Building A Chicken Coop In Your Backyard
Building your very own custom-made chicken coop is a very rewarding and fun project. Not only is raising a fun group of chickens very rewarding, but if you construct your own coop you’ll be able to tailor-make it to the specific needs of your methods and space.
If you’ve got the right designs and guidance it’s actually very easy to construct your own coop. If this is your first time constructing a coop, then you’ll want to gather as much information as you possibly can.
Using a template is probably the best way to go. One great book is “Building A Chicken Coop” by Bill Keene. It’s a quality resource with plans and materials, as well as step by step leads to ensure your hencoop has all the essential features you’ll want.
Basic Building Guidelines
There are many things to consider when thinking about buildling your own chicken coop.
The first question to ask yourself is how many chickens you’ll want in your flock? If you already own some chickens you’ll know the answer here. However, if you’re a first timer then think about starting small so you don’t overwhelm yourself at first. You can always add more later and even build a whole chicken run!
It’s also important to consider the weather in your local area. If you live in the tundra your coop is going to be much different than if you live in the desert. Think about if your coop will be in the shade or sun, and where your chickens will be spending their time.
Coop Plan Selection
When thinking about how to construct a chicken coop you should definitely consider a few things when selecting your coop plans.
Building proper ventilation will prevent your chickens from getting too hot in the summer. If you don’t provide adequate ventilation in your coop your chickens could overheat! This will not make for very happy keepers or flocks!
Lighting is yet another highly important consideration when thinking about how to construct a chicken coop. If you’re constructing a chicken coop in a well lit space then it’s a positive idea to think of positioning the coop in order to best take advantage of that natural illumination. If you’re building the coop in a shady or dark area then it would be good to ensure that you build the coop with enough openings to allow light to enter. You could even install some light fixtures to help.
The setup of the food supply is important as well when making your chicken coop plans. Taking into consideration how many chickens you’re keeping is an important part of planning where to put the feeders in your chicken coop. Make sure that they are easily accessed by your chickens and you.