Building a small chicken coop in the backyard can be a great idea, it gives immense pleasure and satisfaction when you collect your own eggs from the chicken coop. It can be a great hobby also as you can devote the extra time for the maintenance of your coop and see your birds growing in front of you.

There are people who build fancy chicken coop, this means extra spending which is not required at all. The only motive should be to build a chicken coop which is neat, clean and provides good light and good ventilation to your birds. While building a chicken coop, these four points will be quite helpful to maintain your own chicken coop.

The Importance Of Sunlight

As already know birds are outdoor creatures, so are chickens, you need to ensure that there is sufficient sunlight during the day. A proper shade is a must as these creatures do not have sweat glands to maintain the body temperature.

The design of the coop must include sufficient windows to have proper ventilation and light, the best direction for placing the chicken coop is south direction which ensures proper exposure to sunlight during most part of the day.

Keeping Your Chickens Warm

Another point to keep in mind is to maintain the warm atmosphere for your chicken, some people use bricks or cement blocks to make their chicken coop look attractive, but they forget such materials become very cold in winters.

Chickens may not complain but the warm atmosphere of the coop will not be there. Chickens need to be kept warm as otherwise, these chickens may become sick and stop laying of eggs.

Wood is a natural choice when you build the coop, use wood as much possible and avoid use of concretes like brick or cement blocks. Wood also provides strong protections from predators and you can paint it as per your choice to make it more attractive.

Keeping Them Dry And Cozy

Since you are using wood in building the chicken coop, you will have to seal it properly, make a roof which has a slope; it has two functions one it looks attractive, two it will not allow water to accumulate during rains. Your coop should be clean and dry, you may also use waterproof sealer, this will ensure the dryness of the coop and the wood will also not rot.

Circulating Fresh Air

Ensure while building the coop it has proper ventilation and the air flows naturally. The fresh air will keep your chickens cool during summer months both overheating and under heating is bad for the health of chickens. Chickens are more vulnerable to heat strokes.

Building a chicken coop could be a fun so long you are ready to dedicate sometime in the maintenance of the coop, this require lot of hard work and proper knowledge. Keeping you coop clean means that there is no bad odor, this might be a point of objection by your neighbors.

A chicken coop is a kind of fence made for keeping chickens. Inside the house there are nest boxes to lay eggs and perches for the birds sleeping purpose. Straw or wood pieces cover the inside and outside of the coop so that the cleaning of the coop becomes easy since these things collect the waste.

A bantam coop requires good ventilation since enough air circulation helps to exhaust bad odours. A coop is usually built of 6 critical components. Before building a coop make an outline of the plan as required.

The construction is not the only factor you have to take care, but you have to consider the colors of the roof and walls. The coop should not bring any confusion to your neighbour or any disturbance to your surroundings.

So the chicken coop should look elegant and should produce good opinion by your neighbours. On constructing a coop you have to apply good power of judgement. The materials used should be such that the cleaning would be an easier labour. The doors should open inwards and if they are sliding doors the better it would be.

The floor should be such that if you wash with water no puddles would be formed. A careful planning before construction makes the chicken coop a better place. The coop should be built in such a way that the chickens be protected from dangers like rain, wind, hail, snow, cold weather etc.

Also be careful of chickens being prey to other animals. Protect the chickens from being stolen. Keep your chicken safe from rainfall by installing convenient windows fitted with mesh wires. Good drainage system is important so that rain water may flow out keeping the area dry.

Let sunlight enter the area to keep chicken warm and dry. A good ventilation is necessary for free air circulation. Another thing the chickens require is air to breathe. Carbon di oxide forming should be removed regularly and let enough fresh air to come inside. You need to keep chickens warm in cold season and ventilated during hot months.

Keep the coop facing towards south will provide enough air and sunlight throughout the day. The coop should be electrified properly so that good lighting source will help producing good eggs all year around. It will be better to install the light on the ceiling at a height. This will keep the chickens warm and lay better eggs.

Water for chickens and feeders should have been kept at proper places so that the chickens can reach to them easily. The containers should be placed carefully bearing in mind that chickens usually like to make a mess of everything they eat. Try to place the feeders at the back of them at a height so that they have to stretch their necks to eat and they can’t reach their feet to the feeders.

You can make your coop comparatively at low cost. When designing the coop give primary importance to their safety. Also be prompt to keep chickens warm and dry during winter and properly ventilated during summer. So constructing a chicken coop will not be a difficult task if you take care of all the factors explained so far and the maintenance also will be an easy job when you follow all the maintenance routine.

Many chicken fosters are faced with the problem of providing a coop for their chickens as buying one has proved to be too expensive but is mandatory for the chickens. Chicken coop is a sheltering home for chickens and therefore needs skilled maintenance depending on their needs.

Hence, persons who want to raise chickens needs to provide and establish a good home that caters to meet their needs especially their safety and provides shelter to them.

Building a chicken coop of excellence is the primary goal of the owner. One can work up to build such coops as they are cheaper than buying and are the residential place for the flocks of chickens. The process is a simple one and essentially involves five steps that can meet the essentials of building a coop of one’s own for their flocks of chicks.

The initial process may take some time but once carried out yields out fruitful results. The first step involved is proper planning for the same. This involves planning of the space required, finance estimation and budgeting, the number of chickens, their sizes and the number of nests needed so and so forth and no to exclude the number of attendants as all of these can guide one to build an adequate-sized backyard coop.

The second step is the exact area and construction size of the coop. This is essential since the chickens do need enough space to wander. There should be adequate sunlight entry and should be away from bushes to prevent the entry of snakes, rodents etc. The coop should also be easily accessible.

The third step is the sketching up one’s own design. This does not require architectural skills, just a plain outline drawing of the same to ensure that there is no omission of any vital point. Collection of information on the availability of resourceful materials needed for the construction that is economical and long lasting. This ensures a safe construction and avoids hassles during the building up these coops.

The fourth step involved is the actual collection of all the required materials. This may be a tedious process and may take most of the time but when done properly ensures a safe building up that provides good shelter to the chickens or the hens.

The last and the fifth step involved is the actual construction. This needs a meticulous and careful handling with enough sunlight, good ventilation, plenty of space, easy to clean and with insulation properties that are amicable to weather changes.

Not but the least is ensuring a proper locking system in order to safeguard them from environmental enemies like not only of animal kinds but also of humans. A safe and proper initiation of the above-mentioned guidelines does enhance safe and protective coops that are easy to handle and maintain, the chickens are also comfortable in their safe environment with proper shelter and are away from danger and that is what the essential feature of ones backyard coop is.

There are many types of chicken that lay exclusively white eggs. While the eggs laid by a number of chickens of this type are of high-quality, eggs laid by a few others have weak layers.

Those who are keen in maintaining a small flock of chickens in their backyard should consider a few factors regarding the breed of chicken and other related aspects before making the decision.

Here are some guidelines, which may be help in choosing the right type of chickens that lay white eggs. White Leghorn chickens are rated very high for laying large number of big –sized white eggs. Their feathers are perfect white in color.

However, these types of chicken cannot provide fresh meat because of their small body structure. Apart from an enclosed area there should be a cover on the top as white Leghorn chickens tend to fly over the enclosure.

They are of tough breed and keep good health even in severe temperatures. Brown Leghorn chickens are not as familiar as the White Leghorn varieties; nevertheless they are a good option as white egg layers. The hens of this type are attractive with brown color and the fowls are quite good-looking with brown, black and red colors of feathers all over their trunks.

Even though they do not produce as well as the White Leghorn chickens, Brown Leghorn chickens are also highly productive known for laying big white eggs. They are also difficult to breed.

Another variety, California White is a hybrid white egg laying hen. It is also rated as high as White Leghorn for egg output and laying large white eggs. It is known for rapid development compared to other breeds.

As it is hybrid variety, it will not reproduce properly and therefore, for those planning to have a large stock of chickens in future; this type would not be suitable. However, those interested only in white egg production, the tough breed California White could be a very good choice.

Ancona chickens have small body structure, but lay high-quality white eggs. Although the sizes of eggs are small, still they are preferred choice because of their attractive features. They are very beautiful, with black feathers and ‘white speckles’.

They are also tough breed and their combs may freeze in winter season. Ancona chickens are free roaming type and do not like being shut in an enclosure.

Buff Catalanas are among the heaviest white egg laying hens and therefore, serve double purpose of providing meat as well as white eggs. This type of white egg laying breed is somewhat uncommon and can be seen on the internet as day old baby birds.

They have very attractive features, with grey legs, the body trunks ranging from buff to red and black tails. Catalanas are also tough chicken breed ‘Production Blacks’ are known for laying the highest number of eggs out of all the breeds. They are very beautiful with black and silver striped feathers on hens as well as roosters.

Even though they were originally grown by cross-breeding, they can also breed on their own so that one can also plan to hatch exclusive flock of this type of chicks. They are a small breed and are comfortable in severe temperatures.

There are many more varieties of white egg laying chickens but are not known for laying large quantities of white eggs. However, one can add these breeds to the flock of fowls mainly for their beautiful looks and novelty.

Owning a small flock of chicken is the new trend nowadays and city dwellers are discovering the delights of raising their own chicken. This article tackles the basics of raising and maintaining a few chickens in an urban setting.

But first, what are the benefits of raising hens? Well, there are many.

Aside from being an excellent source of food hens will help you in your pest control, to grow a healthy garden and can even be a pet to your children. Since insects, including potentially harmful insects like grasshoppers, fire ants, ticks, termites, fleas, flies are all food for the hens they act as a means of natural pest control.

Chicken are even known to kill and eat scorpions! So, when you have chicken you can stop spending money on dangerous chemicals and let the chickens do the work for you for free. Another side benefit of raising your own chicken is the chicken manure you’ll get for your garden which when mixed with other organic materials like saw dust, wood chips makes for an excellent and natural fertilizer which can even outperforms the commercial fertilizers.

But make sure that you mix it with some composting material because it is too potent by itself. One of the best benefits of raising chicken is that it can give a hands-on learning experience to your children and chicken are gentle enough to be considered as house pets.

Of course, the main and most obvious benefit of raising chicken is the steady flow of fresh eggs. Home grown eggs are much better than the eggs you purchase in your local grocery store and as a rule almost always taste much better mostly because those eggs come from chicken farms where chickens are commercially raised and the main concern for the farms is mostly the profits and not the quality of care or even feed provided to the chickens.

Determine how many eggs you can consume and give away or sell in a day and limit your flock to that amount considering that each hen will lay one egg approximately every 24 hours. Do not make the mistake of raising too many hens.

The first step in starting your chicken farm is by collecting information about local rules and regulations regarding raising chickens within city limits like the number of chicken you are allowed to keep etc. Mostly this information can be had by making a phone call to your city hall or by simply checking their website.

Roosters are usually banned in most cities due to the nuisance they create but since you don’t need them anyway this is not much of a problem. Once you get your legal issues straight its time to buy the chicks.

You can buy one day old chicks in spring at your local feed store. Before purchasing the chicks do make sure that they have been vaccinated against Marek’s disease and Coccidiosis and that they come from a flock which has been tested for Salmonella.

Chicks are too small to be kept in chicken coops right away and should be kept in small pen or box with wood shavings and some heat source like a heat lamp. Gently handle the chicks every once in a while so that they can become accustomed to humans.

The feed store can help you about what to feed your chicks. Once the chicks are about 30 days old they would start to feather and at this time they can be transferred to their coop which would be their permanent home.

The coop should have nesting boxes for the hens to lay their eggs and roosts where they would sleep. Chickens require about 8 to 10 square feet each and should be waterproof. They should also have a door large enough for humans to enter and small windows which can be opened or closed depending on the weather.

A fence in “yard” connected to the coop is also necessary so that the chickens can roam about without being threatened by predators like dogs, cats or raccoons. You can expect to start collecting the eggs after about 4 – 5 months from the date you purchase the chicks and once you reach this stage the only task left for you would be to feed the chickens, clean the coop and collect the delicious eggs.

Like many, you too, must be wondering about the most fruitful procedure of raising chickens. Now a day, due to the spiraling cost and growing concern about the manner of production; food is becoming more of an issue.

Therefore, to combat all these, use herbs to raise your chickens not only naturally and in a perfect manner but also to add flavor. Chickens are considered to be low carb diet and together with eggs, these had always constituted an important part of our meals.

Raising chickens in cages is seen as unethical and so, the subject of free range chickens is gathering popularity across the globe; however, the price of store-bought free range eggs can strain your purse.

You can raise your own chickens, if you have some space; even though you might be living in a city. Try not to raise roosters as these birds make a lot of noise; however, give a serious thought about raising hens.

There is nothing better than home-grown eggs and hens can be excellent pets, too, if you have children in your house. These cuddly pets have some real personality and are fun to watch; however, have a proper enclosure for these birds, if you want to keep your house clean.

Buy day old chicks from the local feed stores and start raising your own chickens, since it is easy and quite inexpensive. Even the children would love to watch these small birds in their cute fluffy stage.

Get hold of a strong and sturdy box and place the chick in it with some food and water. Handle and nurture your chick on a regular basis, so that it gets accustomed to people and will feel happy when you cuddle it, after it grows up.

Provide some open and safe area for your chickens to play and scratch. Take precaution and do not feed your chickens – raw beans, raw potato peels, avocado skin and food containing sugar and salt, since these might prove to be toxic and harm them; in extreme cases, even death.

The basic health of the chickens should be of paramount importance to you, when you are thinking about raising them. Herbs can make your birds healthy; add these to their feed or water.

Nettle – a kind of herb – contains calcium, potassium, protein, manganese, phosphorus and Vitamins A & C in high quantities; therefore, it is a good idea to add this to your chickens’ diet. Chickens are vulnerable to mites, body lice and worms. Nettle, along with garlic – another great herb – not only treat but also prevent worms from affecting and causing health hazard to your hens.

Garlic has an added advantage, since it prevents lice and mites from affecting your hens. Grow insect repellent herbs like lavender, rosemary and feverfew near your hen-house, so that your hens can nibble as well as brush against those.

Add Oregano – an anti-parasitic and anti-fungal herb – along with cider vinegar to your chickens feed to keep them healthy. Along with these, try to feed your chickens.

Dandelion – a complete food by itself and Calendula flowers, which contain a high level of sulphur, to keep them healthy and improve yolk color. Try to keep their drinking water fresh, too. Follow these simple steps and you can raise healthy chickens without any problem.

Owning your own chickens can have multiple benefits. Fresh eggs and poultry are the more obvious ones, but the ability to know how each was raised is important, also.

Commercial farmers may use chemicals, including hormones in their operations. Producing your own eggs allows you to leave out any chemicals or practices you object to. If you are able to produce more than your family consumes, the animals can also become a source of income.

A proper chicken house in a proper location is important. It is not a good idea to locate the chicken house too close to your own dwelling. Chicken droppings do not have a pleasant odor, and will make the home unpleasant for the residents, and can be an embarrassment when guests are visiting.

Likewise, the chickens will not appreciate the noise and smells that come from a human dwelling. A decent degree of separation benefits both.

The area in which the house is placed should be fairly level. Sloped areas can have considerable runoff in heavy rains, which can be problematic with chickens. The waste from your chickens should never be allowed to reach a creek, river, lake or ocean.

Your neighbors will also not appreciate any of the runoff reaching their property. In addition to problems that can occur downstream, water that enters your chicken house can lead to sickness among the animals. Damp waste products are a prime breeding ground for diseases.

The size and construction of the house are also important. Overcrowding is not good for the animals, but too large a house can be cold and drafty in cooler weather. The house should be sturdy enough not only to protect the chickens from the elements and keep them contained, but must be able to keep out predators.

Hawks, foxes, some dogs and other animals will prey on the chickens if given the chance. If you feel unsure of your plan, consult with a local farmer or agricultural expert in your area.

Chickens are raised all over the country, and someone nearby can answer your question. While building a chicken house might be harder than one would think, it is well worth it when done properly.

The average hen bred for egg production will produce about 100 eggs in a given year. While it might seem like a small flock would make the eggs pile up, they might disappear faster than you would think.

The average American eats about 200 eggs per year. While that number may seem higher than one might expect, remember that many of them are not eaten as eggs, but are ingredients in cakes, muffins, pancakes, mayonnaise, marshmallows, egg rolls, egg noodles, batters for fried foods, and in many other places.

There are no worries if you end up with more than you can eat. A small amount of excess could be shared with neighbors. Many rural families raise a portion of their food, and frequently share any crops that produce more than can be eaten by the grower.

Sharing eggs might result in a neighbor showing up later with a bushel of corn or beans. Larger quantities can even become a source of significant income.

Although many people do purchase chicken shelters that are pre-made, not all varieties of it are well-made, indeed, a great deal are actually dangerous for your chickens due to shoddy construction methods and building material.

Some require a lot of maintenance, which, although even with the best ones some care will have to be taken to ensure it’s safe for your chickens, is a bit excessive as the entire goal of a chicken coop is to keep them safe.

One feature that a lot of low-quality chicken coops have is that they often are difficult to clean out, with lots of nooks and crannies that feathers, sawdust, all kinds of things you’d expect in a coop, could get stuck in.

Others can be just plain tricky to get the chickens out without distressing them, partially because they’re too close to each other in the coop, but also because generally there’s no space between them and everything else, causing some of the effects that you see with factory chickens. Some readymade units have a weaker wire mesh, or even one with larger gaps between wires.

This is terrible, as it means that predators, especially cats, which can squeeze themselves through quite tight spaces, rather like what is commonly known for rats. If you decide to purchase housing, you need to consider a lot of things.

Firstly, do you want a cage system, or a shelter and run? Do you want a separate area for them to roost? Do you want somewhere specific for your laying hens to nest? A shed for your free range chickens to use as shelter, as it’d be bigger?

One of the better ideas that a lot of pre-fabricated chicken shelter manufacturers have produced is that of a slide-out door underneath the roosting area, which is sensible as the majority of manure collects underneath this area, meaning that you could more easily dispose or reuse the manure as fertilizer. Like with a human dwelling, one must always check all the features of the house you are considering purchasing.

DIY Chicken Coop Design Guide

Here’s a suggestion, if you are good with hand tools, why not build your own chicken housing rather than buying a readymade one? Do you want to know how to build a poultry housing in your back yard?

If you do, check out the Building A Chicken Coop plans by Bill Keene. Bill is an seasoned chicken farmer with more than 20 years experience.

His DIY chicken coop plans was created to teach you how to build a small, medium and also large chicken coop on a shoestring budget. For more information, click on the link below and see what Bill has to offer.

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

For anyone who’s planning on designing and building their personal chicken coop, there are a few imperative particulars to consider. As long as you have the fundamental idea of what you’re doing and take time to perfect your plan ahead of starting to construct it, your chicken house should turn out excellent.

Obviously before you can initiate constructing anything, you are required to have the plan of the DIY chicken coop which is the toughest branch. One of the foremost and most significant verdicts you need to make is how much square footage you’re going to necessitate for the coop.

Certainly this resolution should be mainly based on the quantity of chickens you have in the coop. It should be of smaller dimension but hefty enough that the chickens will have space to sprint around in and won’t be compressed up against each other.

Lighting is also vital on any DIY chicken house. Lighting is also important for any DIY chicken coop project, and one of the finest proposals is to have the lighting installed with a timer.

Lighting is imperative in chicken coops, particularly during wintry weather months, because it facilitates with egg production and will moreover keep the chickens warmer at night.

Even just a couple of lights fixed in the eaves of the coop will be adequate and by having them set on a timer they’ll switch off automatically. This will also work well to help you to save on your home energy expenditure and lend a hand with egg production during the chilly months.

A built-in heater or supplementary aesthetics can be predominantly essential depending on your preference. If you are staying in a metropolitan region, there are a small number of extra features that can be fitted.

While in more rustic areas, this is not such a matter of concern. But if you’re residing in or near a town and the birds were to flee, you wouldn’t want them to wind up on the thoroughfare and get knocked over by a car.

The quantity of nest containers you should posses per hen is ideally five. Keep them about ten inches spaced out as this will offer the hens satisfactory space to perch.

Roosters don’t like to be kept too close when they’re perching and having a sizable gap amid them will keep them from fighting. You should keep the roosters at least two feet away from each other.

Even though building your own DIY chicken coop is somewhat new to you, you can construct a homemade poultry coop in just a couple of days. Constructing a DIY chicken coop can be pretty simple if you set out a well thought-out, comprehensive sketch for yourself.

DIY Chicken Coop Design Guide

Do you want to know how to build a poultry housing in your back yard?

If you do, check out the Building A Chicken Coop manual by Bill Keene. Bill is an seasoned chicken farmer with more than 20 years experience.

His guide was written to teach you how to build a small, medium and also large chicken coop on a shoestring budget. For more information, click on the link below and see what Bill has to offer.

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

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!