subject: Selecting the Best Hen House for Your Property [print this page] Selecting the Best Hen House for Your Property
If you are considering keeping chickens you'll want to start by preparing a coop for them. There are scores of floor plans and layouts to choose from. This article will cover several of the different types of chicken pens and their uses.
It's easy to decide which type of chicken coop to use when you consider some details. Such as: Does it need to be portable? How many chickens will it hold? How much space is available? All of these things are essential. For instance if you only have a few hens and want to have the freedom to move your henhouse, then a portable coop may be best for you.
Let's look at the small coop design first. Small coops work best with a miniumum number of chickens. Most small pens will accommodate two to six chickens. These coops are designed for people looking to nurture chickens for personal enjoyment. Small coops are generally constructed like little playhouses or sheds with fencing all around. This prevents the hens for escaping into your neighbor's property.
Even though a midium sized chicken coop can hold two times the amount of hens as the small coop, it is not adequate for raising chickens for profit. If you want to raise many chickens but still want the freedom of a portable chicken henhouse, then it would be best to build several mid-sized coops.
Lastly the large chicken coop designs. There are no limitations when it comes to the large coop. You simple make them as large as needed to accommodate the number of chickens you are raising. The standard for the run is 6 sq ft per hen, but enthusiasts recommend 10 sq ft. This means that for twenty hens, you should be sure that you have 200 sq ft of area outside of the coop's footage, for run space.
If you live in an urban area, a closed in portable chicken cage will probably be what works best for you. Closing in the pen area will prevent your hens from becoming your neighbor's pests, as well as reduce the chances of them getting loose and getting hit by passing cars or neighborhood pets such as dogs or cats. However, if you dwell in the country this is not as big of an issue.
