How to build a chicken coop for different types of chicken will depend on different purposes that may be in mind. This article will describe a pen suitable for keeping about ten laying hens that will supply one household with a plentiful supply of fresh eggs.
A pen of about twenty square meters will be acceptable to this little flock. It is true that factory farms squash two hens into one small basket where they can barely turn around. This is not an ethical or healthy way to produce food. A larger enclosure will allow hens to produce really healthy organic eggs in perfect conditions.
A bed, or patch of loose sand in the pen will allow hens to scratch, and pass sand through their feathers. This keeps them clean or healthy. A pen may be designed to be moved so that it can be shifted around the garden, but the drawback to this is that it is less secure, so a permanent fixture is recommended.
A variety of materials may be used, as any journey through a human settlement will illustrate. Stolen bill boards, bits of plastic and discarded buckets all do duty as materials for chicken houses. But assuming that one wishes to build a fairly smart structure, the most essential materials will be chicken wire, poles, planks and sheets of iron or plastic.
The perimeter should be surrounded by poles that stand high enough for a person to walk around without having to stoop or walk in a hairpin fashion. Two poles should be placed a gate's width apart where the gate will be.
At one end of the establishment should be a laying facility. Because hens like to lay in private, away from prying eyes, laying boxes should be placed on a ledge about one meter off the ground. This will allow hens to hop onto the ledge before stepping sedately into the box to lay.
Bearing in mind that plump chickens are a basic food stuff not only for human beings, but also for foxes, weasels, dogs, cats, snakes and many others, the pen should be designed with security in mind. A trench of about sixty centimeters deep should be dug around the enclosure. The perimeter wire should be stretched to the bottom of the trench and held fast there by rocks or concrete. This will temporarily deter Mr Fox. The overhead wire mesh will foil the airborne attacks by birds of prey. That is how to build a chicken coop.
A pen of about twenty square meters will be acceptable to this little flock. It is true that factory farms squash two hens into one small basket where they can barely turn around. This is not an ethical or healthy way to produce food. A larger enclosure will allow hens to produce really healthy organic eggs in perfect conditions.
A bed, or patch of loose sand in the pen will allow hens to scratch, and pass sand through their feathers. This keeps them clean or healthy. A pen may be designed to be moved so that it can be shifted around the garden, but the drawback to this is that it is less secure, so a permanent fixture is recommended.
A variety of materials may be used, as any journey through a human settlement will illustrate. Stolen bill boards, bits of plastic and discarded buckets all do duty as materials for chicken houses. But assuming that one wishes to build a fairly smart structure, the most essential materials will be chicken wire, poles, planks and sheets of iron or plastic.
The perimeter should be surrounded by poles that stand high enough for a person to walk around without having to stoop or walk in a hairpin fashion. Two poles should be placed a gate's width apart where the gate will be.
At one end of the establishment should be a laying facility. Because hens like to lay in private, away from prying eyes, laying boxes should be placed on a ledge about one meter off the ground. This will allow hens to hop onto the ledge before stepping sedately into the box to lay.
Bearing in mind that plump chickens are a basic food stuff not only for human beings, but also for foxes, weasels, dogs, cats, snakes and many others, the pen should be designed with security in mind. A trench of about sixty centimeters deep should be dug around the enclosure. The perimeter wire should be stretched to the bottom of the trench and held fast there by rocks or concrete. This will temporarily deter Mr Fox. The overhead wire mesh will foil the airborne attacks by birds of prey. That is how to build a chicken coop.
About the Author:
Chicken Coop Plans can be found anywhere online these days, but there are just one or two that do their job well. Those Plans usually are not free, but you do get what you pay for.
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