New Build a Chicken Coop, Save a Chicken

I am like any other American. I eat eggs and my dinner plate often includes some chicken. I would have never guessed that the eggs we eat and the chickens we get meat from would be kept in such horrible conditions.

Last year I heard about people building chicken coops in their backyards. I will admit I thought it was a little silly at first. Why would you want chickens in your backyard? But then I read about all of the health benefits of eggs from the chickens raised in backyards. It was some time later that I learned that not only were the eggs I got from my chickens tasted better and were better for me and my family, I discovered that they were better for the chickens too.

Did you know that chickens are smashed into small cages, appropriately called battery cages. Chickens kept in these conditions more than often lose their feathers because of the tight conditions According to a Canadian study, it is possible to build poultry houses that are more humane but the farmers often do not want to go to new practices. Another study found that chickens in these poultry houses "have significantly higher levels of stress measured by the hormones in blood".

In a state that supposedly has the highest animal safety and treatment standards. Hidden Cameras have caught cruel treatment in a California poultry hose. Keep in mind WE actually eat eggs and meat from these animals.

The poultry houses where we get eggs and meat from are dirty. There is poor air circulation. The chickens are treated badly and the physical effects are obvious. Feathers falling off, beaks damaged, skin rashes, broken bones, disease. Can you believe we eat these animals and their eggs?!?

So what can you do?

By now if you are like me and have even a tiny bit of compassion for living beings. You are probably disgusted right now. what can you do? You can do a few things. If you are of voting age, you can vote on local ordinances to stop this kind of treatment. You could also stop consuming products that support this kinds of treatment of chickens. The best option and (most fun!) is to build your own chicken coop right in your own backyard. You do not have to be an expert to raise chickens. They are very easy to care for and very inexpensive to maintain. Plus you get the added bonus of free eggs year around. And you will sleep easier knowing that the eggs you eat and give to your children are the most nutritious available, they come from a clean environment and they are from chickens that are treated humanly. Go ahead build a chicken coop

Awesome 10 Critical Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Build a Koi Fish Pond

Before approaching the task of constructing a Koi Pond, ask yourself the following questions:

Are you prepared to build the Koi Pond yourself or get an expert to build it for you?

There is no substitute for getting quality advice from a professional pond builder. After you have done your preliminary research and have started to gain some idea of what you want, you can really benefit from consulting with a professional. They can discuss your ideas with you and help spell out what is doable and what is not; what is realistic and what is not; and finally, what is affordable and what is not! Following such a discussion, you will be in a far better position to decide whether you want to build yourself or hire a professional builder do the work for you.

Just how much can you afford to spend?

This is the easiest but most critical question of all. Take a guess at what it might cost to build the Koi Pond you have in mind and then double it! Is this amount out of your reach? Well, guess what! This is exactly the scary question you ought to ask yourself! Now, get yourself an expenses book and list out all predicted itemized expenses as you do your research. You will need to determine a budget for absolutely EVERYTHING before you even think about grabbing that spade! As you finalize your preliminary budget, ask yourself once more if this is affordable or way beyond your means. If it is within range of what you expected, then you can look for ways to reduce spending if needed, along the way. For example, when it comes to stocking your completed pond, you may want to cut back by purchasing smaller or less mature Koi specimens as these are often less expensive. Likewise, you may be able to cut back on pond plant expenditure or ornamentation if necessary.

How much room do you have for a Koi Pond?

Now this is almost as important as the Money question! You really need to consider not only the size of the pond that you want but what your backyard can accommodate. Think in terms of what percentage of the yard would be needed for your ultimate pond - this can help put things in perspective. If your yard is big, then this normally wont be an issue, but, you do still need to think about the location within your yard. When considering how much space, think along the lines of bigger is better - meaning Koi can grow quite big and realistically require a lot of room to grow. You may also be tempted to buy one of every color when it comes to stocking your pond, so there is a risk of over-crowding! Set yourself a limit on the quantity of Koi you will have long-term (either by purchasing more Koi later on or from breeding) and ensure that your pond size will be sufficient to accommodate them.

How many Koi fish do you want to have? Its fairly well known that fish will only grow to a size that their environment can sustain. They will also grow faster where there is a smaller population of fish as a result of less competition for food and better water quality resulting from less waste. It is less well known however, that the growth of Koi can be promoted better by an increase in water surface area. In other words, if you think about 2 ponds of equivalent volume, lets say 10,000 gallons (just about 38,000 litres) but different depths, the deeper pond will not promote growth as well as the other as a consequence of a smaller water surface area. Consider also, that a pond can support a corresponding total weight or biomass of fish. For example, in a small pond, the biomass may support either 2 large fish or 20 smaller fish provided that the total weight is the same in either situation, and provided that it does not exceed the final biomass for that pond. A general guideline when determining how many fish your pond will take is, about 50 to 100 gallons per small koi (under 12), and 500 to 1000 gallons per large koi (over 24) in a properly filtered pond. Some experts say that those new to the Koi hobby are advised to build a pond between 1,000 and 5,000 gallons, however, others advise that the ideal pond is more around the 10,000 gallon mark. Ultimately, your pond size will be influenced by cost, location and space, but aim for the biggest you can manage - its very difficult to go back and make your pond larger afterward!

How much time are you happy to spend maintaining your Koi Pond?

This question needs to be answered with the same level of honesty and practicality that the question of Money was! Think about how much time you think you may have to spend upkeeping your Koi Pond and then double it! Is this more time than youre happy to put in or not? This is another area that should be discussed with your professional koi pond consultant.

Do you have the right location for a Koi Pond?

Just like Real Estate, its all about Location! Location! Location! Your Koi Pond needs to be where it can be admired and enjoyed BUT it also wants to be located with the following considerations in mind. To begin with, your pond needs indirect sunlight where possible so that the water temperature doesnt undergo huge daily variations. Also try not to place it under a tree where it will collect a lot of leaves and other debris - you dont want to spend any more time than necessary scooping out leaves. Finally, dont forget to consider building restrictions from your local council or authority and check for underground pipes and cables before you commence.

Are you prepared to learn about Koi and their needs?

Take the time to do your homework. This will minimize the mistakes that are easily made from guesswork, and could save you a great deal of time, money and effort. There are lots of resources available for you to take advantage of. Try talking to Koi enthusiasts or visit Koi fish club meetings.

Can you dig deep enough for a Koi Pond?

Depth is critical to the success of your Koi Pond. Too deep and it becomes impractical to clean, to catch Koi if necessary, and lets face it, it becomes too costly to build. Too shallow and your Koi might not have enough shelter from would be predators like cats and birds or shelter from the heat of a summers day. If you are excited about the prospect of hand feeding your new pets, then think about having a shallow area that you can stand in while feeding them. You will still need to have the remainder of the pond at a minimum depth of at least 3 or 4 feet, but ideally, if you can manage it, 5 or 6 feet is better. If creating a multi-level pond, be careful not to create static areas where the water does not circulate sufficiently, as this provides places for serious diseases to breed and for debris to collect. This can cause major problems with water quality.

What Extras do you want with your Koi Pond?
Would you like Fries with that? I mean, would you like Fry in your pond? If youre thinking about breeding Koi somewhere in the future, you will have to ask about this at the same time you are consulting with the professional pond builder. There are various extras that may need to be factored in for the purposes of spawning. Likewise, if you are looking at the aesthetics of the pond itself, you may want to investigate the cost of adding a Waterfall which can greatly aid in the oxygenation of the water and consequently affect the size of any filtration unit required. Pond plants can also add to the expense - be sure you do your research here as you cant put in any plants you like - thats an entire other subject. There are many other materials that need to be factored into the cost of your pond that come under the heading of necessities rather than extras. These may include but are not limited to such things as a biological filter, pipes, settlement chambers, a de-chlorinator, bird netting, drains, pumps, skimmers, heating, plus more. Again, these should all be discussed with your consultant at the planning stage.

Are you really, really enthusiastic about having your own Koi Pond?

The answer to this one, even after all of the above, should be a resounding YES, otherwise, go and buy yourself a goldfish bowl - it will be a lot less expensive with a lot less work, but ultimately, will be a lot less rewarding (no disrespect to goldfish intended!). If the answer is in fact YES then great! You have many years ahead to look forward to as your pets grow in size, personality and beauty!

Inspirational 10 Critical Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Build a Koi Fish Pond

Before approaching the task of constructing a Koi Pond, ask yourself the following questions:

Are you prepared to build the Koi Pond yourself or get an expert to build it for you?

There is no substitute for getting quality advice from a professional pond builder. After you have done your preliminary research and have started to gain some idea of what you want, you can really benefit from consulting with a professional. They can discuss your ideas with you and help spell out what is doable and what is not; what is realistic and what is not; and finally, what is affordable and what is not! Following such a discussion, you will be in a far better position to decide whether you want to build yourself or hire a professional builder do the work for you.

Just how much can you afford to spend?

This is the easiest but most critical question of all. Take a guess at what it “might” cost to build the Koi Pond you have in mind and then double it! Is this amount out of your reach? Well, guess what! This is exactly the “scary” question you ought to ask yourself! Now, get yourself an expenses book and list out all predicted itemized expenses as you do your research. You will need to determine a budget for absolutely EVERYTHING before you even think about grabbing that spade! As you finalize your preliminary budget, ask yourself once more if this is affordable or way beyond your means. If it is within range of what you expected, then you can look for ways to reduce spending if needed, along the way. For example, when it comes to stocking your completed pond, you may want to cut back by purchasing smaller or less mature Koi specimens as these are often less expensive. Likewise, you may be able to cut back on pond plant expenditure or ornamentation if necessary.

How much room do you have for a Koi Pond?

Now this is almost as important as the “Money” question! You really need to consider not only the size of the pond that you “want” but what your backyard can “accommodate”. Think in terms of what percentage of the yard would be needed for your ultimate pond - this can help put things in perspective. If your yard is big, then this normally won’t be an issue, but, you do still need to think about the “location” within your yard. When considering how much space, think along the lines of “bigger is better” - meaning Koi can grow quite big and realistically require a lot of room to grow. You may also be tempted to buy “one of every color” when it comes to stocking your pond, so there is a risk of over-crowding! Set yourself a limit on the quantity of Koi you will have long-term (either by purchasing more Koi later on or from breeding) and ensure that your pond size will be sufficient to accommodate them.

How many Koi fish do you want to have? It’s fairly well known that fish will only grow to a size that their environment can sustain. They will also grow faster where there is a smaller population of fish as a result of less competition for food and better water quality resulting from less waste.  It is less well known however, that the growth of Koi can be promoted better by an increase in water surface area. In other words, if you think about 2  ponds of equivalent volume, let’s say 10,000 gallons (just about 38,000 litres) but different depths, the deeper pond will not promote growth as well as the other as a consequence of a smaller water surface area. Consider also, that a pond can support a corresponding total weight or “biomass” of fish. For example, in a small pond, the biomass may support either 2 large fish or 20 smaller fish provided that the total weight is the same in either situation, and provided that it does not exceed the final biomass for that pond. A general guideline  when determining how many fish your pond will take is, about 50 to 100 gallons per small koi (under 12”), and 500 to 1000 gallons per large koi (over 24”) in a properly filtered pond. Some experts say that those new to the Koi hobby are advised to build a pond between 1,000 and 5,000 gallons, however, others advise that the ideal pond is more around the 10,000 gallon mark. Ultimately, your pond size will be influenced by cost, location and space, but aim for the biggest you can manage - it’s very difficult to go back and make your pond larger afterward!

How much time are you happy to spend maintaining your Koi Pond?

This question needs to be answered with the same level of honesty and practicality that the question of “Money” was! Think about how much time you “think” you may have to spend upkeeping your Koi Pond and then double it! Is this more time than you’re happy to put in or not? This is another area that should be discussed with your professional koi pond consultant.

Do you have the right location for a Koi Pond?

Just like Real Estate, it’s all about Location! Location! Location! Your Koi Pond needs to be where it can be admired and enjoyed BUT it also wants to be located with the following considerations in mind. To begin with, your pond needs indirect sunlight where possible so that the water temperature doesn’t undergo huge daily variations. Also try not to place it under a tree where it will collect a lot of leaves and other debris - you don’t want to spend any more time than necessary scooping out leaves. Finally, don’t forget to consider building restrictions from your local council or authority and check for underground pipes and cables before you commence.

Are you prepared to learn about Koi and their needs?

Take the time to do your homework. This will minimize the mistakes that are easily made from guesswork, and could save you a great deal of time, money and effort. There are lots of resources available for you to take advantage of. Try talking to Koi enthusiasts or visit Koi fish club meetings.

Can you dig deep enough for a Koi Pond?

Depth is critical to the success of your Koi Pond. Too deep and it becomes impractical to clean, to catch Koi if necessary, and let’s face it, it becomes too costly to build. Too shallow and your Koi might not have enough shelter from would be predators like cats and birds or shelter from the heat of a summer’s day. If you are excited about the prospect of hand feeding your new pets, then think about having a shallow area that you can stand in while feeding them. You will still need to have the remainder of the pond at a minimum depth of at least 3 or 4 feet, but ideally, if you can manage it, 5 or 6 feet is better. If creating a multi-level pond, be careful not to create static areas where the water does not circulate sufficiently, as this provides places for serious diseases to breed and for debris to collect. This can cause major problems with water quality.

What “Extras” do you want with your Koi Pond?

Would you like “Fries” with that? I mean, would you like Fry in your pond? If you’re thinking about breeding Koi somewhere in the future, you will have to ask about this at the same time you are consulting with the professional pond builder. There are various “extras” that may need to be factored in for the purposes of spawning. Likewise, if you are looking at the aesthetics of the pond itself, you may want to investigate the cost of adding a “Waterfall” which can greatly aid in the oxygenation of the water and consequently affect the size of any filtration unit required. Pond plants can also add to the expense - be sure you do your research here as you can’t put in any plants you like - that’s an entire other subject. There are many other materials that need to be factored into the cost of your pond that come under the heading of “necessities” rather than “extras”. These may include but are not limited to such things as a biological filter, pipes, settlement chambers, a de-chlorinator, bird netting, drains, pumps, skimmers, heating, plus more. Again, these should all be discussed with your consultant at the planning stage.

Are you really, really enthusiastic about having your own Koi Pond?

The answer to this one, even after all of the above, should be a resounding “YES”, otherwise, go and buy yourself a goldfish bowl - it will be a lot less expensive with a lot less work, but ultimately, will be a lot less rewarding (no disrespect to goldfish intended!). If the answer is in fact “YES” then great! You have many years ahead to look forward to as your pets grow in size, personality and beauty!

Lovely How to Build a Chicken Coop

This product is one of the few out there that are really direct, no nonsense, to the point and usable. I recognise some people would think, "Why would you want to know how to build a chicken coop yourself?" But, if they knew how costly these things were to buy, they wouldn't be asking the question. And besides, it really isn't tough if you own a sound guide. So that's the key reason why you would want to purchase "How To Build a Chicken Coop".

I'll go right down to the strongest piece of this guide. Within, you will obtain cross sectional plots of the whole process. In different words, you don't just get one of those horrible instructional kits with your regular "insert post A into slot C" mumbo jumbo. This product is so advantageously illustrated, that even somebody who has NEVER picked up a saw in their lifes can put one of these things together. I would even say that the illustrations alone are worth the price of the book.
Even So there's more, lot's more.

The tips within will show you how to build a chicken coop for cents on the dollar for what it would cost to purchase one ready made. And you won't be excessively sparing on materials. The author will present you the most cost-efficient alternatives to build the best chicken coop while saving your budget.

But there's more to this product than merely constructing chicken coops. There are some important tips that you will want to conform to to keep your chickens healthy, happy and putting eggs all year round.

In addition to that, with this product you'll also get some bonus guides like one that instructs you how to build nesting packages for free. Yes, free. There's some other book on how to best position your chicken coop and how to get the strongest materials.

Look, I can go on lecturing about this really useful book on how to build a chicken coop. But the best thing is for you to go to the man's website (his name is Bill Keene) and find out for yourself.

Here is the link to HowToBuildaChickenCoop.

Unique Why Build a Backyard Chicken Coop

If you are reading this article, I can confirm that you are interested on How to Build a Backyard Chicken Coop. If you think that you can build a chicken a coop by yourself then I definitely have good news for you. Please read on and find out how easy it is to build one.

There are many benefits in building your own backyard chicken coop, if you are to compare the cost of building your own chicken coop versus buying one, you can save yourself almost 50 percent. Almost all of the commercial coops available in the market will still need to be assembled once you get them. So basically you are just buying parts that are really over priced.

What do you need to build a Chicken Coop?

If you think that you need to have special equipment to build your coop, then you are mistaken. If you can use a hammer, and a saw then you can definitely build your own chicken coop.

All you need to do is follow a simple well designed plan on how to build it and you're off. If you are a professional poultry farmer then you will definitely need to build a big chicken coop and if you are just an enthusiast and would just like to have one in your backyard you will still need to follow a well designed enclosure.

Not only will you have a self sustained miniature-farm that produces fresh organic eggs everyday, recycles your food scraps and provides high quality fertilizer, but you'll be proud to know that you made something with your own two hands.

Things to Consider...

If you already have your heart set out to build your own chicken coop you should consider the following things.

- the number of chickens you will put in your coop
- the size of your lot
- the terrain of your lot
- the materials you will need
- and the proper design

Awesome How to Build a Chicken Coop

Basic Tips to Build Coop for Your Chicken

If you have no idea and experience how to build a coop for your chicken, the best way to deal with it is to create a chicken coop plan. You can start planning by knowing the common chicken coop features that you need to build and incorporate with your construction plan. 

It is amazing to know that with the right tools and materials you can easily build a coop according to your own designs. Chicken coop typically consists of a chicken nest where the hen can lay their eggs, chicken feeders, water feeders, and roost where the chicken can restfully sleep and relax. 

Most chicken coop hobbyists suggest building additional feature on the coop such as windows to let the sunshine and fresh air inside the chicken home. You can plan your own housing designs while taking into consideration significant figures such as the space dimension that will provide the chicken the best comfort.

You can build a fancy coop or simply create one that is simply on a box shaped design. Regardless of your coop design styles, you need to observe standard requirements to build coop. One is the dimension of the coop, which is important in giving the chicken adequate space. Crowded environment to live can give opportunity for various ailments to occur in your chicken. 

The minimum space requirements for poultry will depend on the type of your chicken. Bantam chicken and quail will require a minimum space of 1 sq ft., layer hen and large chicken will need 2 sq. ft., Pheasant 5 sq. ft., ducks 3 sq. ft., and geese 6 sq. ft.

Vents are helpful when you build a chicken coop. It is ideal to place the vent on either the east or south side of the coop. This will protect the chicken from cool drafts by promoting appropriate flow of air into the coop. 

Building a chicken coop will also involve creating good coop insulation that will keep the chicken warm and comfortable during winter season. It is also beneficial during summer as well. It suggested that a 1.5 inch of Styrofoam sheet placed between the ceilings and the walls is ideal. Painting the walls with white paint also helps reflect the summer heat. Some prefer using aluminum roof while tall plants just around the coop will provide better shade for the coop.

The flooring of the chicken coop may be of different building materials. Packing down plain dirt to create a solid foundation is the cheapest flooring for a chicken coop. It is however most vulnerable to rodents digging from underground to get to their prey.

The safer and more expensive flooring for a chicken coop is concrete and it is the most sanitize type of flooring as well. Using wood as flooring is prone to rotting and rodents can possibly penetrate through it.

The roosts must not be too large or too small and must be made of metal or plastic.  The chicken nest must be at least 12 x 15 inches in length and 13 inches deep. Placing some litters is important to prevent the eggs to crack.

When building the chicken coop you need to build two-way doors. One is for you to fit in and the other should be big enough for your chicken to pass through. Many find building a chicken coop fun to do. You can always build coop easily using the right tools and a construction plan to keep everything in the proper order.

Awesome How to Build a Chicken Coop

Many people in the world today have built their own chicking coops. Chickens living in some of these coops are happy and healthy, as they are in good quality. However, many other crappy coops make children life like in jail and egg outcome is very low. If you do not expect your chickens to live in such coop, you should read this article to learn some tips of how to build a chicken coop with good quality.

 

First of all, the most important thing is the amount of chickens you want to keep. The more chickens you will have, the bigger your chicken coop should be. People, involved in chicken business recommend to give each chicken about 4 square foots. To be honest, the more the bigger, however, it is not a secret that egg outcome decreases if your chickens do not have enough space. Beer this fact in mind.

 

Temperature is vital for chickens. If you live in cold area you should supply a heat for your coop. If you live in hot areas it is important to supply your chicken coop with good ventilation. Some people neglect these two aspects of building a chicken coop and as a result they find their chickens dead soon. You do not want to be one of these people, are not you?

 

To sum up I would like to add, that feeding system is also very important since it makes cleaning and maintenance really easy. Some of my friends just come into their coop and drop chicken food on the floor. At the end of the week they spend hours cleaning their coop while other people, with well planned feeders spend only 15 minutes doing the same job.

 

Now, you know what it takes to build a quality chicken coop. of course this is just a short summary and if you want to learn more about chicken coops and rising your chickens, visit the website below for more information. Good luck.

 

Inspirational Build a Backyard Chicken Coop Cheaply

If you're looking to build a backyard chicken coop that will be cost effective and still meet your needs, this is definitely going to be an effective option. The great thing about having a backyard chicken house is that cleaning it, feeding the chickens, and watching over them is all extremely easy - you might not even need to leave your house to do so.

Here is the important information you need to know before building.

Consider The Land Characteristics

There's a good chance that your backyard varies slightly in the types land elevations, holes, hills, and so on it contains. You'll want to be sure you have a piece of flat land to build your backyard chicken coop on, so have a good look around first.

Identify where this land is before you even start to plan out the chicken house. If you don't have any of this land available, then you may want to consider landscaping first.

Think About Proximity To Your Window

It's also going to be critical that you place the backyard chicken house somewhere that you can see it from indoors. This will save you time if you just want to take a quick peek at your chickens and make sure everything is okay.

If you happen to have a dog or other predators that often roam around your yard again this will be an essential point to consider. While you still should be building some type of protection against these predators, if your chickens are always within easy eyesight, it does give you a bit more piece of mind.

Factor In Weather Patterns

Third, take into account the weather around where you live. Do you live some place that gets a lot of rain? If so, you'll want to build some shelter over the chicken coop. Likewise, if you're in a climate that tends to get very cold or has a lot of snowfall, make sure the backyard chicken coop you build is insulated to prevent your chickens from becoming uncomfortable.

So, make sure you don't overlook any of these factors. They will make a difference in how happy you are with your coop, so don't take them lightly.

New Build a Backyard Chicken Coop

You have decided to construct a handy chicken coop and breed a number of chickens. However, you want to stay away from spending too much funds on the construction preparations, equipments and materials. You already searched everywhere for free handy portable preparations but still end up with nothing.

A typical individual would shell out more than $ 500 on chicken coop, and believe it or not, that is the minimum approximation. Truth is, if you purchase a single pre-assembled chicken coop, it would cost you more than $ 1000, and that is really a lot of money just for one chicken coop. Instead of spending that much for it, why not just construct your own to save a lot.

As we can observe, the economy is beginning to shift for the worst. Almost everyone is in the same situation where they prefer to start something, which will provide them with a lucrative choice, and in this case, it is for constructing a chicken coop and raising chickens. Come to think of it, when the chickens lay their eggs, these organic eggs can be your food on the table and the shells as fertilizer for your plants and lawn. With that you will be able to produce home grown food as your soil is healthy as they were fertilized.

The only issue that you will encounter when building a chicken coop is when you have a small yard. Therefore, you will not have plenty of room necessary for a huge coop. Another thing is when you do not have any experience constructing things from scratch.
In this situation, you are searching for:

• A chicken coop plan, which is concise, easy to comprehend particularly for starters.
• A plan that is affordable and cost-effective to construct.
• Uncomplicated to construct even with the use of household tools.
• Had a full shopping list of necessities, which can be easily found in hardware shops or farm supply stores.

There are several informative websites regarding plans for constructing chicken coops, but sad to say free plans are simply hard to find. Some plans which you can come across are not very comprehensible or beginner friendly. Others may not provide any tips on what good materials to incorporate, diagrams are difficult to follow, and general quality is poor.

There is a chicken coop plan package on the internet, which will provide you with guides that you can immediately download. However, these materials are not free of charge. You will actually spend $ 50 for the plans.