If you are planning to build a Do It Yourself (DIY) chicken house for your backyard, here’s a couple of tips that you can use.

When preparing the flooring of the chicken coop, use dried straw. The chicken house should be littered at all time with straw six to eight inches deep. When it becomes wet or damps, the straw should be replaced. A fresh layer of straw should also be laid when the old straw is badly broken or full of droppings.

When dropping broad is used on the DIY chicken coop, it should be cleaned at least once a week. No doing do will lead to disease germs and the accumulation of mites.

Furthermore, if the bird droppings are not cleaned, the feet of the chicken become soiled hence causing large percentage of dirty eggs. In some severe cases, toxic gases are given off decaying manure.

If you want to keep your bantams healthy, the chicken housing should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a year. Use a 3 percent mixture of compound solution or cresol or a good stock dip to soak every part of the coop.

When raising chicken in your backyard, the most common poultry parasites are mites and lice. Usually you will find mites beneath the perches or in the corners of the nests rather than on the fowl’s body. The mites will only attach to the chicken’s body long enough to feed.

Mites can be killed easier by using a can of aerosol. The make sure you get all the mites, repeat the spraying process 2 or 3 times. This is in order to get rid of newly hatched mites.

Lice on the other hand are a bit tricky to handle. They spend most of their life on the chicken therefore are not affected by cleaning or spraying. To control lice, you may need dust baths, dust powers or blue ointment.

To get rid of lice on the birds, use a good lice powder which can be made by mixing 3 parts of gasoline with one part of cresol and gradually stirring in plaster of Paris or building cement to take up the moisture.

After drying, this mixture is ready for applying to mature fowls. The mixture should be applied thoroughly.

Homemade Chicken Coop Plans

Looking for a good chicken coop plan? If you are, check out Bill Keene’s Building a Chicken Coop Plan manual. The guide comes with a complete blueprint with step by step instructions. Click on the link below for more information.

==> Click here to visit Building a Chicken Coop now!

What I am referring here is the actual time needed to take care of the daily chores.

Just like any other household pets such as dog, cat, gold fish or parakeet, you will need to allocate some time every day to take care of them.

The following are 3 basic requirements anyone should have if they are planning to have poultry at their home.

1) Construction time.

Do you have time to build the chicken coop for the birds?

Building a functional chicken housing can take some time. You need to acquire a proper chicken coop plan and then finish the construction before you get the chicken.

Just like any home improvement job, you have to plan how much time you are willing to put into the project.

How’s your building skill?

Your knowledge on handling building material and experience will also determine how much time you have to devote to the project.

2) Preparing the right living space.

An adult full-sized chicken will need a minimum of 2 square feet of floor space for shelter. If the bird cannot go outside during cold climate, it needs at least 3 square feet of internal chicken coop space to run around.

Here’s a quick space estimate for 4 hens in your backyard. You need to have 2 feet by 4 feet and the outside pen another 2 feet by 6 feet so that your total space used would be 2 feet by 10 feet.

Obviously, if you have more chicken, the space required will increase. Make sure you have sufficient space for the chicken coop in your backyard.

3) Capital investment.

Finally, you need money buy the chicken. Rooster, hen and chicks are not really expensive. Unless you are planning to get the rare breeds, the budget to purchase the bantams are quite small.

Adult hens that are healthy and capable of laying eggs cost less than $10. Chicks of most breeds cost a few dollars only. If you have other friends breeding their own chickens at home, you may get the chicks for free.

If the place you are staying does not allow you to raise chicken, you can confront this restriction by finding out the procedure for amending the law or zoning in your location.

Sometimes, all you need to do is a request a zoning variance. Doing so will allow you to keep the chickens based on your particular circumstances.

Sometimes, getting the permission to raise chicken at home is just a formality. If you are unlucky, it can turn into a major court battle. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to go that far because of all the hassle. In other cases, you’ll probably be required to attend a commission meeting and state your case.

Go to your local town office and check with the city clerk, the township supervisor or other local government official in regards to your request.

They will advise you whether a planning commission meeting or other committee meeting is required. Find out the date, time and location of the meeting. You want to make sure you attend the meeting to present your case. Sometimes, you need to make an appointment to speak at the meeting or to bring up certain issues.

What do you need when you want to raise chicken at home and you are confronted with local restrictions?

You will need lots of patient. Some of the zoning changes can take months of discussion and mulling over. If you do not succeed the first time, ask what you can do to change the outcome the next time.

Then try and present your request again. It will take some iron will on your part. Sooner or later, you will get what you want if you have a compelling case.

It’s strange isn’t it?

There may be a few reasons for this. Your neighbor may have gotten a zoning change for their property. Here’s another thing, your neighbor may be keeping the chicken and unknowingly breaking the law!

So, how would you know if you are allowed to raise chicken at your home?

You can start by looking at your property deed. If you recently purchased your home, your deed and your sales agreement should have your zoning listed on them.

Here’s a tip. If you are unable to locate the record of how your property is zoned, then head over to your city, village, or township hall and ask whether you can look at a zoning map. Some county offices will have a copy of the map you can purchase.

If you stay in a large urban area, it will take you a bit of leg work. Firstly, go to the planning board or office to check if your property is allowed to keep bantams.

Sometimes, you can also get your questions answered by the county clerk or an animal control officer.

If you don’t want to get yourself in trouble for keeping chickens at home, don’t just take the word of your neighbors or people not connected to local government that it’s alright.

If you’re in the midst of buying a home, don’t even take the word of the real estate agents about being able to keep chickens or even about the property zoning.

You have no way of knowing if the information you’re getting is legitimate. Make the effort and find the answer yourself.

Trust me, it will worth your while.

You don’t want to have all your chickens confiscated and you are being issued a fine six months down the road.

Related web pages:

1) Building A Chicken Coop Plans Guide By Bill Keene Review

2) Mary Nelson Chicken DIY Guide And Plans Review

Why do you want to raise your own chickens at home? Chickens are very colorful and they make very pretty moving ornaments for your yard. Chickens can also furnish your breakfast with fresh organic eggs. Not a lot of other household pets can do that.

Raising chickens at home does require a lot of care and attention. Not to mention some monetary expenses. But the most important issue you have to consider when planning to raise chicken in your backyard is the legal aspect.

It is not uncommon to see chickens running around in a suburban area. People want to raise the bantams at home and many communities are bowing to public pressure and allowing chicken keeping.

Unfortunately, not all communities have such ruling.

Does your neighborhood allow you to keep chickens at home?

The family raising chicks in their backyard may be breaking the law unknowingly.

Therefore, before you head out to buy some chicken for your backyard, make sure you check with the local county and verify if there are any laws forbidding you to keep the bantam.

If you look into the local land code, almost all properties are classified into zoning areas. The only places with no zoning are undeveloped areas.

Each type of zoning has laws which state what can and cannot be done in that particular zone. This is to regulate the growth of the community and to keep property use in an area uniform.

Zoning classification is the responsibility of local governments. Hence, the best place to check on local ordinances is at the county office.

This is highly recommended just in case your neighbors complain about the noise made by your chicken. The chickens can be confiscated and you may end up with a hefty fine.

Related blog post:
1) Bill Keene’s chicken coop plans review

2) Mobile chicken coop design – Portable chicken coop that works

Among all the animals that people raise as pets, chickens are the most unique. Unlike dogs, cats or exotic birds, chicken can produce something edible.

As a matter of fact, raising chicken as pets can pay off after some time as they can be a source for fresh poultry and eggs. You can save a lot of money by not spending on such items in the supermarket.

As many people are looking into a healthy and organic living, many people are considering to raise chicken in their own backyard. Should you take up the idea? The following are 3 great reasons why raising your own chicken at home make sense.

1) Loveable personalities.

This may come as a surprise to you but each chicken has their own individual personality. Besides, chickens are very pleasing to look at because of their assorted colors and patterns.

They are also very cuddly due to their unique shape and soft feathers. Just like any household pets, you will be tempted to spoil them or even dress them up in little sweater and cap.

2) Good environmental care.

If you have a lawn, consider chicken as a natural groomer for your grass. The bantams love to range freely.

As they roam, they would gladly eat any garden pests they encounter. They also do some grass cutting chores for you as chicken love to eat grass and greeneries.

Whatever they eat can become organic fertilizer for your garden. Chicken droppings can be used to produce the best black gold soil which are rich in nitrogen.

3) Low maintenance pets.

Compared to other household animal, chickens require the least amount of care.

All you have to do is make sure there’s food and fresh water for them. Once in a while, clean the beddings and make sure its dry.

Apart from that, chicken pretty much would mind their own business.

One thing is for sure, because of their small size, chickens tend to be preyed on by other urban animals such as dogs, cats, large rats, raccoons, hawks etc.

To keep the bird safe in your backyard, it would be best to build a chicken coop for them to live in. The coop will keep the predators at a bay and at the same time, shelter they from the cold climate.

If you are good with hand tools, you can build a DIY chicken coop quite easily. All you need is a good design blueprint and some building material.

To get your hands on a set of chicken coop plans, check out the “Building a Chicken Coop” e-book. The manual was written by Bill Keene, a chicken farmer with more than 20 years experience. For more information, read the Building a Chicken Coop review on this blog.

==> Click here to read more about Building a Chicken Coop

There are many advantages of raising chicken in your own backyard. However, raising chicken in an urban environment is somewhat uncommon.

Many people are not aware that chicken can actually make great pets. Apart from the organic eggs and poultry meet chickens can produce, the birds are actually quite fun to cuddle.

Before you rush off to buy a couple of chicks to raise in your backyard, here are 3 important things you have to consider.

1) Do you have time?

No doubt chickens are low maintenance, but you will still need some time for daily care and maintenance.

You may need only 15 to 20 minutes a day to care for them. The time required may be longer if you have a large number of chickens in your backyard.

The time spend taking care of the bantam will be on replenishing their food and water dispenser. You will also have to spend time cleaning and making sure the beddings are dry.

2) Do you have the space?

Is the space in your backyard big enough for the chickens? It is highly recommended that you allocate at least 6 square feet of space per bird to run around in your backyard. The more space the better.

The chicken will need space to forage for insect, grass and weeds. The more space you can provide them, the healthier and more contented they will be.

The number of bantams you can keep is the direct reflection of how much extra space you have in your backyard.

3) Can you keep chickens in your neighborhood?

Some towns or districts do not allow raising of chicken in the neighborhood. You have to check with your local authorities and ordinances regarding backyard chicken raising.

You may have to get the necessary health or zoning permit since what you plan to do is not on a commercial level anyway.

Pay special attention to this area. You don’t want the officials to come to your house to take your chickens away because you’ve violated some local laws.

Backyard Chicken Coop

If you are planning to keep chicken in your backyard, it is best to make a chicken coop for them to live in. The chicken house will keep the birds safe from predators.

If you are looking for a simple chicken coop design blueprint, check out the Building A Chicken Coop guide from Bill Keene. Bill Keene is a seasoned chicken farmer with years experience raising chicken.

To find out more, read the Building A Chicken Coop review on the main page of this blog.

==> Click here to read more about Building A Chicken Coop now!

Have you ever wonder what is it like raising chicken at home? I had a friend that asked me that question a couple of days ago. To answer that question, I’ve decided to search for other people that are raising their own chickens at home on the internet. Many people keep a personal web journal.

I’ve spent about 2 hours surfing the web to find the following blog posts. These are real people who are raising chicken at home. Check it out.

Barnyard to backyard, chickens come home to roost – Revival of raising chickens seen on Seacoast. By Amy Kane. In an abandoned chicken house in the woods in Kensington, turkey vultures roost on the third floor and raccoons live on the second. Years ago, the vast wooden structure was home …

Raising Chicken and Ducks – I took an excellent workshop at Garden for the Environment last Saturday. I learned about raising chickens and ducks. Here are my notes from the workshop. Keep in mind that they are notes and I am no expert…

Grow Your Own – They don’t have bad habits on raising chickens. “Growers don’t fret”. You are not losing a market. It should be opportunity for you to be creative and get several steps more up the ladder…or several steps sideways, …

Caring For Chicks: The First Six Weeks – Raising your flock of hens from day old chicks is rewarding, easy, and inexpensive. A chicken is most vulnerable for the first six weeks of its life which is the general length of time it takes for a chicken to develop their first …

How to raise chickens for fun and food – Raising chickens can be great fun. They are hearty animals so even the novice can keep them with reasonably good success. They provide you with food in the way of eggs and the occasional fryer. They provide enjoyment not only as a hobby …

A visit with the city chickens – I had a recent visit with my friends in Cincinnati who just started raising chickens – it was enlightening! My friends live in a fairly urban area, so while they have a yard, it’s a small one. But they still managed to build two spacious …

What if you don’t want 25 chicks? – The quick and dirty retell: Biccum set up a coop in her backyard where she’s raising 25 chickens for eggs as a way to supplement her fixed income and give the extra eggs to a social services group. Unfortunately, chickens aren’t allowed …

Laying hens – For the last part of my series on raising chickens, I’d like to give you a look at what your chicks will be when they mature into laying hens, producing the precious “country egg” that we all desire and love so much. Maturing Hens: …

Lip Service vs. Getting Physical – Anyway, getting back on topic: we were visiting with friends day before yesterday, when a comment was made about the expense of raising chickens versus just buying them piecemeal at the Supermarket. I kinda got torqued but decided I …

So there it is. Couple of blog posts with real people raising chicken at their home backyard.

Do you want to know how to build your own chicken coop for your backyard. If you do, check out Bill Keene’s Building A Chicken Coop e-book.

The manual will show you step-by-step how to construct a chicken home with inexpensive parts. For more information, read the comprehensive Building A Chicken Coop review on this blog.

==> Click here to read more about Building A Chicken Coop now!

Related web pages:
1) Easy Chicken Coop Plans

2) Chicken Coops For Sale In North America

3) Chicken Nesting Box Dimensions – Easy DIY Chicken Coop

When I am raising chicken at my home backyard, I want a chicken coop to keep the birds safe and healthy. I don’t want the chicken to be exposed to extreme heat or cold. I also want to prevent predators such as dogs, cats, raccoons, hawks etc from killing them. I want to buy a ready made chicken coop for my backyard.

Most of the result listed on the search engine has “chicken coop design plans“, not the actual coop itself. Here’s another approach you can try if you are planning to buy a chicken house.

Go to EBay.com. On the top left, there will be a search bar. Type in the phrase “chicken coop”. Ebay will give you a listing of all the items which have the words chicken coop on them. The next process is to do some filtering.

The last time I did this, it was in June 2009. There were 138 results listed on EBay. To find actual chicken coops for sale, you want to avoid listings with the word “plan”, “design”, “pictures” etc. These are chicken coop blueprints. One thing that I notice, actual chicken housing costs $30 and above and has the words “Free Shipping”. That make sense because if you were to buy it, you want it to be shipped to your home.

Here’s a great listing that I found, Ultimate Chicken Coop Hen House Poultry 007L with a price tag of $449.00. By the time you read this post, the auction may be over and the link may not be working anymore. No problem, just follow the procedure above and I am sure there will be more listing in the future.

If you are good with hand tools and you would prefer to build your own backyard chicken coop, then you can check out Bill Keene’s Building A Chicken Coop step-by-step guide and design blueprints. By building you own chicken coop via Do It Yourself (DIY), you will be saving lots of money where you can use to buy more chicken feed.

==> Click here to get Bill Keene’s Building A Chicken Coop now!

Related web sites:
1) Easy Chicken Coop Plans Review

2) Chickens in Cedar Rapids

3) Raising chickens in Wisconsin