost can simply be made out of two 2x4x8’s and three or four 2x2x8’s. Nail your 2×4’s about 7 feet apart at about a 45 degree angle, space the 2×2’s crossways and now you have a roost. Your egg boxes can be made our of ¼“ ply wood and 2×2’s, make sure to put dividers in them due to the fact that chickens like a certain amount of privacy when they lay eggs.

No matter which idea you pick make sure that you build a chicken yard off of the coop. it is also a good idea to put chicken wire over the top of the chicken yard or run due to flying predators like hawks and crows.

If you take good care of your chickens then they will take good care of you for along time. 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

 

Building a backyard chicken coop is essential if you are raising chickens. It offers a much higher amount of eggs, it is also fun. Here ae some reasons to build a chicken coop:

Organic eggs for free!
Believe it or not, building a backyard chicken coop is not difficult at all.
Chickens are low maintenance pets.
Making your own backyard chicken coop definitely supports sustainable living.
Chickens poivide numerous hours of entertainment.
Chickens can live together with other pets.
Chickens do not smell.
Your eggs will not be weeks old before you even buy them at the grocery store. You can get the freshest eggs.
You prevent your chicken from dying of a disease in a small cage.
You do not have to have a big backyard to enjoy chickens and their eggs.
Chickens are loyal pets.
Eggs may prevent breast cancer. A research has proven that women who eat at least six eggs every week lower their risk of getting breast cancer by 44%. Chickens are very clean animals.
IT IS FUN!

However, how to get started is a big problem for many people. Some common questions are:
Can I really make a chicken coop on my own?
Is it hard?
So what is the cost of building a backyard chicken coop?
What about portable chicken coops?
Where can I find the building plans?

The first thing you need to know is how much space you’ve got to work with. If your backyard is not that spacious, you won’t have the room for a large chicken coop, which results in less chicken and less eggs. I fthis is the case, you might want to thinkg about building a portable chicken coop. Generally, a portable chicken coop can hold about 2 or 3 chickens.

Another thing you might think about is whether or not you can make your own backyard chicken coop. Do you have any experience building things from scratch or any experience in general building projects? If so, the process will be easier for you. Still there is a need of an easy to follow building plan. If you don’t have much experience, it is still possible, but much more difficult.

You may wonder if it is expensive, or if you have the materials. It is quite expensive if you hire someone to build it for you. it can cost between $300 to $600. However, you can build one with only a drill, screwdriver, and handsaw, and of course some wood.

A common mistake is building your backyard chicken coop too small. After all the hard work you have done you find out that your chickens do not fit. A common rule is one square foot per chicken. After determining the size, where you you build it? Build your chicken coop in a high place to avoid puddling or flooding due to rain or even cleaning. One hint on this subject might be to build your chicken coop with a very slight slant in the groundas well as the roof for proper drainage. No farmer wants to deal with a cranky, damp chicken! If you believe that building a backyard chicken coop is difficult, you are wrong! All you need is the right blueprint. For a step by step guide on how to build a chicken coop visit Free Chicken Coop Plans