Have you always wanted to have backyard chicken coops but thought you couldn’t since you live in the city? While there are some cities that don’t allow any type of farm animal, many cities do and you’re allowed to have chickens.
However, some of these cities that allow chickens to be kept do not allow roosters due to the crowing and complaints from neighbors. You’ll want to check with your city to make sure you’re not breaking any animal nuisance laws.
The reasons for keeping chickens vary from wanting fresh eggs to wanting a different kind of pet to desiring a bit of the country in the city. Not only can there be a savings on the grocery bill by producing eggs for family use, but many neighbors are joining together to create chicken projects. They’re splitting costs of the materials to build the backyard chicken coops as well as the cost of the feed and incidentals.
If you figure that you want to have a coop for hens of your own, they’re not at all difficult to build, plus you can design your own plans to make the coop look like a little house or barn rather than the traditional coop you may remember. All it takes is a little planning before you get started.
You’ll need to make sure you plan enough space for each chicken as over crowded conditions can lead to sickness among the chickens. The general rule of thumb for space is to have approximately four square feet of space for each chicken though it never hurts to have more. As you’re building the chicken coop take into consideration the area where you live.
If you live in a northern state where snow and ice are a regular part of the weather, you’re going to need a coop that’s adequately insulated to keep the chickens warm. You don’t want to have to bring them indoors for them to survive. If you happen to live in an area where the winters are not as harsh, but the summers are scorchers, you’ll have to make sure the coop is built to provide maximum cooling.
When building the home for your chickens, you don’t have to spend a lot of money buying brand new materials. You can build it from recycled materials, such as wood left over from a home project - even hinges salvaged from old kitchen or bathroom makeovers can be put to use as hinges for a chicken coop door.
Whatever materials you use to build your backyard chicken coops, make sure you’ve provided good ventilation in the snug home for your chickens otherwise you can get an ammonia build up that’s not good for you or the chickens.
Want to learn more about raising chickens and how to build a backyard chicken coop?
Friday, February 5, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tips for Chicken Coop Designs
Raising chickens is a fun hobby and can lead to a nice, small income for those willing to put the effort into it. Like people, chickens have to have lodging and that lodging can come in all forms. You can buy build a chicken coop for as few or as many chickens as you plan to keep.
Before you choose one design over another there are a few points to consider that will affect your decision. Since a chicken coop can come in a variety of sizes and weights, you need to figure out if there's room enough to support your chicken coop. If you rent a home or apartment, you'll need to purchase or make a chicken coop that can easily move from one location to the next.
Secondly, the layout of the design and how much room it will offer per chicken is important. You can't crowd several chickens in a chicken coop designed to house two to four chickens. The design will have to provide for a roomy enough nesting area.
Even though several chickens will often only use the two or three nesting boxes, sometimes that's not the case and you'll want to make sure the chickens have plenty of nests. You can get several nests built either side by side or on top of one another or situated in stacks to save space.
No matter what type of design you have for a chicken coop, make sure you use quality material in building it. It's okay to use salvaged or recycled items as long as they're in good shape and can provide the chickens with adequate shelter and warmth.
Choose a design that can withstand variations in weather. Some designs are very attractive and created to have that wow factor but they're not sturdy enough to last. You don't want to buy or create a design that will only be around temporarily.
If you're not an expert in building and drawing up a detailed set of plans is a struggle, then you should look for a pre-made set of designs and pick one that you like. You can find designs in hardback books, eBooks you can download faster (and cheaper) and you can check out seed or hardware stores for designs for sale.
There are some designs that you can buy that will teach you how to build a chicken coop for well under a hundred dollars. There are some designs for coops that can cost close to a thousand dollars. The amount of money spent on the design should be decided by the purpose of the hens - whether they're for pleasure or business.
Chicken coop designs can make the job of building a coop go a lot smoother than guessing which piece of wood goes where. With all of the choices, you should be able to find one that you like and suits your needs.
Want to learn more about raising chickens and how to build a chicken coop?
Before you choose one design over another there are a few points to consider that will affect your decision. Since a chicken coop can come in a variety of sizes and weights, you need to figure out if there's room enough to support your chicken coop. If you rent a home or apartment, you'll need to purchase or make a chicken coop that can easily move from one location to the next.
Secondly, the layout of the design and how much room it will offer per chicken is important. You can't crowd several chickens in a chicken coop designed to house two to four chickens. The design will have to provide for a roomy enough nesting area.
Even though several chickens will often only use the two or three nesting boxes, sometimes that's not the case and you'll want to make sure the chickens have plenty of nests. You can get several nests built either side by side or on top of one another or situated in stacks to save space.
No matter what type of design you have for a chicken coop, make sure you use quality material in building it. It's okay to use salvaged or recycled items as long as they're in good shape and can provide the chickens with adequate shelter and warmth.
Choose a design that can withstand variations in weather. Some designs are very attractive and created to have that wow factor but they're not sturdy enough to last. You don't want to buy or create a design that will only be around temporarily.
If you're not an expert in building and drawing up a detailed set of plans is a struggle, then you should look for a pre-made set of designs and pick one that you like. You can find designs in hardback books, eBooks you can download faster (and cheaper) and you can check out seed or hardware stores for designs for sale.
There are some designs that you can buy that will teach you how to build a chicken coop for well under a hundred dollars. There are some designs for coops that can cost close to a thousand dollars. The amount of money spent on the design should be decided by the purpose of the hens - whether they're for pleasure or business.
Chicken coop designs can make the job of building a coop go a lot smoother than guessing which piece of wood goes where. With all of the choices, you should be able to find one that you like and suits your needs.
Want to learn more about raising chickens and how to build a chicken coop?
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