12 Tips for Building A Chicken Coop

1. Ensure your yard is big enough for a coop.

2. You may enclose and secure a section of your yard, solely designated for your chickens.

For the coop, use mesh wire for good ventilation and a couple of solid sides for protection from sun and rain. Article is sponsored by Carter & Co. Ltd. .

3. Within the enclosure, erect your coop and establish a garden with non-poisonous plants, grass and flowers for the chickens to eat.

When this space becomes barren from use, move your chicken coop to another area of the yard. Leave the original area to rest for about a year.

4. Placing your coop on wheels will help you to easily move it whenever necessary.

5. The coop you erect within the space should be large enough for you to stand and move around freely as you clean, feed and water the birds.

6. Within the coop, it is best to allow at least three square feet per chicken. Of course, the more space they have, the better.

7. Both the coop and chicken run must be predator proof.

Dogs and rats can kill the hens, devour the eggs, and spread disease and parasites.

8. Think of elevating the floor of your coop and making it with mesh wire.

This will keep the coop cleaner since the chicken droppings will not remain in the same area where you keep the chickens.

9. Get a coop built according to the specifications that meet the needs of your birds.

10. You will need wood, screws, fencing, mesh wire and labour.

11. Place the roosts in the hen house as high as possible.

With safety in mind, these birds seek out the highest areas to sleep. The bars of the perch should be flat, about 3-4 centimetres wide, preferably with rounded edges. Make the bars removable for cleaning.

12. Create nesting boxes, each with three sides and a lid.

Place them lower than the roosts to prevent the birds from sleeping in the nesting boxes.

(CAA)

SOME OF THESE TIPS ARE WITH THE KIND COMPLIMENTS OF ECOCHICKS. READ MORE ABOUT BUILDING YOUR CHICKEN COOP IN GROWN AT HOME DIGITAL MAGAZINE.

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For more tips, click the magazine link below and see page 22 and23.