Chicken House Plan – A Smart Step Towards Self

July 9th, 2010 |

After you’ve made the decision to buy a chicken coop, then the next step you need to consider is where you intend to position it, and on what. You want to keep in mind that if you live in colder climates you’ll want to keep the chicken coop warm and protected, but yet still allow for a good amount of ventilation.

Chickens, just like humans, require a constant supply of fresh air, so you need to position the coop with this in mind. It’s vital that your chickens live in a comfortable temperature, and get adequate light. A good tip to remember is to face any windows of the hen house in a southerly direction as this will allow for the most light through the day into the coop.Many people also don’t consider on what the coop should be placed.

Typically there are four common choices.

On a bare patch of soil : The advantage to placing the coop just on the ground is price – it doesn’t come much cheaper. If you do choose to do this , be extra sure that it’s packed down as firmly as possible as if it isn’t rainwater can break it up and you’ll have quite the mess on your hands. On the cons side, one issue that often occurs with dirt is that it’s more susceptible to rodents, so if you know you already have rodent issues, you may want to lean away from using this type of ground. Finally, it’s not going to provide all that much insulin in the colder winter months, so assess your climate before making the decision to use this type of ground.

Concrete is a good choice for those who are really looking to set up a permanent coop and want it to be heavy-duty. Concrete is going to be your most expensive option by far, but you won’t experience many of the problems with it as you would with other building materials. One of the best parts about a concrete floor is that it will be very easy to clean, making maintenance of your coop that much easier.

Another fairly popular option is a Wood floor, which has the benefit of being relatively cost effective and easier to clean than an earth floor. The downside to wood is that it can begin to rot, particularly if you have a lot of moisture in the ground or get a lot of rain through the year. Wood is also not rodent proof, meaning that you may start to experience problems with this as well.The final nice thing about wood is that it’s relatively easy to install as the flooring, so your coop shouldn’t take all that long to build.

Finally Straw or other Lightweight Flooring such as grass clippings or sawdust is the last option to think about when you come to position your chicken coop. Again these are relatively cost-effective solutions for those who do not want to pay the money that’s required to build a concrete floor. Another additional plus with straw is that it makes for easy clean-up if you just opt to replace the straw (obviously you will have the earth flooring underneath).

So, keep these options in mind as you go about planning for your chicken coop. Assessing the above factors before you buy your chicken coop will be critical to ensure that you are buying the right kind of chicken coop to meet your needs.

Article Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Are-You-Thinking-About-Buying-a-Chicken-Coop?&id=2683748