subject: Chicken Comforts when Building your Chicken Coop [print this page] Chicken Comforts when Building your Chicken Coop
There are three key objectives you need to achieve when designing and building your chicken coop. These are to ensure your chickens are kept safe and well protected from predators and your environment. You must ensure your chicken coop is well ventilated, but not drafty, and finally it needs to be easy to keep clean and maintained.
Once you have these basics covered you can focus on other aspects of your chicken coop to keep your chickens comfortable. Here are four tips to keep your chickens productive and happy.
Give them light If you have chicks or want to have your hens laying all year round, then you will need to run some power through for lighting into your chicken coop.
Automatic Food and Water dispensers automatic dispensers provide a certain amount of food each day for the chickens and ensures fresh water is available all day long. You should still check your dispensers each day as you never know when one may malfunction or in the case of cold climates your water may freeze.
Keep them warm Chickens don't like freezing temperatures, so make sure if you live in a cold environment, you insulate your chicken coop. This will help the chickens keep warm at night, along with using each other's body heat when they are roosting.
Keen them cool If you live in a hot environment, then make sure your coop is well shaded to protect them from the heat. Of course, make sure they have plenty of fresh water as well.
Like you, chickens like to feel comfortable, and once you have the basics covered when designing chicken coop, try to include some of the above to make your chickens really feel they can call their coop home!
