Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: What You Need To Consider When Designing A Chicken Coop

Designing a chicken coop is very simple--if you
can answer these two questions. What are the
basic needs of chickens and what do I want my
chicken coop to accomplish?

First off, the basic needs of chickens are
straightforward and similar to the needs of any
domesticated animal. Chickens need a hen house
that will protect them from all types of
predators—flying, climbing, and digging.
Predators come in all shapes and sizes and they
are looking for a quick meal, be it chicken, eggs
or both.

The coop must provide shelter from snow, sleet,
rain, wind, cold and excessive heat. Then you
need to be concerned about how much space each
chickens has--about three square feet is needed.A
shortage of space and the more aggressive birds
will attack and harass the more docile in the
flock--sometimes to the point of death.

Other questions that need to be answered are:
"What do you want the coop to do?" That of course
refers to the type of habitat you wish to create.
Are your chickens going to be meat birds? If so
you will need to approach the design of the coop
from that aspect.

Are the chickens going to be primarily for
providing fresh eggs? If that is the case then
they are certain other attributes your chicken
house will need.

Things like; nesting boxes—a place for the
hens to lay their eggs--and those nesting boxes
need to be attractive to the birds. If you build
nesting boxes the wrong way and the hens refuse
to nest there, you windup wasting time, money and
effort. Chickens will nest where they feel most
comfortable. So you need to provide the
conditions that make their choice the one you
want.

At the same time you don't want the nesting areas
to be so comfortable and attractive that the
birds choose to roost there. You will want to
make sure they lay their eggs there, but go
elsewhere to sleep.

What are the steps you need to take to protect
your costly chicken feed from being raided by
sparrows and squirrels? Are you making sure the
waterier won't freeze over in cold weather? Are
the birds getting the proper amount of natural
light? Is the bedding easy to clean out and
replace?

See how it can be a little bit of a balancing act?

The most important step you can take when
designing a chicken coop is to use a good set of
plans. Quality plans will cover off these and
many other areas that need to be addressed.

In conclusion your goal is to create a functional
chicken coop that houses and protects your birds
and allows them to thrive, but at the same time
is easy to maintain with minimal effort. The best
place to start? with quality building plans.

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Jasper White has constructed a terrific free
resource at
http://www.chickencoopcenter.com/clean-chicken-coo
p/ for insightful tips and info on planning,
building, and caring for a great chicken coop
visit
http://www.chickencoopcenter.com Today!

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