BUILD A CHICKEN COOP HOW TO

Chicken coop, chicken house or chicken shack, call it by whatever name, it's essentially a structure where chickens live that's either built on a farmhouse or backyard. They're usually made of wood and straw, with a special fencing called chicken wire. If you're considering building your own chicken coop, make sure to choose a proper plan before you start with the construction. There are plenty of chicken coop designs and plans available online, so you might want to check them out. The good thing is, the building materials are inexpensive and can be easily purchased from your local hardware store. There's even a way to build a chicken coop with materials found at home!

It's all in the Plan
As mentioned earlier, the key to build a chicken coop is to plan it before you get down to making it. A lot of people make the mistake of starting construction early, only to find out that it's way too small due to additions made inside the coop. Always leave enough free space and keep in mind that feeders, perches and waterers eat into available free space. Having a blueprint would be a good way to solve this problem.

Let there be Light
Another important factor to consider when you build a chicken coop is adequate lighting. The best placement for windows is facing the sun, but make sure that you don't build them too low since direct sunlight might make the chickens uncomfortable. You should also add some artificial light to keep the chickens warms during cold months. These are available at any hardware store and are quite inexpensive.

The Right Size
In case you're still not too sure about the number of chickens you plan on keeping, it makes sense to build a chicken coop that's slightly bigger. It's always better to be safe than sorry... You see, chickens need room to walk around freely without running the risk of injury. Plus, adequate space is needed to keep them healthy and producing fine eggs. Overall, you will need approximately 4ft² per chicken. Incase you're intimidated by the idea of building a chicken coop on your own, you can always check out the instantly downloadable ebook 'Building A Chicken Coop' that has plans broken down into small, easy to follow steps. It'll help you build a chicken coop over a single weekend and you can then look forward to fresh and organic eggs daily! All the best.