How to house and protect chicken

How to house and protect chicken

How to house and protect chicken

A plan without providing security for the chicken from predators is bound to cause you serious problems.

After all, chicken meat is a favorite meal not only of people but of other carnivorous creatures like wild cats, raccoons, opossums, skunks, stray dogs, rats, snakes and foxes. As predators, they will go through great efforts to break through your coop or chicken house to assert their place in the food chain.

You need to secure your chicken from these predators or you may not be able to get a good rest at night thinking of your flock being devoured by predators that usually go after their prey after dark. Of course, your first line of defense is your coop, which should be constructed using solid lumber to prevent the entry of a predator. A tiny gap in the wood may just be the right opening for a determined predator to chew and claw his way into your coop and snatch your chicken.

Chicken Coop Designs

A chicken house can be best secured by elevating it three to four feet off the ground. It should have a strong flooring to prevent wild animals from attacking your stock from beneath. Your roof should likewise be secured using strong materials. Do not build your coop below a tree to avoid animals from accessing it from the top.

It is also a good idea to provide roosting places in your chicken house which can serve as escape posts when attacked by predators. Most chickens would instinctively perch on them at night, making it difficult for predators to get to their would-be preys with ease.

It's a good idea to use wood shavings on the floor of the coop after sprinkling lime on it to help neutralize odor. Diatomaceous earth, a non-chemical insecticide that is safe for pets and people, may also be sprinkled to control lice and mites. For nesting boxes, natural straws make perfect nesting materials which birds always rearrange to turn them into a perfect bird's nest. Diatomaceous earth may likewise be applied to the nesting boxes for the same purpose.

Chicken coop plans for Small Operators

Small poultry operators handling 100 to 200 birds are the usual victims of predatory birds because the major commercial operators keep theirs confined in coops all the time.

If there are birds of prey in your area, like hawks and eagles, then it is a good idea to build a secure enclosure which can serve as the birds' free range area.

The size of the pen is determined by your flock size, approximately three square feet per bird. If you have 100 birds, for example, your pen size should be at least 30x10 ft in area.

Adequate food supply, fresh water, clean coop, secured roaming are important considerations in keeping and caring for your chickens. If you do all these, you will be adequately rewarded with fresh and nutritious eggs and chicken meat for your family and added income while you enjoy the fresh caress of nature and its bounties.

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