Chicken coops plans

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CHICKEN COOPS GENERAL INFORMATION
So you’re thinking about building a chicken coop but don’t want to spend a fortune on
coop plans and building materials? This was my thought when I built my own coop a
few years ago. I’ve read that the average person spends $300.00 to build their coop
and I didn’t want to spend that much – I scoured the internet to find free (or cheap)
but well made chicken coop designs that I could either build myself or buy.

I’ve included the links to FREE coop designs on the left side of the page.
the links contain plans to big or small chicken coops, depending on your needs. I’ve
also added some ideas for cheap or free chicken coop supplies i.e. building
materials, chicken feeders, chicken water containers, chicken nest boxes, chicken
roosts, and a few recommended books on how to care for chickens. I’ll be adding more information to each of these topics as time goes on. For now, I wanted to give you the basics and show you some pictures of the coop that I use and some of the supplies that have worked for me.

CHICKEN COOP DESIGNS
There are hundreds of different designs available for your coop. A picture of my coop is posted here – It’s made of scrap lumber and left over house paint. If you’re looking to build a coop with the links to free plans below, you’ll be limited to only those designs…but at least they’re free, functional, and actually quite lovely! And you can always add your own design twists too.

How you design your coop will, of course, depend on your needs. If you are planning to have a small flock and want to build a smaller coop, you may want to consider a portable chicken coop. These are also called “chicken tractors.” They often do not have floors and can be moved every few days or weeks from one part of your lawn to another so the grass does not get trampled down. This is ideal for raising chickens in urban areas where there may be limited space for them to run around. It’s also beneficial for both your chickens and your lawn. The chicken droppings provide great fertilizer for your lawn and, by moving the coop often, the chickens get access to new bugs and fresh grass. Plus, you don’t have to worry about cleaning up the droppings!

You can use any design you want, or create your own – the chickens won’t likely care. But do keep in mind your skill level when building it. I used a design of my own creation – now this worked just fine in the end, and I had fun building it. But I didn’t have a lot of experience in wood working or construction so it took me a lot longer to come up with a blueprint, to figure out how much wood it would take etc. I also encountered problems while constructing it since my blueprint wasn’t perfectly polished and ready to go – so the construction process didn’t always go smoothly either.

In hindsight, I wish I would have simply used an already available design that I found online since it would have saved me a ton of time and energy. But like I said – I do take great pride in my little 4′x8′ creation and the chickens seem perfectly happy in it! You’ll figure out what will work best for you.

CHICKEN COOP MATERIALS
Chicken coops can be made from almost anything – revamping an old shed or camping trailer, using scrap lumber, PVC pipes, 50 gallon barrels, tarps, kits, and the list goes on. Wood is the most commonly used material for coop building. Depending on the size of your coop, buying new lumber can get expensive.

I was able to find a couple of businesses which sell used or scrap lumber and this worked nicely for my 4′x 8′ coop. I even found some used windows and a couple sets of unused shingle there. If you decide to build your coop with used lumber, be prepared to pull out some nails, cut out some broken pieces, and to be creative with what you find. It takes extra time and TLC to build a coop using “recycled” or used wood – but I found the extra time well worth it in how much money I saved!

Another view of my coop above – I lucked out in finding a few stacks of new shingles to use! I also saved extra space inside the coop by building the nest boxes on the outside – you can see the row of nest boxes in the picture, jutting out on the right side (which is actually the back of the coop). There are 8 total boxes for them to choose from.

CHICKEN NEST BOXES
The suggested size for chicken nest boxes is 15″ wide, 15″ high and 11 1/8″ (see picture for example). This can vary to a certain extent. My nest boxes are about 2″ smaller than this and work just fine. You can fill your boxes with straw or place some type of padding down on the bottom so the eggs won’t crack when they lay. I noticed that they tend to kick and scratch a lot of straw out of the boxes so I stapled a piece of padding onto the bottom.

I started off with 8 chickens and made a nest box for each chicken. It turns out they all used the same 2 nest boxes for laying eggs! I’ve even seen 3 chickens in the same nest box at the same time – therefore, you don’t need to make too many boxes. They tend to gravitate toward the same box. If you have a big flock – you’ll need to make more. In some of the links I’ve provided, there are some excellent pictures of nest boxes, diagrams, and “how-to” instructions for building nest boxes. A view of a couple of my nest boxes is pictured above.

CHICKEN ROOSTS
A 2″ by 4″ or 2″ by 2″ board works nicely as a roost. You can also use a tree branch measuring between 3″ to 6.” I used a 2 x 4 and rounded off the edges with a circular saw, and these are working like a champ. This step is not necessary, but I’ve found that they are able to grip onto the roost better when it’s slightly rounded. A view of my roost and walkway leading to the roost is pictured above.

I made sure to place the roosts where the droppings are not in my way when I enter the coop so I don’t have to clean it off my shoes after being inside. Depending on the type of coop you build, you may also want to consider positioning the roosts where you can easily clean up the droppings.

Chickens seem to like roosting higher in the coop at night, so I positioned mine about 4 feet off the ground. I then constructed a walkway leading up to the roost since we clipped their wings (more on this in a bit). It’s basically an 8″ wide board which angles up from the floor to the roost with some make shift “steps” nailed on and spaced every 6″ or so – something they can use to “grip” onto as they walk up.

Back to wing clipping, just briefly – we clipped the outer part of the wings – on one side only. Don’t worry – this does not involve pain for the chickens in any way, and it prevents them from taking flight. When the wings are clipped, it’s done toward the outer part of the wing where there is no blood supply. We didn’t clip their wings at first because we thought it would hurt them. They kept flying over the fence, however, and and we lost one to a neighborhood dog. Thus, the wing clipping, and consequent ramp from the floor to the roost inside the coop. There is a great illustration on wing clipping at www.backyardchickens.com.

CHICKEN FEEDER
The farm stores all carry a nice selection of chicken feeders and water containers but they can be rather expensive. I made a 5 gallon feeder and waterer using two 5 gallon buckets I got for free at our local grocery store – usually the bakery or deli section – and two 20 inch plastic planter bases. The plastic planter bases cost around $5.00 – I purchased mine from a garage sale. Of course, any local retailer such as Walmart, Target, or your local hardware store or nursery would carry them as well. The 5 gallon feeder I’m currently using is pictured above – after filling it with feed, it will last about 3 weeks for 13 chickens.

How it’s done: To make the Chicken feeder – drill several holes about 1 1/2″ in diameter around the bottom of the bucket. Make sure the bottom edge of the holes are no higher up than 1/2″ from the very bottom of the bucket. Next – place the bucket in the bottom of the plant base so the top of the bucket is still up. Don’t throw away the lid – you’ll still need it. Make sure the bucket is centered as best as possible in the plant bottom and then screw it in place using 3 or 4 screws until it is secure. That’s it! just pour in the feed and put the lid on and you’ve got 5 gallons worth of feed. I’m guessing this would be roughly 20 lbs of feed since it holds just under half of a 50lb bag of chicken feed in my feeder. I place my feeder on top of 2 concrete blocks – chickens are sloppy eaters and this helps prevent feed spillage. I’ve seen other people hang their feeders a few inches off the ground with rope. The suggested distance off the ground is about the height of the chickens back.

CHICKEN WATER CONTAINER
For the waterer, it’s the same method except you only need to drill one or two small holes (1/4″ or so) near the base of the bucket – and drill them around 1″ up from bottom of the bucket. You can vary the height or distance from the bottom of the bucket a little, but make sure the hole does not lie above the rim of the planter base – If you do, all the water will overflow out of the trough.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUILDING A CHICKEN COOP
Dimensions: Each chicken requires 3 to 4 square feet of space – this will need to be taken into account when designing your coop so you don’t make it too small. I would suggest making it a little bigger than you need since, if you’re like me, you’ll want to purchase more chickens each year.

Climate: Build your coop to suit the climate of your area. If you live in a warm climate, you will need to make sure there is plenty of ventilation to keep your chickens cool. In cold climates, it’s important to keep out the draft and to make sure it’s warm enough so that the drinking water doesn’t freeze. An insulated coop will ensure the coop isn’t drafty either. But you’ll still want good ventilation, however, to ensure that fresh air can move in and out of the coop – minimizing the likelihood of your chickens getting sick.

Elevated Coop: An optional part of the design is elevating your coop. Having it elevated can help with the flooding rains and keep it cooler in the summer heat. It also gives the chickens a shady place to go during the day. I elevated my coop and noticed I’ve never had any rodents in it either – I’m not sure it’s a way to fool proof your coop from rodents or predators, but it probably helps to some degree.

Location: If you live in the city, check your city regulations. Sometimes, they require you to be at least 5 ft from the property line. Also, try to make a coop that won’t be offensive to your neighbors. It doesn’t have to be as pretty as the home you live in, but not too unsightly so as to reduce property values. Keeping on top of the smell is also key, since you don’t want to damage relationships with your neighbors.

It’s beneficial for the chickens to have adequate sunlight as well – for staying warmer in cold climates and for maximum egg production. Putting a window on the south side would allow for the light to enter the coop all day.

Deep Litter Method
You’ll also have to consider if you’re going to clean out the droppings on a regular basis or if you want to use the “deep litter” method, which is less maintenance. This is important to consider for designing the floor of your coop. Some people prefer to use a chicken wire floor so the droppings fall into a container under the coop for easier cleaning, less odor in the coop, and a way to regularly stay on top of the cleaning.

With the deep litter method, you essentially have around 4-8 inches of wood pellets, wood (pine) shavings, or other bedding on the floor of the coop. Every few days you’ll want to use a rake or shovel to stir the droppings on the top into the bedding underneath. The chickens do this on their own, but you’ll want to rake it in a bit deeper and more evenly across the whole floor.

The bedding/droppings will begin to decompose underneath. As this happens, the amount or level of bedding starts to shrink down. As this happens, you’ll simply add another inch (or more) of bedding so you’ll always have about 4-8 inches. By using this method, the odor is minimal. You really only need to clean the entire coop out once or twice a year.

I use the deep litter method and highly recommend it – it saves me a lot of time, and I can use that rich compost for our garden once it’s done! I buy 40 lb bags of wood pellets for my coop – most large retailers i.e. Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes will carry some. It may be that they only stock up on wood pellets during the winter so it may help to call the store in advance. Another great place to get pellets is at farm stores, and they usually carry them all year long. However, the price may be a bit higher.

I start off pouring a few bags on the floor until I get about 5 inches of pellets, spread evenly across the floor. I occasionally (once a week) rake the droppings on top, into the pellets underneath. Then I periodically add another bag of pellets – about every 3 monts on average.

I usually know when it’s time to add another bag of bedding – when the coop starts to smell a little and just raking the droppings into the bedding underneath is not working to eliminate this odor anymore. After a year, I simply clean it all out and start the process over again. You can find more information on this process at www.backyardchickens.com which, by the way, is an excellent overall resource for all things related to chicken care.

Predator Control
If you live in an area near dogs, coyotes, racoons, skunks, mountain lions, fisher cats, red tailed hawks, or bears (the most common predators), you’ll want to make sure to make your coop is predator proof. For an outpen made of chicken wire or bird netting, you should embed the material 8″-12″ below the ground around the perimeter of the pen to prevent the would-be predator from digging in.

If your coop is fenced in with woven wire farm fencing (or any other type of farm fencing), it is a good idea to place either a strand of electric wire or barbed wire around the perimeter a few inches off the ground on the outside of the fence. Again, this will deter predators from entering.

RECOMMENDED LINKS TO NEW CHICKEN COOPS AND SUPPLIES
If, after reading all of this, you don’t feel up to the task or decide you DO have the money for a coop after all or don’t want to go through the work of building a coop – there are dozens of good chicken coops for sale. Here are a few links to some excellent coops and chicken coop supplies!

http://www.henspa.com
http://www.mypetchicken.com

I hope this information was helpful. I’ll be adding more as time allows. Good luck with your coop building adventures!

We all learn to coddle day-old baby chicks: we keep them warm and protect them from floor drafts that might chill them. It’s easy to carrythis too far when the chickens get older. Chickens have sensitive lungs and need good air quality to thrive. If we shut up our chicken housestoo tightly, the houses will be dark, dank, and smelly, and the chickens will do poorly.

Since adult chickens are insulated by a heavy coat of feathers, trying to keep them warm is a waste of time, yet I get emails from people in Florida asking me if they need to use heat lamps on their adult hens in the wintertime! No, you don’t. And leave the windows openall winter, too, while you’re at it, even if you live in Canada.

I use open-front houses, and these work great. They’re airy and stay dry. A less-open house that I built doesn’t have the same kind of airflow andstays wet and nasty, even though I took its door off its hinges. Enclosed spaces are bad for chickens. Lots and lots of open window space is the key,even in winter.

I feel so strongly about this (and have been so appalled by the dark, airless chicken coop plans that are floating around), that I’ve republishedthe classic guide to open-front chicken houses, Fresh-Air Poultry Housesby Dr. Prince T. Woods. This is an oldie but a goodie. Read the sample chapter: it will convince you.

Paradoxically, while the issue of poultry housing is fairly complex, chicken coops themselves are quite simple.

My focus is always on chicken coops that are inexpensive and easy to build. I don’t like spending more than $200 on a coop for 50 chickens. These coops are extremely plain, and are often several years old before I get around to painting them. The price difference between such an unpretentious coop and one that’s a little fancier can be shocking.

People who feel they have an image to maintain will often spend ten to twenty times as muchper hen as I do, and only end up with a coop that looks like a toolshed. Heaven knows what it would cost to make a chicken coopthat looks like an English country cottage! “It’s a coop, but it costs like a sedan.” It’s amazing how a little trim, the use of siding instead of plywood, and other simple changes balloon the cost.

Because of the immense cost difference, it’s important to have things straight in your mind before you pick up a hammer.A lot of people have vague hopes of turning a profit someday, and use these as an excuse for spending lots of money onchicken coops. Thisnever works out. Either you’re in this for the money or you aren’t. If you’re not in it for the money, assume that every dollaryou spent is one you’ll never see again, and you’ll stay out of trouble.

Read this article on chicken coops that I wrote for ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas). It talks aboutall kinds of chicken coops, including “chicken tractors” (portable pasture pens).

“Hoop coops” are cattle-panel hoophouses,which are much better than pasture pens (also called “chicken tractors”).

Back to the Poultry FAQ Page.

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We’ve had our egg laying chickens for about 8 months. It’s my first experience raising chickens and there has been a lot to learn.

Egg Laying Chickens for Beginners

When we first decided to raise chickens our coop was not yet constructed, but we went ahead and made arrangements to buy a half dozen pullets (young hens) from a nearby farm. Since our farm was not equipped with a space suitable for raising baby chicks, buying pullets was our best option even though it cost a bit more than if we had bought the chicks ourselves. Most of the farms in this area get their baby chicks by mail order and our chickens are no different…they came to Concho by mail.

Our chickens were raised by Moonrise Farms until May, when they were 8 weeks old and in their pullet phase. Spring has a way of sneaking up and we were still clambering to get our chicken coop together in time to receive our chickens on delivery day. With a few extra hands to help and a lot of long days we managed to get the coop fully built on time.

When the time came to pick up the chickens, we realized that we hadn’t really worked out a good method for transporting the pullets. In a pinch, we emptied out our largest plastic storage containers and used those for carrying the chickens. Thankfully the chickens only had to ride in the back of the station wagon for a couple miles.

We’ve since bought a large animal crate that will work much better for transporting chickens. We’re also fixing up an old truck, which will be better suited to our farm needs.

Chicken Feeders

When we first brought the pullets home, we put them on a diet of chicken starter crumbles. When they started to lay eggs we changed their feed over to chicken layer pellets. Our chickens seem to prefer the pellets, though other folks say their flocks prefer the crumbles. We use a 40 pound hanging feeder, it works great because it prevents chickens from stepping into the feed trough and fouling the food. Hanging the chicken feeder will also keep mice from getting into it.

Chicken Waterers

Currently we supply fresh water to our chickens using a five gallon galvanized chicken waterer on simple cinder block platform. Having the waterer up off the ground keeps the water supply clean by preventing chickens from easily stepping into the trough. We’ve done our best to discourage our hens from sitting on top of the waterer and have placed a chicken wire “crown” on top of it.

Availability of fresh water affects egg production and we frequently wash out and refill the waterer. Our flock is particular about their water and if the waterer runs dry they make quite a fuss until the matter is addressed. We are moving towards an automated watering system. Once it is in place we will eliminate the task of filling the chicken waterer and our chickens will always have access to an uncontaminated water supply.

Click here to download a PDF version of our automated watering system that we are designing for use in our barn and garden.

Chicken Roosts

At night chickens like to roost. We’ve given our chickens several bars to stand on while they sleep. The roosting bars are all at the same height (about three feet off the ground) and provide enough space for all the chickens to stand comfortably, shoulder to shoulder. We originally used a ladder like design for our roost, but all of the hens wanted to be on the top rung!

I’ve read that sometimes you need to show your chickens where to roost if they don’t do it instinctively, but our chickens had no problems finding their roost.

Egg Laying Chicken Breeds

After getting our first flock settled we expanded almost immediately by adding another 6 pullets for a total of 12 egg laying hens. The addition of new chickens caused a degree disruption in the hen house that we weren’t really expecting. In the future we’ll merge 2 flocks by keeping them side by side in a divided coop until they became familiar with one another.

The dozen chickens that we have are of two breeds: Leghorn and Rhode Island Reds. The Leghorns are white and have proven to be very good producers. They started laying eggs about a month before the Reds and consistently produce large or extra large white eggs. The Rhode Island Reds have a more friendly disposition and lay brown eggs. They are a little larger in size than the Leghorns and seem to be moderate producers.

Because of their continuously high productivity, we’ve already determined that our next flock will also be Leghorns. The chart above compares our 2 breeds and illustrates the superior production levels exhibited by the Leghorns.

Chicken Egg Laying BehaviorsEgg Eating

While our flocks were still getting settled we had a lot of trouble with egg eating. To read about how we corrected the behavior see the following articles: Chicken Coop Plans and Chicken Nesting Boxes.

Egg Production

We’ve been monitoring egg production for the last 2 months and have been amazed that our number of eggs per day have been fairly steady even through the winter. We’d heard about chickens not laying eggs or only laying a very few eggs through the cold winter months. We have been surprised to find that our chickens have continued to produce eggs and attribute it partly to the warmth of our insulated passive solar barn. Winter temperatures inside the barn, which is partially devoted to our chicken coop range from 35 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. We will continue to monitor egg laying behaviors in order to learn more about how different factors effect egg production.

This chart shows the seven day average, which is simply the average for the last 7 days. In the above graphs the 7 day average is shown for each day of the month. By looking at the 7 day average, trends can be more easily observed when compared to daily graphs like this:

How Many Eggs

In theory each chicken can lay one egg per day. In our flock if a dozen eggs are laid in one day it represents 100% productivity. At our current average of 80% productivity our 12 hens lay 9 to 10 eggs per day. In early November our average productivity was higher at 90%. We believe that the reduction in egg productivity can be attributed to the colder winter temperatures and shorter daylight hours.

Chicken Feed

We’ve also begun to track food consumption. In our insulated passive solar barn our 10 month old hens now consume layer pellet at a rate of 2 ounces per chicken per day. In the morning we throw about a pound of scratch onto the ground in the outdoor chicken yard. Throwing it onto the ground encourages the chickens to scratch for bugs and forage for food. We also throw table scraps to the chickens several times through out the day, including vegetables, meat and anything that we would eat even if it is slightly spoiled. They seem to like variety.

Supplemental Chicken Light

As light began to fade this fall we installed an automated light system to supplement the sunlight coming through the South facing window of the barn. The chickens now get a total of 13 hours of light inside the chicken coop. The automatic light system consists of a photocell that senses light, a plug-in timer and a light fixture with a compact fluorescent bulb. The timer is set to turn on the light at 5 a.m. and shut off at 6 p.m. However, when the photocell senses daylight coming through the window, it cuts power to the light. For an off grid homestead this chicken light system works great, because it minimizes power consumption and you don’t even have to flip a switch.

We think that the steady supply of light in our chicken coop has contributed to good wintertime egg production. If you are interested in giving it a go, a quick and easy automated chicken light timer like one these two solutions should do the trick:

Automatic Chicken Light Timer – Method 1

Set a basic plug-in timer to come on at 5 a.m. and off at 6 p.m.
Next plug in a dusk-to-dawn photocell (plug in type) into timer.
Then plug in a trouble light and place the light in the chicken house.
Make sure your timer and photocell are placed where the photocell can be activated by Sun light.
The timer will provide for a 13 hour light cycle and the photocell will shut off the light when it detects sunlight.

Automatic Chicken Light Timer – Method 2

Set a basic plug-in timer to come on at 5 a.m. and off at 6 p.m.
Next plug in a trouble light and place the light in the chicken house.
Then screw in a duck-to-dawn photocell (screw-in type) into your trouble light’s light socket.
Make sure your photocell points away from the reflector on your trouble light or the light will flicker.
The timer will provide for a 13 hour light cycle and the photocell will shut off the light when it detects sunlight.

Chicken Nesting Boxes

Though we first installed communal nest boxes in the chicken coop, we quickly modified the nesting boxes to achieve better results. Click here to read about more about our chicken nesting boxes.

Our Chicken Coop

Click here to read about our self built chicken coop.

Do you want to build your own chicken coop? Well, you may think that such a thing is quite easy, but you’d be surprised to learn that chicken coops aren’t as easy to build as one might think. If you’re considering building a chicken coop, you may want to find some chicken coop plans. These plans can be found online or ordered from other sources. The best chicken coop plans will guide you step-by-step through the entire process of building your chicken coop.

Get professional Chicken Coop Plans and Manuals

Why can’t you design your own chicken coop? Well, that’s certainly a possibility if you’ve studied how chicken coops should be put together and if you’re an experienced carpenter. Since most people are not, however, designing their own coop is not a good idea. This is because chicken coops are actually much more complex than most people realize. Chicken coops have to be properly ventilated, for example. If they aren’t, it can be quite a shock to the nose upon entering one. Chickens will leave feathers, excrement, and more all over the floor of your chicken coop. Rotten eggs may also occur if you don’t collect them often enough. This can all combine to make a very rank smell. Keeping your coop ventilated will help cut down on these smells and can keep your chickens healthier. You’ll also want to know how to build your coop so that it’s easy to clean out all the waste that accumulates.

You also need to learn how to properly situate your chicken coop. You will want to be sure that it’s not exposed to the elements and has some sort of protection from the rain and snow. The chicken coop will need to have windows to allow light and ventilation, but you’ll also need some way of closing these windows if it starts to storm. Properly written chicken coop plans will instruct you in how to do this.

Your chicken coop plans should cover more than just constructing the chicken coop, however. They should also talk about creating the yard surrounding it. Your chicken coop yard may need to include a watering system, a place to store your chicken feed, and more. It’s also very important to build a fence around your chicken coop to keep out animals that may attack your chicken. This fence has to be partially buried to keep animals from digging under it. All of this information should be included in any plans you purchase. If it’s not, you may want to look for other plans.

If you are serious about building a chicken coop, you should start looking for chicken coop plans before you begin. The plans and the step-by-step guide that comes with them will tell you everything you need to purchase to build your chicken coop. This is the absolute best way of building your chicken coop. Make certain the plans were constructed by an experienced carpenter. If you’re looking for plans like this, check out the information presented at the link below.

Do you want to build a good home for your poultry? Are you hoping chicken coop plans can add the design, planning and building procedure? Great! Keep reading and find out how they can help you.

One thing that a lot of people that embark on a DIY project do not understand is just how important the planning stage of a poultry house is. Determining the right materials to use, how to ventilate the coop, and even how to prevent it from flooding, needs to be determined before the build starts.

Some people’s opinion of how much space a chicken needs will vary. Usually, most experts will suggest somewhere in the region of 3-5 square foot per chicken to allow the animals to feel comfortable.

The actual run should have around 8-10 square foot per animal. This will ensure that they are not overcrowded and do not become aggressive.

One thing that needs to be said is that accessing most manufacturers built coops is extremely hard. For this reason, throughout the planning stage, think about the access options you have so that it is easy to collect eggs, but also easy to clean.

When planning and designing the coop, make sure you realize that it is liable to flooding. The best way to combat this problem is to raise the coop off the ground a few inches. This will ensure that the chickens are kept warm and dry all the time.

Like weather protection, making it secure is extremely important. It is not so much in case they get out, but in case predators get in. Chicken coop plans will have a few solutions to deter predators.

So what is the next step? Well, a good start would be to use some chicken coop plans and start planning your DIY build!

It will be a lot easier to build a chicken coop using Chicken Coop Plans, so why not give them a try!

http://www.buildchickencoopz.com

Small Chicken Coop Plans

A growing number of people are choosing to build mobile and small chicken coops over large coops that cannot be moved. This is because the advantages of a portable coop are far greater than those of larger, permanent ones. The choice at the end of the day is yours; however, there are some critical things that you should consider before deciding which chicken coop type is best for you. The following are a few things I feel make mobile and small chicken coops a great option:

Easier to Clean
This is one of the best benefits of mobile coops. They are smaller and therefore cleaning is a much easier task. Plus you can just put the coop close to your home and make cleaning less of a hassle. Another great thing is that you can just take the coop to a cement garage and wash it down with a hose.

Less Expensive To Build
This is also a huge advantage for mobile and small chicken houses. When compared to large coops, they need less material, time and effort, and that makes them a better option in this regard. Oftentimes, you can use spare lumber that you have lying around your property. You can also go around and ask a neighbor for any excess materials they may not need. You can also try visiting constructions site and asking for spare materials. Because the coop is small you don’t really need as much materials and can use scraps from around your town to build it, saving you a lot of money.

Decreased feeding time
Another benefit of portable chicken houses is that they take less time to feed the chickens as it would for a large coop. By just keeping the smaller coop nearer to your house, you won’t have to walk a lot to feed the chickens. Many folks appreciate this benefit of mobile coops, so it is certainly something you should take into consideration.

Limited Space
This is a downside of portable chicken coops, as the number of chickens you can keep is quite limited. If you want to keep more than six chickens, then small coops are generally not a suitable option for you. Portable coops are usually a better option for those who want to keep chickens as a small hobby, rather than a major one.

Less Durability
Portable chicken houses have to be well made if you want them to survive the daily wear and tear of constant use. If this is not maintained then it is very likely that you will face problems, and repairs will be needed more often than a normal sized coop.

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The Coop Plan Collection

Attention: Dont spend a single dollar on buying chicken coops, and dont even start building one until you read this message very carefully. Who Else Wants 100 Time-Tested, Award-Winning Blueprints For Easily Making Your Own Chicken Coops, Step By Step, With Just Common, Inexpensive Materials And Basic Saw-And-A-Hammer Skills

– By Richard Edwards

Dear Poultry Keeper,

Its the same with chicken coops.

Why should one pay when they can be easily built at 1/4 of the usual , with just basic and simple building skills and common, extremely affordable materials that can be found anywhere

( To See A FREE Sample Of The Award-Winning, Easy-To-Follow Coop Plans Included In This Collection) WAIT! This report is in the electronic PDF format. To read it you willneed Adobe Acrobat Reader. You will save around 367pct. more money in building your own coops than buying the pre-made ones

If you just know how to use a saw and a hammer, you will be able to easily craft coops suitable for all climates and any flock size by simply using basic, inexpensive materials… with your own hands (even if youre a beginner)

You can choose from over 100 award-winning, simple-to-follow models of chicken coops made by ingenious poultry keepers that were also great architects.

Theres NO boring theory or fluff in this unique electronic book (Ill tell you about that e-book stuff in a moment). Just practical, straightforward advice and step-by-step, easy-to-follow plans guiding you, from start to finish, in the enjoyable task of crafting your own chicken coops.

Find out the real results from the expert poultry keepers on what effects cold houses have compared to warm houses, and how it affects the egg production of your chickens.

Youll learn all the correct preparations to adopt for cold climates and warm climates, and what you should NEVER do while building a chicken coop with that point in purpose.

It covers low-cost henhouses (so you can save even more money), a list of recommended materials (a time-saving bonus), showing of several examples, discussion of locations, coop sizes, local climates, exact measurements and dimensions of the coops, and cross sectional drawings.

Straightforward guides with step-by-step instructions for houses adapted to mild conditions, cold climates, warm climates, and for those places that have no snow in winter (yet theyre cold).

Martha StewartApril 4, 2006 The Best Selection Of Chicken Coop Plans I Have Seen!

About The Coop Plan Collection

Rich, I have finally found arguably the best selection of chicken coop plans I have ever seen.

What I liked most is the fact that the plans have been tested and proven to work and all of them are award winning plans. John RobertsFlorida, USAApril 6, 2006 It Saved Me Hours Of Frustration, Time, And Money!

About The Coop Plan Collection

Richard… Im impressed with this book. Quite frankly the best selection of plans I have seen and I have really enjoyed building my coop.

I personally feel that anyone who is thinking of building their own coop should get this book immediately, it really will save you hours of frustration, time and money.

(If you dont have the Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed in your PC dont worry, you can download it for free here)

Extended Holiday Discount *Until January 15, 2006, or only to the next 107 people (whichever comes first), Im giving a generous, time-limited 31pct. discount over the normal purchase , so that you pay only24.95 for it. Thats a savings of over12 off the normal purchase .

However, remember that this discount is only valid until January 15, or if youre among the first 107 people to take advantage. If you snooze, you lose.

if you want to take advantageRichard, I want to secure and get my copy of The Coop Plan Collection right now! I understand that Ill get all the 100 easy-to-follow coop plans, and all the time-saving advice revealed in this tip-filled, 88-pages-long electronic book for only a one-time, low investment of US24.95

I understand that I must act NOW in order to take advantage of the24.95 discounted youre granting me, as its a time-limited holiday discount and it will only be available if I act before January 15, 2006, or if Im within the first 107 people.

to purchase and download your copy of the Coop Plan Collection now

Yours for chicken keeping success,

P.P.S: To sweeten the deal even more, Im giving you a 31pct. discount off the normal purchase of37 of The Coop Plan Collection. Emmanuel House, 37 Emmanuel Road, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, UK B73 5LY.

Raising chickens is fun for the whole family. Kids especially love collecting fresh eggs.

If you have decided to start your own backyard flock then you will need to build a chicken coop. When building a chicken coop there are many things to keep in mind. You could design your own chicken coop or you could go with free chicken coop plans available online. There are some excellent step by step plans for building a chicken coop, which will include plans for build in chicken nest boxes and a feed and watering area as well as a roosting bar. Every detail will be planned out for you so all you have to do is build. Some excellent books on chicken coop designs can be found at Amazon.

Some people choose to design their own backyard chicken coop. If you are handy this should be a fairly easy task but here are some details you will need to include in your coop plans:

Nest Boxes: Nesting boxes are necessary. They provide a nice cozy place inside the coop for your hens to lay eggs. You will fill the nesting boxes with hay and the chickens will lay eggs in the box. Make sure you have enough boxes in the hen house. Chickens will share boxes but you should make sure they won’t be fighting over the nest box.

Hen House Feeder: Chicken coop supplies such as feeders come in many sizes and are available at your local feed store in various sizes. Raising chickens is fun for the whole family and with the right sized chicken feeder you won’t have to feed your hens every day. Depending on what size feeder you choose and how many chickens you have, you could end up feeding just once a week.

Proper Ventilation: The hen house will need adequate ventilation. Prior to building a chicken coop you should plan for good ventilation. Good chicken coop blueprints will allow good ventilation because good ventilation will help your flock remain healthy. The coop should have windows or openings to allow fresh air inside. These windows and doors can open to a chicken yard or they can be covered with chicken wire so hens won’t get out.

Chicken House Location: Chicken coops should be placed in a sunny, well drained high location. Plan ahead and make sure your chickens are located in an area which may have drainage issues in winter. Chickens need plenty of light in order to lay eggs. The more sunlight the hens have the better.

Build Your Coop With an Attached Yard: Hens can be down right mean to each other. It’s nice to have a penned in chicken yard for your hens. You can attach poultry wire over the top of the yard to keep your little egg laying friends inside the yard some people choose wing clipping but I haven’t found this necessary. This will allow less dominate hens to get away from mean hens. Build a coop with an chicken door for the chickens to go from the coop to the yard and a “man” door for you to enter the coop. Having a full sized door for you to gather eggs from the chicken house and do some coop cleaning easily.

Build the Hen House with Good Materials: Keep in mind when building a chicken coop predators and all the ways they will try to get inside the coop to your chickens. Innocent looking neighborhood dogs may try and enter the coop and harm your chickens. Using scrap lumber in your coop design is okay but just make sure the scrap materials will not compromise your hens safety.

Raising chickens is a wonderful experience for the entire family. There isn’t anything quite like fresh eggs. Doing research prior to building a chicken coop will save you a lot of headaches in the future and will also help your hens live long and healthy lives.

Tagged as: Chicken Coop Designs

Raising chickens has become a high demanding job amongst farmers. You may not think that keeping chickens, feeding them, breeding them and using their eggs for food would be practiced regularly as it was in the past. Sure, times have changed and there are now many chicken raising factories that have automated egg hatcheries and such, but the fundamental procedures of raising chickens grows more and more each year as the world’s population continues to grow. Hence it is vital for a chicken raising farmer to understand these concepts and learn how to build a chicken coop.

For many of us who have a backyard chicken flock, one of the key issues we come across is finding some really good chicken coop plans for building chicken coops. There are hundreds of different breeds of chickens and as any experienced chicken farmer will tell you, it is not a good idea to keep certain types of chickens together in the same chicken coop.

The bantam chickens are the ones that do not grow any larger than one fifth to one quarter of the size of a standard chicken breed. They are known as the miniature classes of chickens and they are extremely cute and fun to watch.

While there aren’t many chicken coop plans designed especially for bantam chickens, I have found through my experience raising chickens that bantams and standard chickens differ in other ways besides their size. Therefore I have put together some chicken coop plans tips that will help you build a chicken coop for these miniature fowls.

#1:

Build a chicken coop that is tall and has multiple long and high perches. Unlike large standard chickens which tend to hang around at the bottom of the coop due to their excessive weight, small bantams can easily jump up to the highest perches, giving your chicken coop plenty of space to keep more chickens. Build plenty of perches, nests and feeders so that the bantams can jump around from perch to perch and eat from any part of the coop.

#2:

Bantam chickens have tendencies to jump really high and some can almost fly across an entire field. Therefore you want to make sure that if your chicken coop has an attached chicken pen or chicken run, it is covered with a high net or its surroundings have really high fences. The last thing you want is for your bantam chicken to fly over your fence because they are not smart enough to jump back across.

#3:

Bantams can be quite feisty. As cute as they are, bantam roosters can become quite aggressive when their territory is threatened. You may want to separate the chicken coop into smaller compartments with chicken wire. Keep one rooster per every three hens.

#4:

Be aware of injured bantams. For some strange reason, I have had many of my bantam chickens get eaten alive by the other bantams. This may sound absurd but it is true. Chickens tend to peck at each other at times and if they draw blood, the other chickens will begin pecking at the blood and eventually killing off the innocent chicken. This is why you should remove any chicken that you notice has been pecked or injured and keep it in its own cage for a week until it heals.

By following the chicken coop plans above you should have an easier time raising bantam chickens in your backyard. Bantams can be quite adorable but they require a lot of maintenance and care if you truly want to get the best out of your chicken flock.

Are you confident enough yet to build your own chicken coop? Many people have had success building their own coop and saved a lot of money in doing so. These are only just a few tips to help you on your chicken raising endeavors. For detailed chicken coop plan and instructions you should try these
advanced chicken coop plans

Providing poultry accommodation if you want to keep chickens really is so simple these days, with such a fantastic amount of information available for you to access so easily at the touch of a button and particularly in relation to poultry accommodation, it really is a breeze.

There has been a huge worldwide explosion of interest in all things poultry just recently and the amazing thing about this is the wealth of hints and tips on how to keep chickens that have become available for absolutely anybody to use.

To keep chickens is something that everybody should be able to experience. What a fantastic, rewarding thing to do with the added bonus of tasty free range eggs laid by your own hens. Somehow they really do seem to taste far better than anything that you can buy at the store.

Housing hens yourself is something that is also easily achieved. You are not limited to buying readymade coops at a vastly over inflated price any longer, because you really have the flexibility of looking at any number of suitable coop plans, putting them into action and turning them into a reality.

You can make sure that you build exactly what you want to suit you and your chickens needs with no problem what so ever just by following a few simple instructions and to be honest that is a pretty cool thing to be able to do. You can fit the size of coop you really want into your own backyard space and house the number of chickens you want so easily.

Being able to buy all the materials that you will need at your favourite DIY store at a price that will be worth every cent you spend (especially when you consider the cost of even the cheapest readymade coop) will guarantee you quality throughout your DIY project, this in turn will enhance the overall cost effectiveness of your coop, as you know that you have the durability you need to keep long term maintenance costs low too.

Healthy, happy chickens will be very good egg layers and surely that has to be one of the reasons for keeping them in the first place. Being able to collect your own hens eggs and use them is fantastic and to know that you have contributed to their welfare and continued well being by housing them safely and securely should not be underestimated.

To take advantage of the wealth of poultry accommodation advice that once was restricted to farmers and small holders really is such a gift. All of these well kept secrets that were probably once closely guarded now available to use to your total advantage. It really will help you to make informed choices with regard to your poultry accommodation with the minimum of fuss. This in turn can give you peace of mind knowing that you have provided more than adequate housing for your chickens.

Building a chicken coop is so simple and a great deal of fun when you are given the correct information. They are practical, easy to assemble and can save you a fortune.

There are dozens of poultry related websites that claim to offer visitors great chicken coop plans, but few sadly seem to offer little more than a single basic design. However one of the bestchicken coop design websites online that has been endorsed by hundreds of chicken breeders and owners worldwide so far contains a wealth of chicken housing data and related information that is well worth reviewing. (http://www.chickenhousekit.com)