Building A Chicken Coop – How to Get the Best Results
It’s always possible to do a quick and dirty job with materials you have around, but you’re not likely to get a good result!
When you are building a chicken coop, It’s really worth thinking about what type you need and how you are going to design it.
First off - how many chickens do you want to house?
Next – do you want to be able to move your chicken coop?
Now - where are you going to site your chicken coop?
And - how much space do you have?
Then - how are you going to design your chicken coop for easy cleaning?
And another thing - how will you position roosting bars and nest boxes?
Finally – how much time do you want to turn over to this project?
One way to get the best result when you are building a chicken coop is to buy a clear set of plans and assembly instructions. Check the plans have several options so you can get a good idea of what will work for you.
Portable chicken arks are simple and quick to make and are ideal if you are just starting to keep chickens. They will take about three, and can be easily moved around your garden to new patched of grazing. You could even keep it near the house so you can keep an eye on your new chickens.
A fixed chicken house is a lso a quick project as well and usually has an integral run. Six chickens is the right number for this model. You’ll need a part of your garden where the hen house and run gets good light and is not too exposed – although chickens are surprisingly hardy.
You could let your chickens out when you’re there to supervise, or build both a chicken ark and a fixed coop so they can have new ground to scratch at.
Building a chicken coop is a straightforward weekend project if you start with plans and instructions – and you will get a chicken coop that looks good, functions well and will last a long time, for a fraction of the cost of buying one.
