Luxury Chicken Coops and Space for Your Chickens

Chickens need to have their own space and the in the chicken coops no exception. Chickens outdoors need at least 2 square feet and it is really important that you pay attention to this as chickens can become unsettles if they are overcrowded and pecking may occur. If pecking occurs birds can quickly lose their feathers and this in extreme cases can be fatal, it can also cause hens to stop laying and become isolated from the flock.

Chicken coops also need to be spacious and big enough to house the amount of chickens you are going to keep.  Chickens as a rule need about 2-3 square feet inside the coop and it is always a good idea to add perches to enable your chickens to roost if they want to. If you are planning on keeping quite a few chickens and your coop is small, you will need either to purchase a larger one or add an additional coop. Adding an additional coop is always a good idea as smaller coops will maintain their heat in the winter months and the bedding will remain dry and clean for longer. Bedding needs to be changed about once a week but if you have a lot of chickens you will find the bedding becoming very wet and dirty before 1 week. This can have health concerns for your chickens because a wet bed can give off a harmful substance that can be breathed into the chicken's lungs.  Wet beds will also cause the wood in the coop to become very wet and this can cause rotting in the coop, in the winter months bedding will then be very wet and cold which isn't good for the chickens.

It is always better to raise chicken coops off the ground if possible, this stops the wet and damp in the winter months seeping into the coop and also acts as a shelter when it is windy and rainy. Locating your coop in a well drained area is also a must in order to keep it dry in the winter months, many people choose to move their coops around in the winter months to drier ground and if your coop is small enough, this is always a good idea.

In the summer months treatment of coops may be necessary, especially if your chickens have suffered mites or lice but many coops will require treatment in order to keep the wood in good working order.

Lovely Building Backyard Chicken Coops - Tips to Design a Backyard Chicken Coop

A chicken coop is a shelter place for chickens. It is a safe retreat place where hens lay their eggs. There are different kinds of chicken coop designs and plans available in the market. However, there are certain factors to be considered while building a backyard chicken coop.

Before planning and designing a coop you need to focus on three essential points so that the coop is comfortable for chickens:-

Have 4.5 sq. ft. of space between each chicken
3 nests shared between 8 chickens
9 inches of perch length for each chicken

Once you have decided on this then comes the designing part of your coop. Your design should consider certain important aspects for convenience of hens:-

Conserve
Conservation of your chicken coop means its maintenance. A perfect plan of coop contains a design of easy cleaning of the coop. Keep the floor of the coop slightly sloped towards the main door. This allows maintaining cleanliness and appealing appearance of the coop. When the water is hosed inside the coop, it will run out through the main door.

Ample Ventilation
Your plan of coop should have a design for proper ventilation. Sliding windows maintain proper ventilation inside the coop and allow fresh air to come in.

Ample Lightning
Proper lightning inside the coop do not only act like a light giving source but also as a good heat source. Design your coop in such a way that it provides ample of lightning even during cold days.

Use of Thick Wire Mesh
Plan your coop in such a style that it proves to be a protective house for your chickens. Opt for thick wire mesh fencing so that the hens are protected against becoming a prey.

Besides above mentioned criteria, what you need is an ideal chicken coop plan. Another thing to be considered is about the run out area for hens outside the coop. If you are in search of ideal designs and plans for the coop you need to take help of professional plans and systematic designs so that your chickens feel comfortable inside and lay maximum number of eggs.

Elegant Building Cheap Chicken Coops

For those who wish to enter the world of chicken breeding, building cheap chicken coops is often a necessary step to getting started. It is very important to understand that cheap chicken coops do not have to mean low quality. By understanding what type of coop you need, you can select the proper materials and designs that will get you quality cheap coops at a greatly reduced price. In fact, it can actually be up to 50% cheaper to build your own coop than to purchase one.

When trying to build a coop, ask yourself if you are intending to breed chickens for your own use only, or if are you intending to sell chickens and eggs to others. Regardless of what you intend, your cheap coops are a possibility if you take the time to plan. You may choose a small coop, which is well-sized for novices or small breeders who intend to raise only a few chickens, or those with limited space. Medium coops are for those that intend to conduct business and need to raise more chickens; these coops will definitely require more space. If you are operating a larger, serious business, you may opt for large and double-decker coops. These require the largest space and the greatest investment, but that doesn't mean that large coops can't be cheap coops as well - it's all relative!

Cheap chicken coops require good sourcing of materials. Standard materials will include timber for the frame of the coop itself. Chicken housing can be built by ensuring you are using the least expensive wood that will do the job. You can choose from pine, hardwood, or even unfinished logs. Keep in mind that the higher quality woods will be more expensive, however if you look hard enough, you can use many types of wood and still maintain a low price on cheap chicken coops.

Mesh wire, most commonly called chicken wire, is another large part of the coop structure. This is an extremely inexpensive building material, and is perfect for building chicken coops cheaply. A fifty-foot roll is usually about $ 15.00 US, and is more than ample for most small projects. It is important to choose a good quality wire, however, since even the cheapest chicken coops need to keep predators out.