Are You ready for a new hen house?
Why buy your new Hen House or chicken coop?
If you currently have a backyard flock of chickens in your yard, or are considering the advantages of starting your own Chicken Hobby Farm, you must consider a Chicken Coop or Hen House. Before you try to build one yourself, please consider some important factors. To start with, a Chicken Coop or Hen House must provide protection for your flock. This means from hot and cold weather, predators, rain, snow, and even melting snow. It must provide light and ventilation, but considerations must be made for how too much or too little light and ventilation can affect indoor temperature. The coop must provide a system to contain bedding, while making it easy for you to provide necessary sanitation duties. Nesting boxes should be provided, of the correct size and to the correct ratio of hens, to get the most and freshest eggs. I've never known a chicken that did not sleep, so roosting bars provide resting space. Do you know how to lay this out so that your chickens don't go poop on each other? Lastly, raccoons can often open latches that require the reasoning ability of a young child. Your flock's safety depends on how secure your Chicken Coop or Hen House really is!
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Buy Your Coop - Don't Build It!
Some folks have the talent and the time to build a Chicken Coop or Hen House that will, without doubt be as good as any on the market today. Most of the rest of us would likely do better to
simply purchase a new Chicken Coop or Hen House that will look great in our yards, work well within our budgets and provide the necessary housing for the size of our flocks. For many backyard farmers, the colors and design of the Chicken Coop or Hen House are every bit as important to the overall appeal of our yards as the flowers, trees and shrubs that we plant. The ease of cleaning and caring for your flock's living quarters will be very important when
you have limited time, and the ability to open a door and pick some fresh eggs quickly and easily will make your initial decision to purchase a new coop even more reasonable!
Some folks have the talent and the time to build a Chicken Coop or Hen House that will, without doubt be as good as any on the market today. Most of the rest of us would likely do better to
simply purchase a new Chicken Coop or Hen House that will look great in our yards, work well within our budgets and provide the necessary housing for the size of our flocks. For many backyard farmers, the colors and design of the Chicken Coop or Hen House are every bit as important to the overall appeal of our yards as the flowers, trees and shrubs that we plant. The ease of cleaning and caring for your flock's living quarters will be very important when
you have limited time, and the ability to open a door and pick some fresh eggs quickly and easily will make your initial decision to purchase a new coop even more reasonable!
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Build Your Coop, Don't Buy It!
Buying a Hen House can save you time, but building one can save you some money. Hen Houses can often be made out of repurposed or recycled materials, such as simple pallets. Hen Houses that are hand built can be customized to suit your individual needs and tastes. There are many great books available, including ones available for immediate download, that will save you many times their small cost in savings on materials and mistakes. Your new Hen House has to be both functional and pleasing to you to look at each day. A poor design could make your daily hen keeping chores much more difficult and time consuming. If your Hen House is not properly designed and constructed, it could also compromise the safety of your flock to risks such as bad weather or from predators. Using the advanced knowledge of someone that has designed and built Hen Houses before will make your task of building one go much faster. Your finished Hen House will be safer, last longer and will suit your needs and your backyard flock's needs much better. If you choose to build your Hen House, spend the small amount of money today to get an expert on your side with one of these quality project books and plans!
Buying a Hen House can save you time, but building one can save you some money. Hen Houses can often be made out of repurposed or recycled materials, such as simple pallets. Hen Houses that are hand built can be customized to suit your individual needs and tastes. There are many great books available, including ones available for immediate download, that will save you many times their small cost in savings on materials and mistakes. Your new Hen House has to be both functional and pleasing to you to look at each day. A poor design could make your daily hen keeping chores much more difficult and time consuming. If your Hen House is not properly designed and constructed, it could also compromise the safety of your flock to risks such as bad weather or from predators. Using the advanced knowledge of someone that has designed and built Hen Houses before will make your task of building one go much faster. Your finished Hen House will be safer, last longer and will suit your needs and your backyard flock's needs much better. If you choose to build your Hen House, spend the small amount of money today to get an expert on your side with one of these quality project books and plans!
Where Do You Put Your New Chicken Coop?
Depending on where you live, please take into account any local laws regarding chicken keeping and their housing. Some neighbors would be unhappy if a chicken coop or hen house was placed against their property line or fence, so make sure that your relationship is a good one. Maybe an offer for some "Farm Fresh - Organic Eggs" will ease some concerns! Plan your coop to be on level ground, where melting snow or rushing water will not create problems. Consider that your flock will need tending all year, so try to keep it close enough for your comfort yet far enough that the sounds or smells will not interfere with your BBQ plans.
If you live in a warm climate, placing it next to the protective canopy of a tree's leaves will help keep it cooler in the summer. You should try to position your coop so the main window or largest windows face the South, as this will allow for the greatest amount of light and also radiant warming in the winter. For increased ventilation, if necessary, having additional windows or even ventilation holes on the North Side, and possibly to the East, will provide the ideal situation. Depending on your actual situation and location, you might find it necessary to cut your own holes for ventilation. Protect the holes from predators by covering them with hardware cloth or wire netting. You could cover them with a commercially available vent hole cover made for your home, to hide the hole. Make sure you can tightly plug this hole during the winter. The vent holes should be about the size of a chimney pipe, around 6 inches across, near the top of the coop. The rule of thumb is that you should never smell ammonia inside your coop. If you do, clean your coop and increase the ventilation immediately.
Depending on where you live, please take into account any local laws regarding chicken keeping and their housing. Some neighbors would be unhappy if a chicken coop or hen house was placed against their property line or fence, so make sure that your relationship is a good one. Maybe an offer for some "Farm Fresh - Organic Eggs" will ease some concerns! Plan your coop to be on level ground, where melting snow or rushing water will not create problems. Consider that your flock will need tending all year, so try to keep it close enough for your comfort yet far enough that the sounds or smells will not interfere with your BBQ plans.
If you live in a warm climate, placing it next to the protective canopy of a tree's leaves will help keep it cooler in the summer. You should try to position your coop so the main window or largest windows face the South, as this will allow for the greatest amount of light and also radiant warming in the winter. For increased ventilation, if necessary, having additional windows or even ventilation holes on the North Side, and possibly to the East, will provide the ideal situation. Depending on your actual situation and location, you might find it necessary to cut your own holes for ventilation. Protect the holes from predators by covering them with hardware cloth or wire netting. You could cover them with a commercially available vent hole cover made for your home, to hide the hole. Make sure you can tightly plug this hole during the winter. The vent holes should be about the size of a chimney pipe, around 6 inches across, near the top of the coop. The rule of thumb is that you should never smell ammonia inside your coop. If you do, clean your coop and increase the ventilation immediately.
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How Big Should Your Coop Be?
Your Chicken Coop or Hen House probably could never be too big. It can however, be too small. There are some normal guidelines that most people try to use when purchasing their new
coop. At a minimum, for flocks that have outdoor chicken runs or that are "Free Range" chickens, and have indoor roosts, provide at least 4 square feet per bird. If you are raising Bantams, which are small birds, you can plan on 2 square feet per bird. Again, this assumes that there is adequate space and that your flock spends adequate time outdoors. If your backyard farm friends must be in their coop most of the time, you must allow as much as 10 square feet per hen. Bantams are provided for with 5 square feet per bird. Remember that if your
backyard farm plans "could" include adding more chickens to the flock at a later date, you must consider this when choosing a coop. Again, you can't really have too much room!
Your Chicken Coop or Hen House probably could never be too big. It can however, be too small. There are some normal guidelines that most people try to use when purchasing their new
coop. At a minimum, for flocks that have outdoor chicken runs or that are "Free Range" chickens, and have indoor roosts, provide at least 4 square feet per bird. If you are raising Bantams, which are small birds, you can plan on 2 square feet per bird. Again, this assumes that there is adequate space and that your flock spends adequate time outdoors. If your backyard farm friends must be in their coop most of the time, you must allow as much as 10 square feet per hen. Bantams are provided for with 5 square feet per bird. Remember that if your
backyard farm plans "could" include adding more chickens to the flock at a later date, you must consider this when choosing a coop. Again, you can't really have too much room!
Moving Day - What Should Go In Your New Chicken Coop?
Most folks feel that it is easier to purchase a chicken coop or hen house that is as ready to use as possible. This gives you the ability to focus on your flock and not on never ending trips to the lumber yard! Either way, your new coop must provide adequate roosting poles for sleeping and nesting boxes for egg laying. Rule of thumb here is to allow about 10 inches of perch length per hen for your roosting poles. For nesting boxes, one standard 14 inch box should be adequate for the laying needs of 4 to 5 hens. Experts suggest that although it may cost a bit more, you will
have greater success and less problems if you put 2 Chicken Feeders and 2 Chicken Waterers inside your coop. The Chicken Waterers are also sometimes called Poultry Founts. By providing 2 of each, the chances of anyone starving because of the "pecking order" is greatly reduced. Keep the water and food off the floor if possible. Some say to set them so the bottom of the waterer and the lip of the feeder are at approximately the level of your smallest chickens back
height. Raising these helps to reduce wasted food and keep the environment cleaner and drier. Line the floor with 6 to 12 inches of pine shavings, paper litter, sawdust or whatever material offers good absorbency, suits your budget and is readily available. Pine Shavings are often available and used to line horse stalls, so they tend to be economical and available year round. Scoop out the messes and add bedding material as necessary. Remove all the bedding and
scrub out your coop at least twice a year.
To protect your investment, your flock and your family's attachment to you hens, you should consider adding an electrical source to your new chicken coop. We always feel that hiring an electrician is best and if you are serious about having a flock, this is the right way to go. If this is not economically possible, then (be careful) and try to run an extension cord that is adequate
for distance and need, to your coop. It should be protected from puddles and only used as labeled. In cold areas during Winter, you may need to add a heat lamp. If so suspend it securely in your coop and make it fool proof so it will be effective but without the hens getting hurt or starting a fire. It may also be necessary to either purchase Heated Poultry Waterers or use Galvanized Waterers on a Poultry Heater Base, to keep the bird's water from freezing. It is
critical to prevent this. Again, having an electric source is necessary.
Lastly, any steps that you can take to keep harmony in your chicken coop or hen house
will keep your flock healthier and laying more eggs, certainly with less problems along the way. Some folks purchase toys for large caged pet birds such as Parrots, to allow chickens to play with to reduce stress. Hanging ones with mirrors and bells are popular. Rotating toys can have benefits too. Other considerations include hanging lettuce or a similar vegetable in a mesh bag to
allow for pecking, or to put sand or grain in a small container to allow for pecking on the ground. Large plastic tubing or similar that is safe and large enough for a chicken to go in to explore may provide satisfaction for curious egg layers! Reduced stress leads to less disease and other ailments, so providing these additions can save money and provide many more eggs over
time!
Most folks feel that it is easier to purchase a chicken coop or hen house that is as ready to use as possible. This gives you the ability to focus on your flock and not on never ending trips to the lumber yard! Either way, your new coop must provide adequate roosting poles for sleeping and nesting boxes for egg laying. Rule of thumb here is to allow about 10 inches of perch length per hen for your roosting poles. For nesting boxes, one standard 14 inch box should be adequate for the laying needs of 4 to 5 hens. Experts suggest that although it may cost a bit more, you will
have greater success and less problems if you put 2 Chicken Feeders and 2 Chicken Waterers inside your coop. The Chicken Waterers are also sometimes called Poultry Founts. By providing 2 of each, the chances of anyone starving because of the "pecking order" is greatly reduced. Keep the water and food off the floor if possible. Some say to set them so the bottom of the waterer and the lip of the feeder are at approximately the level of your smallest chickens back
height. Raising these helps to reduce wasted food and keep the environment cleaner and drier. Line the floor with 6 to 12 inches of pine shavings, paper litter, sawdust or whatever material offers good absorbency, suits your budget and is readily available. Pine Shavings are often available and used to line horse stalls, so they tend to be economical and available year round. Scoop out the messes and add bedding material as necessary. Remove all the bedding and
scrub out your coop at least twice a year.
To protect your investment, your flock and your family's attachment to you hens, you should consider adding an electrical source to your new chicken coop. We always feel that hiring an electrician is best and if you are serious about having a flock, this is the right way to go. If this is not economically possible, then (be careful) and try to run an extension cord that is adequate
for distance and need, to your coop. It should be protected from puddles and only used as labeled. In cold areas during Winter, you may need to add a heat lamp. If so suspend it securely in your coop and make it fool proof so it will be effective but without the hens getting hurt or starting a fire. It may also be necessary to either purchase Heated Poultry Waterers or use Galvanized Waterers on a Poultry Heater Base, to keep the bird's water from freezing. It is
critical to prevent this. Again, having an electric source is necessary.
Lastly, any steps that you can take to keep harmony in your chicken coop or hen house
will keep your flock healthier and laying more eggs, certainly with less problems along the way. Some folks purchase toys for large caged pet birds such as Parrots, to allow chickens to play with to reduce stress. Hanging ones with mirrors and bells are popular. Rotating toys can have benefits too. Other considerations include hanging lettuce or a similar vegetable in a mesh bag to
allow for pecking, or to put sand or grain in a small container to allow for pecking on the ground. Large plastic tubing or similar that is safe and large enough for a chicken to go in to explore may provide satisfaction for curious egg layers! Reduced stress leads to less disease and other ailments, so providing these additions can save money and provide many more eggs over
time!