6 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Hen House Designs
Hen house designs provide a way to allow prospective chicken farmers to own a chicken coop without the added expense of purchasing it brand new.
These plans can often be followed in steps to produce a quality chicken house regardless of coop building experience.
Before beginning a project, you should keep a few things in consideration to get the most out your hen house designs.
How Big The size of your coop will be dependent upon the number of chickens you plan to have.
It would be beneficial to determine the number of birds you plan to own in the future, so you can build a coop large enough to house all your birds.
If you only have one chicken now but plan to own 10, you should build a coop to fit ten.
Dangerous Predators Having backyard chickens can be fun to have but can also invite unwanted predators.
Chickens can be easy prey to animals such as skunks, raccoons, cats, and other rodents.
The best way to protect your flock is to build a wire mesh fence around the structure.
The fence should run about a foot deep into the ground to prevent animals from digging underneath.
Cleaning Having a chicken coop requires upkeep and maintenance.
Chickens are known to messy by leaving chicken droppings and spreading nesting materials throughout the coop.
Your hen house designs should allow you to access the structure for regular cleaning.
Having multiple access points can help make upkeep an easier job.
An elevated coop with a slight slope can will help protect the coop from flooding.
Other Essentials Raising chickens involve more than just building a coop.
The chickens need nesting boxes, feeders and roosts.
Each chicken needs about 4 square feet of space.
You also need space to accommodate the nesting boxes and feeders.
You also need to be able to access the coop to collect the eggs, therefore the nesting boxes should be in an area that allows you to access the eggs.
Climate control Depending upon where you live, you need to keep climate control in mind.
Your chicken coop needs to be well ventilated to allow air flow throughout the coop during the hot summer months.
Conversely, it needs to be well insulated to keep them warm in the winter and to prevent illnesses.
A good way to control air flow is to build your coop with windows and doors that can be opened and shut.
Location If you plan to build a fixed structure, you need to find a place in your yard that won't compromise too much space.
It shouldn't be near trees that can block the sunlight that your chickens need.
Also, your local laws might dictate where your coop can be located therefore you should research your local ordinances before building.
Hen house designs provide a cheap alternative to purchasing a new chicken coop.
If you plan to build a chicken coop, be sure to take the above into consideration before embarking on this project.
These plans can often be followed in steps to produce a quality chicken house regardless of coop building experience.
Before beginning a project, you should keep a few things in consideration to get the most out your hen house designs.
How Big The size of your coop will be dependent upon the number of chickens you plan to have.
It would be beneficial to determine the number of birds you plan to own in the future, so you can build a coop large enough to house all your birds.
If you only have one chicken now but plan to own 10, you should build a coop to fit ten.
Dangerous Predators Having backyard chickens can be fun to have but can also invite unwanted predators.
Chickens can be easy prey to animals such as skunks, raccoons, cats, and other rodents.
The best way to protect your flock is to build a wire mesh fence around the structure.
The fence should run about a foot deep into the ground to prevent animals from digging underneath.
Cleaning Having a chicken coop requires upkeep and maintenance.
Chickens are known to messy by leaving chicken droppings and spreading nesting materials throughout the coop.
Your hen house designs should allow you to access the structure for regular cleaning.
Having multiple access points can help make upkeep an easier job.
An elevated coop with a slight slope can will help protect the coop from flooding.
Other Essentials Raising chickens involve more than just building a coop.
The chickens need nesting boxes, feeders and roosts.
Each chicken needs about 4 square feet of space.
You also need space to accommodate the nesting boxes and feeders.
You also need to be able to access the coop to collect the eggs, therefore the nesting boxes should be in an area that allows you to access the eggs.
Climate control Depending upon where you live, you need to keep climate control in mind.
Your chicken coop needs to be well ventilated to allow air flow throughout the coop during the hot summer months.
Conversely, it needs to be well insulated to keep them warm in the winter and to prevent illnesses.
A good way to control air flow is to build your coop with windows and doors that can be opened and shut.
Location If you plan to build a fixed structure, you need to find a place in your yard that won't compromise too much space.
It shouldn't be near trees that can block the sunlight that your chickens need.
Also, your local laws might dictate where your coop can be located therefore you should research your local ordinances before building.
Hen house designs provide a cheap alternative to purchasing a new chicken coop.
If you plan to build a chicken coop, be sure to take the above into consideration before embarking on this project.