Are you ready to get your chickens or chicks but the hen house design is what’s stopping you? Its time to get your chicken house designs down on paper so you can get to building the coop. If you don’t feel comfortable designing your own hen house then you could always choose one of these great proven designs.
You should start your design by figuring how large you want the coop to be. It’s a good idea to get some drafting paper, it will make drawing up the design much easier for you and your measurements will be more accurate. Once you get the basic floor plan down you should then decide where the doors and windows will be located. Remember healthy chickens need plenty of ventilation because their droppings are so strong with ammonia. Without proper ventilation your flock could become very sick so make sure you have at least one large window covered with chicken wire which will be closable when it gets cold outside.
You will also be needing a door for you to get inside the coop. If you are building a large coop, which you could stand up inside then you will probably want a man sized door. On the other hand, if you are only going to have a few hens then you man want a hinged door which will allow you to reach inside the coop to do cleaning and freshening up of the nesting boxes as well as a way to collect eggs. If you will have an attached chicken run or yard for the flock then you will likely need a smaller hen door for them to go in and out to the run.
The detailed hen house designs should include plans for the chicken coop to be sealed up tight against predators. If you live in an especially cold climate then you may want to consider insulating the coop and installing lights. An insulated coop will keen your flock nice and warm in the cold winter months.
Your birds should have plenty of light. The hens need light to lay lots of delicious fresh eggs. If a hen doesn’t get enough day light she won’t lay as many eggs as she would if she had more day light. This is why hens tend to not lay a lot of eggs in the winter when the days are shorter.
If you are going to take the time to build a hen house then you should build it to last. You don’t want to have to be replacing the coop in a few years because it wasn’t build with the right water and weather resistant materials. Durable is where it’s at, if you are going to build the coop you should build it right the first time. Keep in mind the hen house will need to be hosed down occasionally for cleaning.
Chickens will be needing a feeder and a waterer. There are some great pre-built feeders and waterers on the market and they aren’t all that expensive either. Some people would rather make their own feeders and waterers and that’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with building your own. On the other hand if you are in a hurry and want a hassle free waterer I highly recommend getting a waterer with a float. These waters will supply your hens with a constant supply of fresh water and you won’t have to go out daily to fill up chicken waterers. Feeders are easy to make from scraps you have left over from the construction of the chicken coop. Chickens aren’t picky so really just about any feeder design should work out just fine.
Anther thing you should consider is a place for roosting. Chickens like to sleep up off the ground, in the highest location they can reach. They will need a roost that they can wrap their feet around, that’s how they hold on while they are sleeping. You should remember that your chickens will poop while sleeping so you will not want to locate the feeder or waterer underneath the roost.
Remember building a chicken coop shouldn’t be too hard, with planning and some patience even a beginner can build a chicken house!
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