Saucy Pet

Posts Tagged ‘chicken coop plans’

I’ve wanted to start keeping my own chickens for years now. I finally found time and built a medium sized chicken coop. The plans I bought over the internet made the process really easy. The ad for the book about how to build a chicken coop said that a 15 year old could build it. I guess that was meant to be a smart 15 year old! I can use a hammer, a saw and a screwdriver and that’s about all you’ll need by way of tools.

I want to tell you a bit more about my hobby of keeping chickens – I do it just as a hobby, not professionally, and see if I can help you to make some decisions if you’re thinking about keeping chickens in your backyard.

Not that long ago chicken was a meal for a special, celebratory occasion. Today of course chicken is very common and hardly special at all. Raising chickens in batteries or factories has provided plentiful and therefore relatively cheap meat, compared to the cost of other meat. The way chickens are raised in batteries is also a major reason why I keep my own brood, in my own suburban backyard.

Those who have ever been inside a chicken factory farm will understand. The cruelty these birds have to endure for their whole life is nothing short of a disgrace and a blot on our conscience. I had seen enough cancerous, deformed and deranged hens, picking at their own and others flesh out of sheer madness, that I stopped eating chickens and eggs for quite a while until free range products became readily available.

Then I discovered that free range did not always mean what I thought it meant – what it is supposed to mean – and I decided to keep my own chickens in my own chicken coop.

I did not intend to go on a crusade against chicken farms here so let me tell you of some other very good reasons to keep your own chickens.

Fairly obviously, the eggs and the meat come in real handy. The eggs from a truly free-range chicken are nothing short of spectacularly delicious. The yolk is not that washed out colour of a battery egg from a chicken pumped full of estrogen and growth hormone. Instead, it’s a bright, vivid yellow/orange colour with an absolute burst of flavour.

I know some folk who made the mistake of giving their birds names so they will never slaughter their chickens for the table. I keep my birds anonymous so that I am not emotionally distraught when I slaughter them. The meat from a supermarket chicken is inferior in quality and taste to a homegrown chicken. It’s plump and has a taste that is just outstanding. The skin gets really crispy. I don’t know exactly how and why but it’s just markedly better tasting than a supermarket bird. I think it’s the chicken feed and whats in it the has a long term effect on the quality and taste of the meat.

The freshness of the meat and eggs from your backyard brood is a contributory factor to the improved taste of course, but the biggest influence on the taste of the products is the absence of chemicals in the birds diet. Chemicals fed to battery raised chickens destroys the natural taste of the eggs and the meat. The chemicals, by the way, also find their way into your system and so you have also probably ingested female hormones and steroids with every egg and piece of chicken you’ve ever eaten. The fishmeel additive in the chciken feed of factory birds affects the flavour of the meat.

In times like these when most people are trying to save some household costs and also trying to be more environmentally responsible, building a chicken coop and keeping your own chickens is a fairly substantial step in the right direction and it’s very easy to do. So, I guess the environmental impact is another good reason to have your own birds.

The fertiliser produced by the chickens is fantastic for your garden. Gardeners can save money using a non-phosphate laden fertiliser that comes naturally from the chickens.

Since the kids moved out there is often leftover food in our refrigerator that goes to waste. Well I should say used to go to waste because the chickens love leftovers. Onions and garlic are not good for them but all other foods are welcomed by them. Not just leftovers either, but peelings and cuttings as well. They are little fertiliser factories taking the scraps and the peels and turning it into fertiliser that enhances the plants and vegetables we have growing. It’s lovely to see the cycle of nature as it should be. I let them out of their enclosure to trim the lawn every so often. Like little lawnmowers!

If you keep your chickens as pets then you will get all the benefits that all pets give their owners. For me – well I don’t see the chickens as anything other than foodstuff.

If you build the right chicken coop for your intended number of chickens and for the location then your chicken coop becomes a pleasure to maintain. Make sure thats easy to clean and well ventilated. If your birds are well fed and happy they will produce more eggs.

Is it difficult to build a chicken coop. It’s not that difficult if you have basic skills. If you know how to use a hammer and a saw, you’ll be fine. That’s about it. The plans I eventually bought are step-by-step type plans so it was easy to follow. I was fortunate to choose a book of plans that also had other very valuable and useful information in it. Such as: where to place you coop, how to ensure that it doesn’t get too hot in the chicken coop and how to construct a coop that is easy to clean. Also, the book  contained advice on how to choose the correct type of bird for your area.

This is very good value from a book that only costs about $30. I bought all the material required for my chicken coop at a salvage yard selling recyccled timber and so on. I built a medium sized chicken coop for under $200 and there is a local (major) hardware outlet that sells what I think is a lesser product for over $950. I saved a packet. My $200 investment was returned to me in under 6 months just on the value of eggs produced. By the way I keep 10 hens and I get 6 to 8 eggs every day. If you promise not to tell the taxman, I’ll let you know that I sell 2-3 doz eggs a week and although I charge almost double the supermarket price, I have no shortage of eager customers!

You can buy the book that I used on the internet for only $29.95. Just click here. I really found it to be very useful – exactly what I needed. You get it as an instant download, as soon as you pay. The online payment process is 100% secure.

Thats a summary of my very good experience of building a chicken coop and keeping my own chickens. I hope that this information was of some help to you and I hope you enjoy building your chicken coop as much as I enjoyed the task of building mine. It’s a good thing to do and the upside is substantial. Enjoy the DIY project!

While growing up, many of us cannot remember a time in our life when we did not own anyhens. A lot of us have childhood memories of going out and feeding the chicken. Each day, when we go out to feed them, we flash back to feeding them as a child. A lot of people are fond of the childhood memories they have. Do you have childhood memories like this? Do you remember helping your parents build a chicken coop? Chances are you did not know exactly what is going on. Now, here you are, sitting there wondering how to build a chicken coop. As we write this article, we are going to give you some information that you need in order to build those birds a home.

First of all, before you even get the birds, you need to take the size into consideration. How big do you want you coop to be? Personally, we believe it should be a big one. Many people opt for a smaller one simply so that they can haul it around. If you have no plans transporting your chicken, then you should build a big coop.

For every bird that will be in the coop, you will need to have 4 square feet. In order for the hens to lay more and be stress free, you will need to make it big.

Besides, making the house big is not going to take much more work. Sure, it may take a bit more supplies, but those supplies are actually cheap.

Before you start to build this big house, you will need to figure out where to place it. It is important that you place the chicken coop in the right place; I recommend putting it in a place where the sunlight shines bright in the morning hours. There is something about chickens and that morning sun as they absolutely enjoy it.

You will get you rbirds to lay the maximum number of eggs when placing them in the morning sunlight and having them in a safe and stress free environment.

You do not need to purchase that many materials in order to put all of this together. Basically, you need some wood, nails, mesh wire and a hammer. To protect your chicken coop even more, you might want to consider to put some shingles on your roof.

When you have the frame put up, you may need some help when it comes to putting the roof on. At this point, when you have the roof on, it will be time to put that mesh wire up. No matter what you do, even if you have to put a ton of nails and staples through it, we highly recommend you not leaving any gaps between that wiring. If you leave gaps, you will make it easy for those predators to grab one of your birds. There are many wild animals out there that would love to have your chicken for dinner. I have no doubt that you will find that building a chicken coop is real fun. Now that you know how to build a chicken coop, it is time to get going.

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

If you are new to keeping chickens, or you want to get more chickens, building your chicken coop yourself is an excellent way to make savings. Ready made chicken coops can cost several hundred pounds and building a chicken coop is easy if you have good plans.

It’s a great family project too. Depending on the ages of your children, they will be able to help building the chicken coop by doing something: fetching and organising the materials, telling you what to do next, assembling some of the pieces or even building the entire chicken coop.

You do need to establish what sort of design will suit you and your flock. If you only have, or are planning to get, a few hens, say around three, then a chicken ark could be a good solution.

Chicken arks can be static and the chickens let out each day, or you can move the ark and keep the chickens in. A chicken ark is a simple triangular shape with a nest box and roosting space at one end and a run at the other. Building a chicken ark is a simple project that would take a day.

For less than two days work you should be able to build the larger hen house – it is still easy. For five to seven hens this is ideal. You could even build both, so you have the chicken ark to move the hens around and to use if any of them are poorly.

More hens will need a larger chicken coop. A pitched roof design with external nest boxes would be perfect and you could site it within a run if you are not able to let your chickens free range.

To future-proof your investment, buy a set of plans that includes all three designs. Then you’re all set to really save money.

how to build a chicken house

Chicken House Plans

There’s an old saying that goes about people . . . “don’t plan to fail; they fail to plan.” (I believe that was Harvey MacKay). Same holds true for your Chicken House Plans. You want to have plans so that your baby chicks wil grow in a healthy, safe environment. There are a number of reasons that families want to raise chickens, as many as there are people. For our family, we received a “present” of 12 baby chicks for Easter Sunday. My first impression was, “holy cow, where are all these chickens going to sleep???” However, I remembered another great saying “if life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” (I promise, no more quotes). I was not thinking of eating the little chicks, but the thought of low-cost eggs sounded like a great idea to me. I was reveling in the thought about how fun it would be — a family project to build a chicken house, and soon we would be enjoying our own organically fresh eggs. It was a one-time investment that if done correctly, it could pay off for years just in fresh eggs alone. So when you are looking for the best Chicken House Plans, consider these following steps in your plan. The first step is to consider the location or placement of your chicken house. From this point, you will know what your limitations are. On e thing to keep in mind is a simple 4 foot by 8 foot box-type structure. This makes it easy on the materials sides because most plywood and other materials come in 4 x 8 foot sheets. Second, you want to frame out a play area for the chicken house. You can accomplish this with nails or screws at the bottom of the four pieces. (I recommend using screws and an electric screwdriver. This makes it easy to disassemble in case you ever need to move your chicken house; you can simply unscrew the wood and away you go!) When this is finished, you can secure two corner sections, consisting of two parts that make up each corner. When this frame is done, you can enclose the play area with chicken wire. Once the basic chicken house frame is complete, you can begin with the actual house. You would probably want to consider if you are installing some sort of chicken house door, and if so, where the location would be. It’s been our experience that if you put the door closer to the nesting area rather than in the front, it works a little bit better for your other tasks down the road. Attaching the door will depend on what kind of door you prefer. We had a door that opened toward the back of the nesting area that had a long piano hinge across the top, and the door opened by pulling the door up (toward the sky). Our door had a long wooden dowel added to prop in the “up” position so we could easily access inside the chicken house. The next step is generally installing the roof. Plywood (which comes in 4 x 8 foot sheets) is perfect for this, but you can check with your local lumbar supplier to see if your location requires a different type of building material. Once the roof is up you can move forward with the nesting area of your chicken house. Here, the size is going to depend on the number of chickens you want to raise. A basic 4 foot by 8 foot chicken house is probably enough room to raise 10 chickens. For our nesting area, we made two support from 4 foot sections attached on both sides of our frame to support the nesting box. With the support in place, you can build a basic nesting box out of plywood to place on this support system. The location of this nesting area is in the back wall (away from the small chicken entrance) where our upward opening door is location for easy access to the fresh eggs. In the front of your chicken house you want to cut an opening, much like the size of a small pet door, so that the chickens can access the chicken house play area. When completed, you want to make sure you sand smooth all the edges and corners for the safety of your chickens. You also want to double check that no sharp edges of the chicken wire protrude and are either removed or bent in such a way that they will not harm the chickens. Ventilation and lighting are critical to your chicken’s health and welfare. You may want to have open sides that can be closed with hinged doors made of plywood. That way you can open the doors in the daytime hours for light and ventilation, and they can be closed in the evening or when you need to protect the chickens from bad weather. For your chicken coop floor, you have a few options. Most folks use sawdust, but some farms and others have access to hay or use straw. Some people even used sand as a bottom for their chicken coop. Check with your local feed store or veterinarian to see what is the best material for the weather conditions in your area. With a solid chicken house, you will provide your chickens with a healthy, safe living arrangment where they can grow and propser. Our family enjoyed watching the chickens grow, and they took pride in the eggs that were collected for our breakfast table. Enjoy your flock of chickens, and make sure you consider these steps in your Chicken House Plans

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Anyone that raises chickens will need a chicken coop. The question for many is how to build a chicken coop? With a bit of ingenuity and some rather basic materials, you can have a chicken coop in relatively no time at all.

The first things you have to clarify is how large you want the coop to be and what material you would like to use. The other thing that is really a key factor is the placement of your coop. The conditions for your chicken coop could vary, because of the fact that everyone’s environment is diferent.

As the name indicates, a chicken coop will provide shelter to your chicken. This is of utmost importance, because there could always be wild animals that could pose a great danger to your chicken. An extremely important part of any chicken coop is the “run.” This is the area outside of the actual shelter itself where the chickens are free to roam around in.

The standard rule of thumb for how to build a chicken coop is to allow room for eight chickens and three nests. In addition there has to be suffiecient room for the chicken to be able to perch too. This would be about nine inches or so of perch space. One of the biggest problems that people make is building a coop that is too small. Doing so will prohibit your chickens from flourishing as well as they could if the coop was the adequate size.

For every chicken there should be at least four square feet. This basically means if you plan a chicken coop for four chicken you will need an area of 4×4. The windows of the chicken coop should always face south and it is of the uttmost importantce that there is sufficient ventilation throughout the coop. If you want to have a chicken coop that is fully functional it should have the following characteristics
Storage space
A good and easy to use entranceway
Sufficient ventilation and lighting
An area that accomodates the coop to be properly cleaned

The climate in which you live will dictate to a good degree how you will build your coop. If you reside in a warm climate then you can often get away with wire netting and mesh. However, if you live in a colder climate then you will have to consider actual slider windows.

It is very important that when you make the plans for building your chicken coop that you take into consideration that the chicken coop is at least four feet tall and is also burried at least a foot into the ground. This will stop wild animals from digging underground to get to your coop. A danger are wild birds that could get inside the coop and spread diseases to your chickens, this is why it is a good idea to male the top covered. 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 Free Chicken Coop Plans

Many people are looking to build a chicken coop without having to spend a fortune. It is said that the average person spend around $300 roughly. There are many free and easy plans, that will allow you to construct a coop to fit your needs.
There are several websites where you will find chicken coop plans free. Some websites sell pre-fabricated chicken coops, that are not so expensive. However, most people can build chicken coops themselves cheaper. You need to ask yourself what you would like in a coop. Proper ventilation is very important. Depending on the size of your chicken population, you will need to make sure you have adequate feeding systems. Building supplies in th eend fully depend on the climate you are living in. You definitely don’t want rain, snow and wind to get inside the chicken coop. It you live in a really cool climate, some kind of heating is something you should think of.
If you have a small amount of chickens it is said that a movable chicken coop can be of advantage. Because you can move them close to your house, they are easy to clean. Chicken coops can also be made using cheap material which you can find in and around your house. May be one of your neighbors can help you with some of the materials needed. Your chickens can be closer to you for easy feeding. The coops are durable to withstand movement as well.
Many people make their coops out of recycled or unused materials that are free or cheap. In turn this give your chickens a safe place to lay their eggs. Chickens do not require much, but by giving them a warm and safe home you will increase egg production. It also protects from the weather.
Wood from pretty much any source, boxes, wooden chests, metals and many other things can be used. Be creative when building your chicken coop, based around your needs. Some people used old sheds or small places that aren’t being used.
When it comes to building a chicken coop there are various things you need to take into consideration e.g. weather and psace. How to make a chicken coop and what material you can use is very open. The possibilities are endless. The benefits that a coop provides your chickens will far outweigh any cost or search for materials. You can get great ideas from people around you who also have chickens 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

One way is just put something together from whatever you have to hand, but you may regret this approach!

When you are building a chicken coop, It’s really worth thinking about what type you need and how you are going to design it.

First off – how many chickens do you want to house?

Next – do you want to be able to move your chicken coop?

Now – where are you going to site your chicken coop?

And – how much space do you have?

Then – how are you going to design your chicken coop for easy cleaning?

And another thing – how will you position roosting bars and nest boxes?

Finally – how much time do you want to turn over to this project?

One way to get the best result when you are building a chicken coop is to buy a clear set of plans and assembly instructions. Good plans normally have several designs, so you can pick what works for you and your hens.

For a beginner with a small flock, a chicken ark can be the ideal start and they’re quick and easy to make. Up to three chickens is ideal and the ark can be lifted to new areas of garden. Keeping the ark close to the house means you can watch the chickens easily.

A fixed chicken house is a lso a quick project as well and usually has an integral run. A good design for a flock of six hens. You’ll need a part of your garden where the hen house and run gets good light and is not too exposed – although chickens are surprisingly hardy.

When you are in the garden you can let your chickens roam around, or if you make a hen house and a chicken ark , you can move your hens around so they have new areas to graze.

Building a chicken coop is an easy weekend project if you start with plans and instructions – and you will get a hen house that looks good, functions well and will last a long time, for a fraction of the cost of buying one.

Keeping chickens is quite straightforward and they are entertaining creatures. They are rewarding to keep as they’ll entertain you with their clucking around, re-arranging the flooring material in their run and taking dustbaths. In the middle of winter there is less light, so you will get few eggs, otherwise you should get eggs every day. For about 24 eggs a week, 4 chickens will be fine.

Chickens prefer somewhere dry to sleep and nestboxes mean you will generally find the eggs, as they can lay in out of the way corners if you’re ot careful. Moveable chicken arks and simple hen houses are straightforward to build from plans. Chickens can be quite self sufficient if left to roam around, finding worms, grubs and insects and eating grass and weeds. Chickens that feed naturally produce eggs with lovely deep yellow yolks.

Apart form a little corn as a treat, the essential food is layers pellets, possibly with some additinal grit to ensure the eggshells form properly. Kitchen scraps can be used too.

Chickens are very interesting animals, and particularly enjoy taking a bath in dry soil or sand, fluffing up their feathers and wriggling around to help get rid of mites and clean their feathers. If it’s sunny, you’ll often find them lying on their sides with wings oustretched to catch the warmth.

If you have three birds, two may pick on the third as they establish a pecking order, so four is often a better number.

Housing chickens is quite straightforward, a large rabbit hutch will take one or two, but it should be raised off the ground – they can manage a small ladder, to keep it dry. You can make chicken arks (the triangular section chicken coops that you move around) very easily. This clear book with three sets of chicken coop plans also has comprehensive information on keeping cickens. It also has plans for a larger hen house and run – and if you’re really serious a large chicken coop for around 15 birds.

Chickens will lay until they are aged four or five chickens but can live to a ripe old age of 15. You can train chickens to recognize a routine like feeding times, and when you put them in their coop for the night, you may find they are there before you.

Chickens will peck and scratch freely if you let them out, so you might decide to keep them in a run at least part of the day, so your plants don’t get too badly nibbled. The chicken ark is a triangular shaped chicken coop (sometimes known as a chicken tractor), which you move around, giving the hens fresh ground.

Chickens need daylight to produce eggs, so you will need to make sure they are let out into their run early in the morning.

Mary Marshall