You can “Be More Sustainable” by doing it yourself!

Live off your land and feel the satisfaction….

“Build Chicken Coops -Without Spending Too Much” …

 

“Building Chicken Coops” is Rewarding but can be overwhelming or a touch confusing if it is going to cost a bundle.

When you “build a chicken coop” you don’t want it to cost a bundle while making it fox,cat and dog proof.

Make sure none of these things happen to YOU:


1. “Build it Right” make sure it’s not going to fall apart.

2. “Don’t Overcrowd” give the chickens enough space approx  2 meter’s per bird.

3. “Sturdy Chicken House“ - “You don’t want snakes getting in ” make it predator proof and safe.

4. “Good Access means Easy Cleaning” and will reduce unwanted pests will keep your hens from disease.

5. Remember Ventilation! lack of  ventilation can cause problems and disease so look at your site and the air flow in your chicken house.

Your probably have ideas about materials you can use but you might not be able to quite visualise how you can put them together to make the safest structure to withstand the weather or chicken house wear and tear….

Well you not alone because Surprisingly most people often skip out on the important parts of the structure because they think is a basic shelter and when they do they end up with a list of problems further down the track.

Please let me explain further….

Getting these aspects of your chicken coop…

right will ensure your chickens have a healthy life and have less chance of going off there laying.

Unhealthy chickens won’t lay many eggs…

When through no fault of you own your chicken coop may start to deteriorate either through poorly chosen materials or mysterious animals digging and prying away at you coops structure.

Often predators like foxes, dogs, or possums will keep pushing and prodding to get into the chicken coop and if you coop is not sturdy it will start to give over a period of time thus self demolishing…or continually in need of securing with extra materials or nails and eventually needing extra regular maintenance.

Freaked Out Chicken Syndrome or Nervous Chickens…. can be a problem

If you flock is very noisy and you hear loads of squawking  going on it can mean the chickens are stressed, fighting or just plain freaking out all the time.

Why do they behave like this?

It has a lot to do with their chicken coop conditions and how happy and secure they feel. Where a lot of people go wrong is that they build the smallest coop because they think they will only have 3 or 4 chickens at the most. Then some little chicks come along when your least expecting. Eggs may have hatched by accident or you ended up adopting a stray chicken.  No one predicts adopting stray birds when  they turn up on your doorstep or people can no longer care for them and suddenly your  flock size unexpectedly grows.  Over time your flock can virtually end up doubling or tripling in size .

The rule is you need at least 2 square meters per bird. When you introduce a new hen to a space smaller than that they will be rivalry especially more so if there is overcrowding. Hens have a pecking order but it can get very nasty if they don’t have enough space for each bird.

It can really be awful, when the chickens are stressed the fighting, and stress is horrible to see and the damage is even worse. Find out what you need in good plans to avoid these chicken melodrama’s click here for more info for plans that having good roosting and layout details

Holey Moley …The dogs got the chicken-

Okay this happens if a cat gets in your chicken coop or a chicken gets out…How can a chicken get out or a cat get in! Holes!

What else can get in through the tiniest gaps that you can’t even see. RATS-SNAKES and sometimes possums and other animals.

You could spend weeks trying to weed our a snake or a rat..The rats eat the chicken food, bring lice, and the snake eat the chicken eggs and freak the chickens out, stressing them.

You can make this problem go away right from the start by executing a proper chicken coop plan that is built and constructed with square and good measurements making a snug and gap proof chicken coop!!

It will save hours of frustration in the long run! To build a snug gap proof chicken coop see build chicken coop

Stench Rot:-

The most disgusting kinds of bacteria can live in chicken coops along with salmonella and others. This can live in there bedding or grow in damp areas of a chicken coop which is why it is important to clean out your chicken coop on a regular basis.

Most people aren’t away that design and construction is significant in cleaning out your coop so you don’t have those nasties. You see having strategically placed access doors, windows and hatches can make you life much easier!

Imagine there are designs that give you greater independence by incorporate an opening roof  or even raised floors so you can sweep out the poop into a wheel barrow for your garden fertilizer! See chicken coop designs

“Red Alert!”

Is all about ventilation..don’t have the right ventilation and you could end up with sick or dead birds.

The ammonia that can build in the chicken coop without the right ventilation could kill the birds on the other hand having to much draft in the winter can cause older birds to get sick and die.

If the coop is too damp there will also be other problems. How do you know where to put the ventilation and how to control it…well see the chicken coop plans available. Ventilation is all in the design and planning see a range of chicken coop plans that include air vents and build in air flow see building chicken coops