subject: What Kind Of Chicken Coop Should I Build? [print this page] Before you start building chicken coops you need to analyse your surroundings and needs. Do you want a permanent fixture or a moveable coop? Will the chickens spend all their time in the coop, have a run or be allowed to wonder around unpenned? Area The main factor that will determine the size of chicken coop you need is the number of chickens you keep. It is always a safe bet to make the coop slightly larger than you need it for future breeding. If your building chicken coops with an outdoor run you should give the birds about three square feet each in the coops with four square feet in the run, or as much as your space allows as bigger space mean happier and less aggressive chickens. Chickens will not like to wonder onto snowy surfaces so if your birds will be penned in throughout the winter make sure they have between five and ten square feet. Chicken that will be in an ark without outdoor access need to have at least 5 square feet each. Features There are thousands of options when building chicken coops. Chicken coops range from small box like coops to large scale multi-storey coops housing over twenty birds. The options seem endless which can give you a headache when choosing your design. In building chicken coops in urban areas you will need a design that it secure, the last thing you want is your birds escaping into next door's garden. In urban areas you may also be more concerned about how attractive the coop is. Most people keep chickens to produce eggs. In this case you will have to have four or five nest boxes per hen in your coop. Chickens that are laying need to roost, roosts should be a couple of feet off the ground with about a foot of space per bird. Nesting boxes should also be a few feet off the ground and should be at least one square foot. Communal nesting boxes should feature at least one a foot opening in every twenty square foot of space. Roosts can easily be made by attaching ladders or branches against the walls of the coop. Nesting boxes can easily be made from recycling household objects. A good ventilation system is essential, carbon monoxide and gases from the birds waste can soon build up. Bear in mind that chickens like shade so position your coops correctly and include shady spots in you plans. Dust baths can be included in the plans or you can use the natural ground around the coop. This is just a handful of the design features you need to consider when building chicken coops. Check out Building Chicken Coops HQ dot com for more Info.
