The Do It Yourself Chicken House

Building chicken houses from prefab is a good idea to many. For one thing, it will definitely save time. For others though, the cheaper route is better as every cost incurred when raising chicken will always add to the cost of every head of chicken produced. Besides, there is really a definite satisfaction when you build and design your own chicken house. If the do-it-yourself chicken house is the route for you, the following will be helpful.

The Layout

The key point is that chicken houses are places of shelter. As chicken are creatures of habit, the chicken coop must be a permanent safe retreat for chickens where they can roost, nest, feed, and stay healthy safely. A chicken coop will also need a chicken run. Chicken runs are the area outside of the coop where the chicken could roam about, forage for additional nutrition, play, and have dirt baths. The chicken run will depend much on the available space or local regulations. Generally, rural area regulations are relaxed followed by urban areas with strong farming backgrounds. Whether the dirt run is free range, confined, or fenced will vary on the type of predators that are in the area.

The Design

Typically, a chicken will need about four square feet of space and three hens could share a nest. Each hen will also need a perch about 9" long. The design should also include a hatchway, storage area, ventilation, lighting and a feeder system. For a cleaner and healthier environment, design the floor to accommodate deep litter. This is normally done by piling three to four inches of wood shavings under the floor. Most people will design or make allowances for a feeder and water container and supply system, often though it is convenient to purchase the system in a local farm supply store.

The Materials

• You will need 4x4 wood for corner posts/studs and skids
• For boundary and floor joist, framing for walls and roofs you need 4x2's.
• 2x3 will be needed for perch support and perch and a 2x2 for the nesting perch.
• Plywood will be needed in building wall cladding, flooring, cladding battens, doorstops, parts of nest boxes, roofing and litter boards, and tarpaper for under roofing.
• Hardware
• Feeder system

Tips for Building the Chicken House

Chickens have virtually no defense against predators. Due to this, the do-it-yourself chicken house must be built in such a way that even when there are boards or planks for flooring, it will still be wise to add chicken wires under the floor to discourage rodents from entering the coop as they could easily chew through the wood. Possible weak points and entry points should be wrapped with chicken wire as well.

The perimeter fence of the chicken run must be constructed in a manner that the fence goes deep into the ground (about 10") to discourage predators from digging. The height of the fence must be about five feet in height to prevent foxes from jumping over.

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Building A Backyard Chicken Coop

Every design in building a backyard chicken coop will involve three issues, how it will affect hygiene, chicken productivity, and cleanliness.

Ample Spaces

In designing a chicken coop the normal method for chicken raisers is to allow 3 to 4 square feet of space per chicken. The correct space will provide the chicken enough room to mill about and to keep them more productive. Chickens are very social animals, they enjoy having other chickens around, but they could also be cranky. When they are at their best behavior, chicken will huddle together, scratch together and stay put if not feeding. When something fancies them though that they regard as little treasures, they could peck at another when an intrusion happens. It may not be much.

It could be a little droplet of water running across a wire, a territory that they are foraging even when there are no signs of potential food morsels, just about anything. The chicken sometimes could be cranky enough and peck at another sometimes to the death. This is sometimes complicated as when other chickens see blood, they could help peck the hapless chicken until most feathers fall or seriously wounded.

Ample space rules that out. When building a backyard chicken coop then it is important to determine first the number of chicken intended for the coop. When that is decided already, raise the planned chicken coop above the ground to keep them healthy and for easier cleaning and maintenance.

Consider Ventilation

Chicken droppings contain ammonia and create dampness inside the coop. Aside from that every animal and bird has their own unique odor that stales the air. The design of the chicken coop must allow proper air ventilation to keep the air inside the coop circulating. Choose the materials in the coop well as it could affect the proper circulation of air inside the coop. Chickens are survivors but they are not exactly hardy. One death, often caused by dampness will affect the other chickens to die also. Aside from ventilation, the chicken coop must be insulated to keep the chickens handle cold climates.

Food and Waste Management

Chickens leave dropping everywhere. When not well managed, the droppings emit gasses that are not good for the health of the chicken but could also bother people. When building a coop, provide perches designed along a feed spot. Chickens are one of those animals that are likely to poop while feeding. The perches and feeders should be designed for easy cleaning. When designing the feeders, raise the elevation as high as the chickens back to prevent the chickens scratching their feed and creating a mess when feeding. This design is also the same for the water pans. Clean water must be available to the chickens every day.

These are the basic elements when building a backyard chicken coop. However, light sources are also important consideration as well as the appearance of the chicken house. These however depend largely on material choices and aesthetics. For chickens, so long as they have a clean and steady feed, ample space, dry and with good ventilation, they are content.

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