Click Here to get complete chicken coop plans now!
Building your chicken coop is a great way to save money and a great way to make sure it meets your needs completely. We had to rebuild part of our house because we made some mistakes that made our house dirty and difficult to clean. Why? Because we didn't properly meet the instinctual needs of the chickens.
We've learned a lot along the way and now I'd like to pass those lessons on to you.
Before You Begin Construction:
If you are building a coop yourself that is awesome, but you may want to save yourself a lot of trouble and get some chicken coop plans. Then you will have all the information you need from someone who has done it already. It will make things go much faster and smoother for you.
ChickenDIYGuides is a really well-done resource. It's easy to use, very detailed, and they have plans for small, medium and large coops. They even have a contest that you can enter your finished coop in! How cool is that?
There are a few basic considerations that absolutely have to be part of your chicken coop; nesting boxes and roosting bars.
When we first built our coop we had all of these wonderful nesting boxes, enough for all the chickens, and we figured they would snuggle and sleep in the boxes. Umm, NO! That is not how chickens sleep at night. They ended up roosting on this little ledge on the top row of boxes and defecating in the boxes at night.
Chickens need roosting bars at night. They need elevated bars that they can "roost"on. Now, if you build properly you can take advantage of this fact. There will be a lot of droppings underneath the roosting area so if you set it up properly it can be super easy to clean up. One swipe from underneath the roosting area and you are done.
Be aware of any other ledges, even the smallest one, because a chicken will take advantage of it and poop all night long on whatever is underneath that ledge.
The other necessity it nesting boxes. This is where your chickens will lay there eggs. If designed properly there will be minimal droppings in the boxes and your eggs will be clean. The chickens will generally chose not to defecate in the boxes.
I recommend your boxes be enclosed with a top and only open in the front to avoid having a chicken roost on a ledge and defecating into the box.
Now for your outdoor area....
Are you in a position to let your chickens roam free or do they need to be contained within fencing?
If they will be free-roaming be sure to give them time inside their coop, day and night, to learn that this is the place that they should return to at night. Then every night at dusk, they will return to their coop for roosting instinctively.
If they will need to be contained within fencing then you may consider making a larger area with chicken wire. Part of you outdoor area should be sheltered if you get severe weather, but most of it should be open to the elements.
You will definitely need to cover the entire top to protect them from predators. Whether by foot or by flight, a predator will try to get your chickens. Keep them safe.
Now remember to design an area that will be very easy for you to access to refill feeders and waterers every day.
ChickenDIYGuides is a really well-done resource. It's easy to use, very detailed, and they have plans for small, medium and large coops. They even have a contest that you can enter your finished coop in! How cool is that?
There are a few basic considerations that absolutely have to be part of your chicken coop; nesting boxes and roosting bars.
When we first built our coop we had all of these wonderful nesting boxes, enough for all the chickens, and we figured they would snuggle and sleep in the boxes. Umm, NO! That is not how chickens sleep at night. They ended up roosting on this little ledge on the top row of boxes and defecating in the boxes at night.
Chickens need roosting bars at night. They need elevated bars that they can "roost"on. Now, if you build properly you can take advantage of this fact. There will be a lot of droppings underneath the roosting area so if you set it up properly it can be super easy to clean up. One swipe from underneath the roosting area and you are done.
Be aware of any other ledges, even the smallest one, because a chicken will take advantage of it and poop all night long on whatever is underneath that ledge.
The other necessity it nesting boxes. This is where your chickens will lay there eggs. If designed properly there will be minimal droppings in the boxes and your eggs will be clean. The chickens will generally chose not to defecate in the boxes.
I recommend your boxes be enclosed with a top and only open in the front to avoid having a chicken roost on a ledge and defecating into the box.
Now for your outdoor area....
Are you in a position to let your chickens roam free or do they need to be contained within fencing?
If they will be free-roaming be sure to give them time inside their coop, day and night, to learn that this is the place that they should return to at night. Then every night at dusk, they will return to their coop for roosting instinctively.
If they will need to be contained within fencing then you may consider making a larger area with chicken wire. Part of you outdoor area should be sheltered if you get severe weather, but most of it should be open to the elements.
You will definitely need to cover the entire top to protect them from predators. Whether by foot or by flight, a predator will try to get your chickens. Keep them safe.
Now remember to design an area that will be very easy for you to access to refill feeders and waterers every day.
Click Here to get started on your chicken coop!
A Few More Tips About Chickens
Once our chickens were adults we started feeding them layer crumbles. On occasion, when we notice that the shells are getting a little fragile, we add oyster shell to their diet. It is a needed nutrient to lay down strong shells.
We knew we could feed kitchen scraps to our chickens but we thought they would just get things like lettuce and vegetables. Boy were we wrong! They will eat everything!! They get a small bowl of kitchen scraps everyday. They love, love, love it and we feel like we are not wasting anything. Not to mention that they are getting a wide variety of nutrition, they are very healthy and happy, and lay a lot of eggs regularly!
I hope you have the option of letting your chickens roam free during the day. It has so many benefits...
I truly hope you get as much enjoyment from your chickens as we do!
Have fun!
Once our chickens were adults we started feeding them layer crumbles. On occasion, when we notice that the shells are getting a little fragile, we add oyster shell to their diet. It is a needed nutrient to lay down strong shells.
We knew we could feed kitchen scraps to our chickens but we thought they would just get things like lettuce and vegetables. Boy were we wrong! They will eat everything!! They get a small bowl of kitchen scraps everyday. They love, love, love it and we feel like we are not wasting anything. Not to mention that they are getting a wide variety of nutrition, they are very healthy and happy, and lay a lot of eggs regularly!
I hope you have the option of letting your chickens roam free during the day. It has so many benefits...
- The chickens will thrive because they get added nutrition from eating insects all day - their natural diet.
- They will dramatically cut down on the insects in your yard - good for you!
- It is very enjoyable and relaxing to see chickens walking around your yard. I don't know why. There's something very natural and relaxing about it. There is some chicken poop here and there but not too much and it washes away very easily!
I truly hope you get as much enjoyment from your chickens as we do!
Have fun!
