Building a chicken coop entails many considerations as compared to human shelter such as the location of the coop, the durability of the materials used for the coop, and the budget you can cover for building and maintaining the chicken coop apart from raising your chickens.
If the financial overhead for your chickens isn’t a problem, Australian Chicken Coops has a variety of high-quality chicken coops at discounted rates. Otherwise, stay posted and learn the basics and ideas for building a chicken coop.
Measuring Chicken Coop Dimensions to Your Backyard Space
Before having your construction on hand, you should take note of the size of your backyard and the amount of allotted space that you want for your chicken coop. Many farmers and poultry businesses follow the standard of following 2 to 3 square feet of flooring per chicken. Also, larger chicken breeds may require an extra square foot of flooring.
Your chicken coop should both have an indoor space and outdoor space, with most of the coop covering the outdoor area. You may also decide to let your chickens roam freely and only provide indoor space for the coop. More importantly, a smaller coop requires frequent maintenance since it accumulates more odor and waste after a few days as opposed to a larger coop.
Chicken Coop Essentials and Accessories
After figuring out the desired measurements and scale of your chicken coop, you should take note of the outdoor conditions such as air flow and shade. It is practical to provide air ventilation near the ceiling of the coop using mesh or bard wire. Most modern chicken coops construct their nest boxes behind the structure since it is easily accessible and secure for the eggs. A brilliant idea, if possible, is to incorporate an insertion where you can access or open the nest box from inside your kitchen.
A modern chicken coop should have security features and warming systems including an electric fence and heat or UVA and UVB bulbs respectively. Besides providing food and water sources, it is recommended to construct a small food storage in your coop. Your chickens will love perching on things as well.
Examples of Ideal and Innovative Chicken Coops
The A-Frame chicken coop is a small or medium scale chicken coop that provides a sheltered space on the upper half of the coop and a fenced and covered outdoor area on its lower half. The beauty of this design is the vertical space it provides for your chickens. In this video, this chicken coop runs on a rainwater system which is collected for the gutter of the roof to a large barrel. It’s a source of water for the chickens.
There are many more DIY ideas out there for building your chicken coop. You may also look for more technical references and designs at Australian Chicken Coops. Give your chickens the best place to grow, reproduce and live because a job well done is rewarded with a basket of eggs.