Posts Tagged ‘free chicken coop plans’
Chickens are wonderful creatures and we can fully understand the reason behind someone wanting to own them. You can get some prize winning chicken e.g. silkies, so you can show them off at the county fair. You can also get some regular hens that will give you good eggs each day. No matter what you do, you will need to learn how to build a chicken coop. That chicken coop will be the chickens home. It is highly recommended to make your chicken coop as safe as possible to protect your chicken. We are going to give you some tips on building a chicken coop. Take note that we have already built two coops on our land, so this is not coming from someone who does not have knowledge.
One first important step is to decide which size your chicken coop should have. For whatever reason a lot of people say that a big chicken coop is better. In case you will have to carry your chicken aroun, then of course building a big chicken coop is not a good idea.
Those big ones are not harder to build. However, with the bigger ones, you will not be able to use your workshop. Keep in mind that your chicken need enough space in order to be relaxed and healthy, so you should have about four square feet per chicken. For instance, if you have four chickens, then they will need to have sixteen square feet.
As you are positioning the coop, you need to make sure you place it where the sunlight is the best during the early mornings.
Chicken are very smart and interestign animals as they know that when the sun goes down then it is time for the chicken to lay. Whenever those birds get enough sunlight, they could lay up to five eggs each week.
As for the materials list for building a chicken coop, you will not need a lot. Yes, you will need some wood for the frame as well as the nesting area. You will also need some wire mesh in order to close them in and don’t forget about the nails.
If you are on a tight budget, then you could always use treated pine or hardwood. When it comes to the materials you need, it all depends on what you prefer.
If you are building a big coop, then you will definitely need to build it on site as it will not be easy to transport. In fact, when it comes to do it yourself projects, it is best if you build it on site. When it comes to lifting the walls up and nailing them on the coop you may need someone to assist you. You may also need some assistant on the roof part. If you want to go all out, you could always add some shingles on the house in order to make it last longer. Take note that you will be able to make adjustments to it when you are all done. You will also need to make sure the chickens are secure in their house as they have many predators. Now that you know how to build a chicken coop, it’s time to start making those plans.
For a step by step guide on how to build a chicken coop visit Chicken Coop Plans
It’s very entertaining to watch your chickn and of course they will provide you with eggs and meat. It very often happens that people buy chicken and let them live outside without giving any real shelter to them; this is not a good thing, don’t do it. There are two main problems whne raising chicken; the first one are wild animals such as skunks and stray dogs that may wipe out a flock of chicken within one night. Another problem is that if raised this way your chicken will only lay few eggs, and if they do they will be hard to find. In this article I am going to give you two different ideas about how to make a chicken coop.
The first and easiest way to make a chicken coop is to convert a shed or an older camp trailer. The camp trailer works well because there is very little modification to be done. The most that needs to be done is to take the cabinet doors off and remove the table. There are a lot of areas where your chickne can roost. The cabinet areas make good laying boxes, all you have to do is put some straw in the cabinets and they will make their own laying areas. Once you have made this conversion it is easy to build a covered chicken run off the front of the trailer, it is important to remember to block off the underside of the trailer so that your chickens don’t escape underneath. A word of warning, if you plan to convert an old camp trailer into a chicken coop be sure you don’t intend to use it for anything else. Old camp trailers do not cost more than $200.00-$300.00 you can even get them free sometimes if you are willing to pull them away.
Often times when we ask how to make a chicken coop or anything else for that matter we try to rack our heads to come up with ideas for the perfect plan. If you are good at this type of planning that’s great or if you are just a weekend project type of person then you might like my second idea. Rather than pull your hair out coming up with elaborate plans for making your chicken coop, you can go to your local hardware store and buy a set of plans for a small or large wood shed for about $5.00 and even less. The size of the shed depends on how many chickens that you have. It is important to remember that you will have to build a roost and laying boxes if you decide too go this rout. A roost can simply be made out of two 2x4x8’s and three or four 2x2x8’s. Nail your 2×4’s about 7 feet apart at about a 45 degree angle, space the 2×2’s crossways and now you have a roost. Your egg boxes can be made our of ¼“ ply wood and 2×2’s, make sure to put dividers in them due to the fact that chickens like a certain amount of privacy when they lay eggs.
No matter which idea you pick make sure that you build a chicken yard off of the coop. It is also advised to put chicken wire over the top, this is to prevent hawks and crows to get into the chicken coop.
If you take good care of your chickens then they will take good care of you for along time. Building your own chicken coop is easier than you might think! the most important thing to get started is downloading a step by step blueprint. For a step by step guide on how to build a chicken coop visit Chicken Coop Plans
Building a backyard chicken coop is essential if you are raising chickens. It offers a much higher amount of eggs, it is also fun. Here ae some reasons to build a chicken coop:
Organic eggs for free!
Building a coop is far easier than many people believe.
Chickens are low maintenance pets.
Building a chicken Coop Supports Sustainable Living.
The chickens provide hours and hours of entertainment.
Chickens can live together with other pets.
Chickens do not smell.
Your eggs will not be weeks old before you even buy them at the grocery store. You can get the freshest eggs.
You prevent your chicken from dying of a disease in a small cage.
You do not have to have a big backyard to enjoy chickens and their eggs.
Chickens are loyal pets.
It is a fact that eggs may prevent breast cancer. A research has proven that women who eat at least six eggs every week lower their risk of getting breast cancer by 44%. Chickens are very clean animals.
It is definitely fun!
However, how to get started is a big problem for many people. Some common questions are:
Can I really make a chicken coop on my own?
Is it hard?
So what is the cost of building a backyard chicken coop?
What about portable chicken coops?
Where can I find the building plans?
The first thing you need to know is how much space you’ve got to work with. If your yard is small, you probably won’t be able to have a large coop, which means less chickens. If this is the case, a portable chicken coop may be a good idea. Generally, a portable chicken coop can hold about 2 or 3 chickens.
Another thing you might think about is whether or not you can make your own backyard chicken coop. Do you have any experience building things from scratch or any experience in general building projects? If this is the case, th eprocess will be a lot easier for you. Still there is a need of an easy to follow building plan. If you don’t have much experience, it is still possible, but much more difficult.
You may wonder if it is expensive, or if you have the materials. It is quite expensive if you hire someone to build it for you. this can cost 300-600 dollars. However, you can build one with only a drill, screwdriver, and handsaw, and of course some wood.
A common mistake is building your backyard chicken coop too small. After all the hard work you have done you find out that your chickens do not fit. A good rule is one square foot per chicken. After determining the size, where you you build it? Put your chicken coop in a high place in order to avoid floddin gor pudding due to even cleaning or rain. One hint on this subject might be to build your chicken coop with a very slight slant in the groundas well as the roof for proper drainage. No farmer wants to deal with a cranky, damp chicken! If you believe that building a backyard chicken coop is difficult, you are wrong! All you need is the right blueprint. For a step by step guide on how to build a chicken coop visit Free Chicken Coop Plans