Recommendations In Building Chicken Houses: DIY Chicken House Instructions

Caring for chickens or raising them means that you need a coop for chickens. Though you can purchase one, it is better to construct a coop by yourself. For the tips on building chicken houses, read on.

People who raise chickens enjoy the perks of having a supply of eggs, as well as chicken meat, even a supply of garden fertilizers. Just like any other animal, though, your chickens also need to be housed properly – in other words, you need to have a coop for chickens. You can actually construct a coop for your birds without having to be an expert carpenter, or without needing really expensive materials. Below are the steps you need to take when building chicken houses as well as helpful advice on the proper coop construction:

1.    Among the very first things you’ll need to do when making a DIY chicken house is to place the structure in a high or elevated spot. This is to ensure that the coop will not be submerged in flood in case there’s a typhoon or a rain storm.

2.    Another factor you have to think about is the actual size of your coop for chickens. The inside of the chicken-house should at least have 1.5 up to 2 square feet per chicken if you plan to raise chickens for their meat. As for the yard area, it is advisable for the hens to have around 8 – 10 square feet each.

3.    When you’ve made the decision of building chicken houses with your own hands, you may choose to construct a coop based on a hen house building plan, or design one yourself. If you choose the latter, it is best that you first make some sketches on paper. Do not forget to design one that’s large enough for a person to enter, for coop cleaning and egg collecting purposes. It is also a good idea to put up a DIY chicken house that has windows that face the south side or the east side for proper ventilation, to ensure that your birds can feel cooler even during summer and warmer during winter.

4.    When building chicken houses, it is also a must that you first have a look around your residence, garage, etc, and check if you have any scrap plywood, old cabinet, and so on, which you can use as part of the materials of the coop for chickens that you’ll be constructing. In this way, the number of materials that you need to purchase will be lessened, thus, saving you a number of dollars.

5.    The next step is for you to plan the inside of the chicken-house. Ensure that you have enough space for your chickens e.g. perch space and floor space, and you also need to leave enough space for nest boxes for your laying hens. A single nesting box for every 4 -5 hens is acceptable.

6.     When you construct a coop, it is also advisable for you to purchase chicken wire or other materials for fencing to protect your hens/chicks from predators. Do not also forget to make or purchase waterers, feeders, etc.

Other actions you have to perform when you’re building chicken houses is to make sure that the roof is in a sloping position so that the rain does not pour in directly through the door; secure windows with chicken wire to keep any predator away; secure the coop door with a latch, etc.

Article Tags: Building Chicken Houses, Building Chicken, Chicken House, Chicken Houses

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