Raising Chickens 101: Different Types of Chickens

There are way too many different types of chickens to count. It’s hard to believe that they all descended from the same ancestor, the wild Red Jungle Fowl of India and Southeast Asia. And they still exist today! Farmers began taming these chickens thousands of years ago and later spread throughout the world. Eventually, hundreds of different breeds of chickens developed and are now seen at many farms and zoos.

Some chickens are cold climate chickens and some are warm climate chickens. One difference between the two is the way the coop is required to be built depending on the temperature needed.

Larger chickens are great for meat but don’t lay as many eggs. When they do lay eggs, though, they are usually brown. Smaller chickens aren’t as useful for meat but are great layers. Their eggs are white. Some chickens are all-purpose. They are good for meat as well as for eggs. They lay brown eggs. Its more usual to see these chickens at smaller farms

Most chickens today are produced by mating or crossing different breeds. They are called hybrid birds. This gives farmers many advantages such as more eggs or a larger amount of meat.

Some chickens are used for show. These are stranger and fancier chickens. Some lay an odd size or number of eggs while some have more fluff or interestingly colored feathers. These chickens are fun to have around and bring more excitement to the farm.

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Hen House Plans � How To Choose One Properly

There are a wide variety of hen house plans available right now that you may feel overwhelmed in choosing which one will be most appropriate for you. This isn’t surprising because of the fact that most people don’t understand the process of building a chicken coop, therefore to them all the hen house plans may even look the same.

They are not the same however and if you’re not choosing the correct hen house plan, the chances that you have success with the building process will be much lower.

Here is what you need to know in order to choose the correct plan for you.

The Number of Chickens You Plan To Keep

The first thing you’ll want to think about is the total number of chickens you plan to keep in your chicken coop. The hen house plans you’re looking at should differentiate between small, medium, and large sized plans. Matching the correct size to the total number of chickens you want to keep will help make sure they’re happy in their surroundings are will be laying eggs properly.

If you’re not sure exactly how big you should be building, always go larger than you think you’ll need.

The Type Of Land Available To You

Next, also consider the type of land that you have available to you. Are you going to have to landscape? If so, you’ll want to make sure you’re looking for hen house plans that give information on proper landscaping techniques so you can do this correctly.

Also think about how firm the ground is. If it’s not very firm at all, you will likely want to consider a more solid base structure on top of the land to prevent the walls from shifting over time.

The Climate You’re Located In

The third factor to think about before you dive right into the building process is the climate you are located in. If you’re getting a wide variety of weather patterns, you’re going to want to think a great deal harder about the amount and type of insulation you use in your chicken coop.

It’s important that the hen house plans you’re looking at identify methods that you can use to help maintain proper temperature over time because if it’s either too hot or too cold in the house there is a very high chance that you’re going to run into some problems.

Whether You Want Your Chicken Coop To Be Mobile

Finally, consider whether or not you want to build a mobile chicken coop. These are increasingly popular among many people, especially those who also want to keep their chickens as pets as well.

There are many advantages to a mobile chicken coop so it is something you should give some consideration at least.

By taking some time to look through various hen house plans you can take a big step towards making sure you’re choosing one that best matches your own individual needs.

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Raising the Not So Grown up Chickens

As the chicks get older, they would require less maintenance. Meaning, there are still some things to take care of but it’s less delicate than when dealing with babies.

There are quite a few differences between taking care of newly hatched chicks and those that are like 2 weeks up to a month old. These are the chicks that already have prominent feathers and their bodies are bigger compared than when they were quite smaller. These are also the chicks that you bought from hatcheries.

The basic needs are still important like food, water, comfort, and warmth. Those four essentials can never be taken away from the list even if they are already old enough to lay eggs.

The list remains the same, although, now that they are more grown up, their needs have increased. Their appetite and hunger increases, their need for space increases, their need for water increases. Everything about them increases. Thus, you should make proper adjustments and see to it that every matter is taken care of.

Unlike in their early stages, water must be boiled or otherwise, sterilized for ensuring that the water they drink is safe enough not to upset their stomach and affect their health. But now that they have already grown for a bit, any kind of water will do. Just be sure that you’ll give them clean water like something that came directly from the faucet. Not yet ensured with the water’s safety? Then boil it.

You could now disregard the idea of putting an upside down jug on a dish. If you don’t take it away, the chicks will just frequently trip it over and the jug will fall and all its contents will be spilled. Use something that will not have the tendency to fall in any kind of motion, a pot or plastic water container can do. You can also buy the appropriate water container in agricultural stores.

Baby chicken foods can still be given. Though at times, you can introduce new kinds of stuff like including mashed potatoes in their meal. True, they hate potato peelings but they love the inner part of it especially when it is mashed. You could also include veggies like lettuce cut into pieces, cabbage, and grass is also a fine recipe to feed them. Insects? A first-class favorite.

When it comes to the temperature, you have to lessen your efforts and worries. Since these grown up chicks already have literary grown feathers, not full, but it’s getting there, sort of, warmth can be erased from the topic. The few feathers that they have grown are enough to keep their bodies warm during cold nights. But just to be sure that they get the heat they deserve, keep the heat lamp but in a more minimal state. Maintain a 20 degrees temperature within the chicken’s vicinity.

Chickens love to bathe in dust for some unexplainable reason. To add up to that, they love rubbing their feathers into the soil, and wag their feathers clean. It’s beginning to look like a tradition. With this kind of activity, it is therefore necessary to have a sandbox or let them roam around so they can dustbathe freely. But even so, maintain a clean environment. Provide a wider space for them to romp and for them to have enough room to sleep and not overcrowd.

If problems do arise, common sense can always work. These basics will definitely help you raise the chickens you need.

Easy D.I.Y. Chicken Coop Plans

Raising Chickens 101: Chicken Appearance

Chickens come in various colors, shapes, and sizes, but they have the same basic body structure.

First off, they all have a comb on top of their head and a wattle underneath their beak. Roosters usually have larger combs and wattles. All chickens also have two legs and two wings. They are all covered with feathers with a tail sticking up at an angle to the body sometimes with feathers that drop all the way to the ground.

Similar to people, chickens come in many different colors. Some chickens are mostly neutral colors while some have unique color combinations, speckles, or stripes. Besides just white, black, and brown, chickens also come in gold, silver, red, blue, and green.

Chickens usually have a rather small head, with a strong, pointy beak. They have plumb bodies and their breast is keel-shaped like a boat.

Their legs are covered with scales. Some breeds have poofy feathers growing from beneath them, covering their legs. They have nice, sharp claws that help them walk and grip things. Chickens are better at walking than flying but can flutter up to a perch.

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Raising Chickens - Location And Methods � Part 2

It has been left for the West Virginia experiment station to determine just how much difference there would be in egg production between similar flocks kept in warm and cold houses. Two houses, built exactly alike and situated side by side, were selected for the experiment, in each of which were placed twelve pullets. One house had previously been sheathed on the inside and covered with paper to make it perfectly tight. Both were boarded with matched siding and shingle roofs.

The fowls were fed alike in each case. The morning mash consisted of corn meal, ground middlings and ground oats, and at night whole grain was scattered in the litter. They also had fresh water, grit and bone and granulated bone. The experiment started November 24 and continued for five months. The following table shows the number of eggs laid during each period of thirty days :

RESULTS FROM COLD AND WARM HOUSES

	1	2	3	4	5	Total
Warm House	87	130	138	120	154	629
Cold House	39	106	103	124	114	486

The experiment clearly indicates that it is important to build warm and substantial houses for winter egg production.

In very cold climates special pains should be taken to make the roosting place warm. Combs are usually frozen during the night. Double walls battened with lath outside and lined with building paper make a warm roost room. With single-wall houses, double boarding on the north side is a protection. An outside shield of corn stalks or hay and litter is also effective.

Costly material is not needed for the poultry house. Often a discarded barn or other building can be bought cheap and the sound lumber used again. Others on farms can work up home grown timber. For city poulterers, large packing boxes bought at dry goods stores are a cheap source of lumber. Sometimes old street cars have been bought for a trifle and remodeled. Serviceable houses have been made from staves of old barrels as an outside covering. Old strips of carpet, oilcloth, wall paper or building paper may be utilized to some extent as mside protection.

A coat of home-mixed paint improves the durability and appearance of a house enough to pay for its cost. Whitewash is much better than nothing, and will add years to the life of second-hand lumber.

Shingles properly applied to a roof of fairly steep pitch are the best and warmest roofing, but a strip of building paper should be laid beneath to keep out currents of cold air which work in between the shingles. Tin or iron is sometimes cheaper than wood, and for temporary structures, felting paper with a coat of paint will last about two years. An advantage of sheet materials for roofing is that a steep pitch is not needed to carry off the water, but such materials are cold in winter and hard to repair when damaged.

Glass in Cold Weather – Amateur builders commonly use too much glass, which makes a house unnaturally warm on sunny days, but extremely and dangerously cold by night and on stormy days. One window not over three feet square and about eighteen inches above the floor to each ten feet of house length is enough. Warmth is much increased by a shutter or curtain for night. Windows should be arranged to slide to one side or be easily taken out during hot weather.

Double windows are sometimes used, but these are expensive, somewhat of a bother to put on and hard to keep clean. The cut, Figure 3, shows a single sash, double glazed, which a poultryman has recently described. The sash is made so that the glass can be set on both sides of the wooden bars, leaving a half inch or more of space between. This gives a double window and the cost is said to be not more than twenty-five cents extra per sash for the glass and the labor of setting. Those who are providing windows for new or re-modeled poultry houses will do well to experiment with this plan. The glazing must be tight and carefully done to keep out all dirt and dust from the inner surfaces of the glass. Figure 4 shows a window partly double, making a convenient arrangement for ventilating without draft, and securing greater warmth at night and on cloudy days. Roosts, Nests, Troughs, Fountains, etc, will not be treated at length in this volume. Roosts should be all on a level, should be about two inches thick, rounded on the upper side, not over two feet from the floor, and removable.

Troughs and Drinking Places should be protected by slats. Nests should be numerous, secluded and easily removed. Beware of too complicated inside arrangements when large numbers of fowls are kept for profit. Successful large farms are nearly always

conducted on very simple plans, but with emphasis placed on the main needs of the fowls. Notes – Dryness and warmth are the two main essentials in most climates. Everything inside should be removable, also doors and windows. The house should be made tight enough feo hold smoke when fumigated.

Cost ranges from twenty-five cents to five dollars per fowl. A reasonably good business house may be built at one dollar per head. When building an all-around house, provide for summer as well as for winter. Rather than extend beyond seventy-five feet, better start a new building. Study actual needs of fowls rather than comfort of the attendant.

How To Build A Chicken Coop

Gathering the Right Materials before Building the Chicken Pen

Being a starter in the world of raising chickens, one of the important thing you should consider and is also necessary is the fact that you can protect your raised chickens without even being on a shot-gun watch for 24 hours every waking day; that is why you have to build a pen that will last for a very long period of time. Before building, planning and gathering is the very first step.

Location is the first thing to consider. Do you live in a rural or in an urban area? Your answer will depend on the chickens you can keep. Usually in rural communities, the number of livestock you want can be unlimited but when in urban settings, raising chickens can have restrictions regarding its number. Or sometimes, they are totally banned.

Another thing is the kind of chicken that you are planning to raise. If they weigh heavier, this will be an advantage because this kind of status will make it more difficult for them to fly away. A simple wire and post design pen can be used. But in most instances chickens are more prone to flying away. Especially if they are not used to the place, a fence with a higher walls or wires is more appropriate.

The place where you construct your pen must be safe and sturdy enough to withstand any predator’s mark. It should be constructed in a way that your poultry are not easily snatched not only by scavengers but also by people who are pretty much interested in chicken stew. They must be protected and locked-in, especially at night.

What is a post and wire type of pen? It is by far the simplest kind of design wherein materials like posts, strong wires, fence staples are used. The tools needed to help you complete the job are the ordinary hammer, wire cutters, crowbar and sledgehammer. Gathering these materials are the very first thing you have to do upon planning.

Fence post can’t be bought one at a time but in bundles. If you became worried that the excess lumbers will go to waste once the fence is finished, worry no more. This is because fence posts can be used in incredible purposes like supporting beams for sheds. Chicken wire is usually used. But for safety purposes a stucco wire is stronger and is more recommended for holding building sides.

There are really no actual fence staples, that is why the local staples used for wiring can be used as an alternative. Skimping the staples should not be stressed. You need a lot while construction is ongoing and also additional supplies in cases of emergencies.

The sledgehammer is used to pound the post into the soil. Weight is the first thing that you have to take note of when choosing a sledgehammer. Make sure that it is not too heavy that you can’t lift it up and not too light that you will need to exert all your efforts just to pound your post.

The crowbar is used for digging a hole where the pole will be placed. Lastly, the regular hammer will be useful for those hardheaded staple wires to dig in the posts.

Now that all materials are properly intact, you can plan on the actual building of the pen.

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Keeping Your Chickens Healthy While Raising Them

There have been thoughts on what to do with your flock daily. Raising chickens can be quite easy but also needs maintenance to keep their environment safe and clean for both your chickens and your own happiness. Some owners hesitate to do such a grueling task. But in reality it is one of the easiest works you can do to give your chickens the welcome they deserve.

In this section, you’ll learn about what to do and what not to do daily.

a. Keep their feed and water containers full at all times. Do not let them run out of these two essentials. They need these two things everyday to live. If you tend to leave your house for a couple of days, be sure to leave sufficient food and water so that your chickens don’t run out of their needs and will not reach the point of picking on each other.

b. Clean their water canister. If their water becomes cloudy or if they sensed that it’s already dirty, they will refuse to drink it and in the long run, they will become dehydrated and eventually conjure illness and die.

c. Every morning, observe for their health status. Look at their physical attitude. Do they look bright, active, and healthy? If they don’t look anything close to normal, then you should call or see the vet to ask for suggestions and answers.

d. If you are the type who loves collecting eggs for breakfast or for selling, the moment they are laid, you can already get them from the coop. Put the eggs inside the fridge to maintain its freshness.

e. From time to time, you will have the chance to visit their coop and look at your chickens. Before you leave, make sure that things are safe inside and outside the pen. If you see rat holes, block it. If everything seems fine, be sure to close the door. As dusk comes, that’ll be the time when all the chickens are in their nest. Not a single chicken in sight. Secure the area so that predators will not have the opportunity to get in.

Unlike other pets, you can leave the chickens for days. You have to keep in mind that they have to be provided with enough food and water supply. If you came back and found eggs, it’s still okay to collect. It still has its freshness.

Here’s a fact that you should know about an egg’s freshness: it will take you at least 12 days from the day that it was laid before it matures and an embryo develops inside.

Another thing that you should know about eggs is that upon collecting them, there will be chances that you’ll see slight smudges of dirt or feces on the egg’s surface. Do not attempt too scrub the dirt off no matter how the urge is killing you. Because one thing about eggs is that they are not ejected to this world without protective barriers.

Bloom is the term that is given to the membrane that is located at the surface of the egg itself. The use of the bloom is to protect the egg from bacteria and microorganisms that may insist on penetrating through the shell. If you scrub this, you take away the protective covering.

But if you are that type of person who wanted things to always be spiffy clean, like that of the obsessive-compulsive type, you can clean the dirty egg provided it will be under warm water and in a very gentle touch.

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Bird Flu: A Chicken Raiser's Nightmare

Since its outbreak, every poultry owner had become aware of the consequences that can happen if this deadly disease is not prevented. Bird flu or what is also known avian (meaning bird) influenza (flu), is the number one killer of poultry chickens in Asia and some parts of the world.

Bird flu started in China and became a widespread disease for their chickens thus wiping out over millions of poultry businesses and dropping the chicken industry to a devastating point. The thing about avian flu is that, not only can it affect birds but also humans which makes the illness more dangerous to various lives. It can be passed from chicken to chicken, chicken to person, person to person, person to chicken, and so on. That is why authorities in the health sectors are taking this serious matter in their hands and are making strict surveillance.

Avian influenza is not just a disease underlying a typical cold. It is more than that. In fact, it can kill an entire poultry habitation within a week. If passed onto a person, it can be more lethal as a person can interact with hundreds of people in a day without even noticing that they have become the perfect carrier of the disease. Worse, this sickness is not a picky disease. It could affect everyone including children.

The incubation period, if passed to a human, is not exact but as record shows, it may take about three to five days from the exposure to the disease-causing virus. Till then, the person will experience signs and symptoms that are similar with the common cold like fever, cough, sore throat, and aching of the muscles. Sometimes, the only thing that could indicate if the person has bird flu is if they are having conjunctivitis.

If the person who was affected and has experienced the signs and symptoms stated above ignored the indications, it may lead to severity of the disease. The person now will start to experience viral pneumonia and eventually, acute respiratory distress which is the most common cause of deaths among bird-related diseases.

But this pandemic crisis can be pretty much prevented if certain precautions are practiced if everyone who is involved will cooperate with the measures that were given out by the authorities.

Through thorough surveillance, WHO (World Health Organization) supports in eliminating the disease. Through this, they can trace the source of infection and track down those who were affected by the flu. They will confirm instances of the disease and how many deaths were known. Once WHO officials find out the extent of the disease’s proximity, they will contain the area under quarantine.

Those who are in the zone will not be allowed to go beyond it and those who wanted to enter will be prohibited. That is why the concerned officials must be responsible enough to bring in reliable data otherwise there would be miscalculations that can result to more chickens and people being affected instead of being saved.

With the word spread out all across the globe, the government is also having strict participation for the observance if there are any occurrences of the virus in their community. Residents are the one who have to be more watchful because they will be the one more affected.

Their communication and participation is the most important tool to evacuate the presence of this disease and make raising chickens safer to both chickens and owners.

Easy D.I.Y. Chicken Coop Plans

Chicken Raising Tips: Chicken Fencing That Saves You Money

Buying pullets is the easiest. It is also the cheapest. Chicken fencing? That varies. No matter how you look at it though, the cost of the fencing will add up to the cost of the chicken. In high urban areas, raising more than a few chicken would consequently raise eyebrows. In fact, you could be placing yourself in harm's way. Raising chicken in urban areas are more of pet raising. Commercial? Just don't.

When you are in a rural location with ample backyard space, keeping chicken is a capital idea. Capital, literally. You see, there is fancy chicken fencing, state of the art fencing and if you could afford electric fencing that is fine too, it would keep the chooks out and hem the chicken in. It will still add up to the costs though, but it is a choice, not a necessity. If you want to travel the frugal route, just as effective albeit not as pleasant to look at, were talking.

You will need corrugated galvanized iron sheets, chicken wire, planks, and whatever means to build them. The idea here is as simple as protecting the chickens and those flowers and plants that adorn the yard as much as keeping the predators out. When building, remember that chicken scratches all over the dirt. To our chagrin, they love it. They could scratch near the fence and before you knew it, the fox and raccoons gets the idea and figures out a way to get their dinner easy.

The way to prevent this is to sink the bottom of the fence about 10" into the ground. The area near the fence are usually forgotten so don't. If that is not possible in some areas along the perimeter, sink 8" planks to prevent predators from scraping underneath. If foxes roam the area get the thickest chicken wire possible. Foxes have teeth that are as sharp as wire cutters that could easily cut through thin chicken wires.

Normally animals could jump as high as their heads when standing on hind legs. Foxes are about four feet but do not bank on that. Foxes could jump as high as five feet so make the height of the fence a little higher just so the chicken are on the safe side. This may not be as dangerous in hotter months when there are easier prey for the fox to pounce on but during colder months, the fox could hunt more aggressively and get a shelter besides. While at it, do not trim the wire at the top portion of the fence. Leave it rugged.

Use the GI sheets as further protection between the posts where you nail your chicken wire. Nail also thick wire fencing around the portion of the wood with signs of wear to discourage chewing.

Chicken fencing such as this would not win you a prize for best chicken fence design. But bet your neighbor's dog this will win you savings. Bunches of it!

Chicken Coop Guide - New!

Raising Chickens: Pros and Cons

There are so many reasons why someone would want or wouldn’t want a chicken in their backyard. There are debates about it and here are some:

Pros

1. Costs incredibly cheap.

When we say cheap, not only does the chicken itself count but also the maintenance of it all. Compared to keeping a dog or a cat for a pet, it is much cheaper to take care of a number of chickens most likely because they are not choosy when it comes to food. You can feed them scraps and table leftovers and they will happily gobble it up. With as little as $2 a day, you can spend on a bunch of layer mash.

2. You can get something from them.

Eggs. Meat. Ornament. Who wouldn’t want it? In terms of eggs, it is seldom that you encounter a chicken that can’t lay eggs. It is a good source of iron, which is good for the brain. You could either sell these eggs or keep them in your fridge. With meat, every part of a chicken can be eaten. Yes, every. In cases of those who don’t want to see their chickens go bye-bye, they raise them as pets and for exhibition purposes.

3. Low maintenance.

Unlike dogs who need everyday grooming and cats who need your undivided attention, chickens need none of those. You don’t have to bring them to your vet every once in a while to take shots and doses of vaccines. All you have to do is feed them and supply clean water every day. Their coops must be cleaned at least once a week or twice every month depending on the number of chickens that you own.

4. Fertilizers for free and an instant pest control agent.

These are the two things that chicken raisers love about owning a chicken. When you allow your chickens to roam around your backyard, it is in their nature to peck on whatever it is that catches their interest and their hunger. Chickens love anything that came from the ground most especially the ones that are moving. They eat insects, bugs, worms and the like. For them, these are special treats. Furthermore, it is in their nature to eradicate their internal wastes anywhere they please. But their poops are considered as natural fertilizers that the ground needs to grow plants and root crops in a healthy state.

Cons

1. They are not the best guard pets to have.

While chickens can coo and make familiar sounds, it is not in their nature to bite or coo on anyone they see who looks suspicious. All they can do is grow, eat, and lay eggs. They are also not the ideal pets you would want to have especially if you need a response like waggling of the tail or a purring sound.

2. Chickens are messy.

Indeed. Plus, their poop smells terrible that it can reach certain areas in your house. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t want to go through enduring hours of cleaning, chickens aren’t really the pets for you.

3. One for all, all for one.

Well, in terms of getting sick this is a con. Because when one catches flu, everyone gets it too. And if one dies because of that flu, it is expected that every single chicken living with that infected chicken who also got that flu is also going to die after a few days.

Easy D.I.Y. Chicken Coop Plans

Chicken House Plans That Deliver Maximum Results

As you get ready to start choosing which chicken house plans you’re going to use to complete this project, it’s important to start taking some time to ensure that you’re choosing a building plan that is designed to get you the best results for what you’re looking for.

Many people make some critical mistakes in choosing their chicken house plans and that is why they aren’t getting fresh eggs on a daily basis. Instead, look to the following factors that will go a long way towards helping you see optimal results.

Consider Size

The first thing that you must think about is the total size. This is going to have the biggest impact on how comfortable your chickens are while they stay in the coop, therefore you want to make sure you are getting it right.

Find chicken house plans that give you a precise building size calculation method that will allow you to determine exactly how large you need to build the coop in order for it to be a success.

If you don’t follow this step, the chances that you see good results will be much lower.

Think About Your Climate

Next, you should also consider the climate of the area you’re living in. Does it get very cold quite often? Or does the climate stay warm all year round?

This will influence the amount of insulation you’re going to have to have in your coop and how much ventilation may be needed in order for it to stay at an appropriate temperature in the summer months.

Good chicken house plans will provide you with all this information to take the guess work out of it.

Identify Your Building Materials

Third on the list, you should also take the time to identify the building materials that you should be using. There are a variety of different materials that will all work well, so this is something to spend a good amount of time thinking about.

You can really save on costs if you make careful selections with this aspect since it is the number one factor that most people pay money for. If you can find good used building supplies to use, you’ll virtually eliminate this cost altogether.

Determine Potential Predators

Finally, the last thing to take into account is any of the predators you may run into. An attack on your chicken coop can be one of the most devastating things to happen to any chicken farmer therefore it’s really important that you’re taking measures to prevent this.

Ideally the best way to go about doing this will be research the various chicken coop predators that are out there and then pay attention to which ones are most commonly found in your area. All of this information should be readily available so it shouldn’t take too long for it to be quite clear exactly what you need to protect yourself against.

So, do not underestimate the importance of good chicken house plans. They will really make it a much easier process and one that you can certainly have a great deal of success with over the long run.

Check Out ====> How To Build A Chicken Coop

Raising Chickens 101: Mating Chickens

Small farms often have a young rooster also called a cockerel. Its smart to only have one cockerel or else they would get jealous of each other and fight over the hens.

Mating is usually year round but chickens don’t seem to mate as much in winter. A rooster will mate every two or three days, mating with many different hens.

During the day, the cockerel prances around fluffing his feathers, showing off to the hens. When a hen wants to make, she lays down on the ground. The rooster climbs onto her back from behind and spreads his wings out for balance.

Afterwards, the hen has fertilized eggs inside her. Only eggs that have been fertilized by a rooster will eventually grow into chicks. If the eggs are not fertilized, they are safe to eat.

Build A Chicken Coop In 3 Days

Mobile Chicken Coops

By Shannon Clark

More and more people are starting to turn towards using mobile chicken coops rather than building larger ones that are stationed in one place. There are many benefits to using a mobile chicken coop, so going this route does become appealing to many individuals.

There are some things you need to know first though before going ahead with mobile chicken coops because if you don’t, you may find that this particular variation wasn’t exactly the best choice for you.

Here are some of the pros and cons to a mobile chicken coop.

Easier To Clean

One of the biggest benefits to a mobile chicken coop is the fact that they are easy to clean. Since you can just transport the coop closer to your house, this makes it an ideal situation for those who have limited cleaning facilities.

If you prefer, you can move the mobile chicken coop to the cement garage and then use a hose to wash it down if necessary.

Cheaper To Build

Another big benefit to a mobile chicken coop is the fact that it’s cheaper to build. As these coops are generally smaller you can often use materials that you already have around the house. If not, there’s a good chance that a neighbour will have some of the stuff you need, further making it easy to build a cheap chicken coop if necessary.

Decreased Feeding Time Commitment

Moving on, another nice thing about mobile chicken coops is they are much lower in terms of total time commitment to feeding. Again, since you can simply just move the coop closer to your house, this makes it ideal for feeding your chickens.

If you constantly have to walk out a ways to get to your coop to provide food, that will really become a chore day after day. Most people really appreciate this aspect of mobile chicken coops, so it’s definitely something to consider.

Limited Coop Size

One thing that is important to remember about mobile chicken coops is that you will be slightly limited when it comes to their total size. Mobile chicken coops are not going to be able to house all that many chickens, so if you’re attempting to keep six or more, you may want to consider a larger, more permanent coop.

You could always also build a mobile coop to use on occasion for a few of your chickens, just don’t expect to keep a large number in it for a longer period of time.

Durability Factors

In most cases, mobile chicken coops will be relatively durable due to the fact that they need to be in order to sustain the constant movement. When they are not constructed properly however, then you might run into problems with their durability and find that you are repairing them more frequently than normal.

Always be sure the mobile chicken coop plan you are using is well laid out so you don’t run into this problem.

So, keep these factors in mind when thinking about building a mobile chicken coop. Many people really enjoy them, so if you decide it’s right for you, don’t hesitate to begin the hunt for a plan to get going.

Here is more information on how you can build a chicken house on a budget.

To read my review of ‘Building A Chicken Coop’, please click HERE:

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How To Build A Chicken Coop

Poultry Shed Plans � How To Build One Properly

As you start looking at various poultry shed plans, it’s important that you keep some points in the back of your mind. These are going to help make sure that you’re going about the building plans properly and that you’re going to build a chicken coop that will last for a good period of time.

Here are the main things you will want to keep in mind with your poultry shed plans.

Check Around For Used Materials

The first thing you should do is check around both your house and inquire with your neighbours for materials that you may be able to use to help you with the building process that will work great for building a chicken coop.

Many poultry shed plans give you information about used materials, so be sure you’re considering this in the one you’re going to use. This point alone can save you hundreds of dollars, especially if you’re building a medium to large sized chicken coop.

Follow A Specific Blueprint Plan

Next, you should also only consider using poultry shed plans that will give you a specific blueprint plan to follow. Having a good illustration before you set out with the building process will go a long way towards preventing screw-ups before they happen.

Those individuals who are not careful with this and attempt to build without a plan will very likely run into some problems, so be sure you have a good drawing out in front of you first. You can also consider drawing up your own as well if that’s something you’d prefer doing.

Don’t Forget About Window Placement

It’s also going to be important with your poultry shed plans that you consider where you want to place the windows. They need to be in a location where you will get quite a good amount of natural light since this is what will keep your chickens healthy, as well as help light up the entire coop, preventing you from having to use electrical light for this process.

You need to be placing the windows somewhere on the chicken coop where it will let the most light in but where it’s also not going to be shining right into the chicken’s eyes. This would not make them very comfortable and thus needs to be avoided.

Also make sure you’re looking at what side of your chicken house is going to receive the most sunlight over the course of the day and then focus on placing the window there instead.

Poultry shed windows will make a large difference in the overall performance of your chickens and how many eggs they lay regularly, so be sure you’re not overlooking this and put some good thought into the process before you start out building.

By keeping these points in mind you can help make sure you are making the most out of your poultry shed plans. Just don’t attempt to go at the process alone without any form of a guide as it’s when people do that that they run into problems.

How To Build A Chicken Coop