Keeping Pet Chickens - 3 Tips For Providing the Best Home For Your Feathered Friends
So you have decided that you are going to join the ever-growing band of eco-warriors and start keeping pet chickens.
A wise decision.
Chickens offer so much, they are fun pets, they are easy and inexpensive to keep and they regularly produce those wonderful delicious eggs.
However, there are a number of important considerations to be made so that your feathered ladies are going to be happy, healthy, safe and in that egg laying mood.
The most important of these is providing a suitable home for them.
So, when deciding on that all important item, the following trips should prove valuable: Space It is very important that your ladies have enough room inside their coop.
Cramming chickens into too small a space can increase stress levels so that their health will suffer and it could dramatically reduce their life expectancy.
As a general rule of thumb, allow 4 square feet for each chicken Light & Ventilation If chickens are to be productive egg layers they will require an adequate supply of light.
Again a general rule is to have one light for every 40 square feet of coop.
This should be enough to keep your ladies in the egg laying mood.
It is important that they have adequate ventilation as believe it or not, chickens do sweat.
This could also be harmful to their overall health, so ensure that their home is well ventilated.
Safety It is not only you that find chickens so appealing, there are numerous predators that will licking their lips at the thought of an easy, succulent meal.
So, protecting your chickens from the like of raccoons, foxes, skunks and other chicken lovers, is an essential consideration.
Site your coop in a place where predators can be easily seen and deterred and, of course, ensure that the perimeter of their home is secure, for example, by building a strong secure fence.
This is a brief outline of the most important things that you should consider when planning a home for your flock of hens.
There are, of course, other factors that also need to be considered, such as positioning of perches and nest boxes etc.
, so you should learn all you can about caring for your chickens, before making any final decision.
There is one final important consideration which concerns you rather than the chickens and that is cost.
It stands to reason, that you should purchase the best home possible that your budget will allow.
Alternatively, you could provide a very good home at a much reduced cost, by building your own.
You do not need to be a master craftsman.
If you have average woodworking skills, then by choosing the right advice and guidance you could create a hen house that would be a haven for your egg laying pets and something you could be really proud of.
It would certainly add to the fun aspect of your " keeping pet chickens" venture.
A wise decision.
Chickens offer so much, they are fun pets, they are easy and inexpensive to keep and they regularly produce those wonderful delicious eggs.
However, there are a number of important considerations to be made so that your feathered ladies are going to be happy, healthy, safe and in that egg laying mood.
The most important of these is providing a suitable home for them.
So, when deciding on that all important item, the following trips should prove valuable: Space It is very important that your ladies have enough room inside their coop.
Cramming chickens into too small a space can increase stress levels so that their health will suffer and it could dramatically reduce their life expectancy.
As a general rule of thumb, allow 4 square feet for each chicken Light & Ventilation If chickens are to be productive egg layers they will require an adequate supply of light.
Again a general rule is to have one light for every 40 square feet of coop.
This should be enough to keep your ladies in the egg laying mood.
It is important that they have adequate ventilation as believe it or not, chickens do sweat.
This could also be harmful to their overall health, so ensure that their home is well ventilated.
Safety It is not only you that find chickens so appealing, there are numerous predators that will licking their lips at the thought of an easy, succulent meal.
So, protecting your chickens from the like of raccoons, foxes, skunks and other chicken lovers, is an essential consideration.
Site your coop in a place where predators can be easily seen and deterred and, of course, ensure that the perimeter of their home is secure, for example, by building a strong secure fence.
This is a brief outline of the most important things that you should consider when planning a home for your flock of hens.
There are, of course, other factors that also need to be considered, such as positioning of perches and nest boxes etc.
, so you should learn all you can about caring for your chickens, before making any final decision.
There is one final important consideration which concerns you rather than the chickens and that is cost.
It stands to reason, that you should purchase the best home possible that your budget will allow.
Alternatively, you could provide a very good home at a much reduced cost, by building your own.
You do not need to be a master craftsman.
If you have average woodworking skills, then by choosing the right advice and guidance you could create a hen house that would be a haven for your egg laying pets and something you could be really proud of.
It would certainly add to the fun aspect of your " keeping pet chickens" venture.