Chicken Coup Plans - 5 Things You Must Know Before Building Chicken Coups
Chicken coups can be bought or they can be built. Building a chicken coup will save you money and give you the freedom to select a style or design to suit your needs. Before starting your project, there are five things you must know about your new feathered friends.
Chickens need their space: Make sure you provide a minimum of four square feet per standard chicken in the coup and ten square feet per chicken in the run. Build a coup bigger than you think you will need. Chicken raising is addictive and it is easier to build a big one now than have to build a second coup a year from now.
Chickens will poop everywhere if given the opportunity: Make sure you position feeders and waterers out of harms way. Do not allow the chickens to roost on their nesting boxes, because they will poop on them. Place poop trays under their roosts.
Chicken like to eat foam insulation: In cold climates and (sometimes in very hot climates) your chicken coup will need to be insulated. Be careful what you use, or you chickens might decide it is food!
Chicken predators can be quite ingenious:. They will swoop from above (eg: hawks), attack from the ground, and try to burrow under the run or the coup. When building fencing make sure you cover the top of the coup and run and dig down about a foot to keep the predators out.
Chickens make great pets: You might want to build your chickens house close to your back door so that the chickens are close by to keep you and your kids entertained.
Raising chickens can be a very rewarding experience and building your own chicken coup can save you money and bring a feeling of accomplishment. By taking into account the above five factors you can build a safe and comfortable home for your new flock.
Leslie Wallis is a long-time gardener who has recently discovered the pleasures of raising backyard chickens. For more information on raising chickens and the best chicken house plans visit http://simplechickenhouseplans.com
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