Chicken Coop Plans
Building chicken coops can be very difficult if you are building this without prior experience or consultations from experts. It is just like any other pet houses that are designed for the purpose of safety and convenience. As for the chicken coop, you must be very keen on getting the right standards in construction to avoid future problems like high mortality rate, low reproductive success rate, short supply turn out of eggs, and other manifestations of unproductive chicken for that matter.
Proper construction of chicken coop in accordance with the standards plays a vital role in the su
ccess of your plans. You may be doing this in pursuit of leisure or as a businessman wanting to earn extra income. No matter what reason you have, several things needs to be considered to meet your intended goals. The following are the fundamental guidelines or standards in the building a chicken coop:
Find the perfect location
This is very crucial and should be on top of your checklist. Without having the right location for the chicken coop, you cannot expect your plans to be successful. This can make or break the whole process. Factors to be considered in choosing the right location are the availability of water drainage, proper air circulation, exposure to sunlight, threats of predators, and quality of natural shades for protection of heavy rain, humidity, and ultraviolet rays. Another important consideration is the wind directions. This may cause trouble with your neighbors especially if you are building your chicken coop in your backyard. The wind may blow unpleasant odor towards your neighbor or your home which is definitely annoying.
Carefully study your waste disposal or drainage system
Formation of mud due to droplets of water, chicken manure, and food wastage below the chicken coop may harm your chicken. The presence of these waste materials can lead to formation of germs and bacteria causing health problems with your chickens. Harmful diseases brought about by these compositions can spread all over the chicken coop to the point of getting into the food and water containers, nesting areas, and some vital areas of your coop. It will contaminate the food and water supply of your chickens and will eventually get them sick. Using metal sheets for your drainage will prevent these scenarios to happen. Of course, frequent cleanup of manure, food and water wastage is very important and will not only promote disease prevention but odorless poultry production as well.
Availability of nearest water and electrical supply
Imagine the inconvenience of going back and forth if your water supply is located far from your chicken coop. It is not only very tiring but time-consuming as well. Chickens need clean water supply as much as they need it for their food. The frequency of disposing off and filling in of new water for consumption of chickens should be properly observed as needed. Whenever there are signs of water discolorations, water replacement should be done immediately to avoid formation of molds and algae.
Provide proper space for chickens’ nest
One of the more important factors for chickens to breed is the space allotted in your chicken coop. If you opt to use a box type nest for this purpose, the standard dimensions for chicken entrance is a width of 9 inches and length of 6 inches. Inside dimensions should have a width of 12 inches wide, 9 inches of length, and depth of 12 inches per box. These dimensions promote favorable environment for chicken and easy access for owners in getting eggs. Chickens tend to be more comfortable laying eggs in smaller nesting boxes as the mentioned dimensions. Also, these dimensions prevent chickens from kicking off the straws out of the box and at the same time fouling their nest.
Plan location for future expansion
Choosing the right location should also allow future expansion for another chicken coop. The primary purpose for this is that transition period of your existing chickens and your intended new sets of chicks can be done simultaneously.Although there can be no exact figure in terms of the life span of a chicken but then we know for a fact that as chicken grows older, egg production and its value is decreasing. Owners will find it more viable to sell and replace than spending more money for their feeds and maintenance. With the presence of another chicken coop, you will not have to wait until your batch of chickens is not productive and start all over again. You can easily do it simultaneously without waiting and wasting some time.On the other hand, if you are thinking of just mixing the chicks to the chickens, you are getting into further money loss.
Construct your chicken coop for easy access of water and food replacements and egg collections
Not only that you have to ensure your chicken coop for heavy rains and extreme exposure from sunlight, you also have to consider the accessibility of the everyday essentials like replacement of water supply and feeder for your chickens.Remember that in every day you are req
uired to perform several water replacements and filling in feeds for couple of times. Imagine if you will be having problems with accessibility and you have to do it several times a day then it will not be worth proceeding.In providing a great design for the accessibility of your chicken coop, consider side doors supported by hinges on areas where the feeders and water containers are located. You can also do this for the chicken’s nest. Having it placed at the back of each box will be very convenient on your part. This will also prevent other chickens from being disturbed on the process of laying eggs while you are getting those who were done.
The above mentioned standards will enable those individuals who are thinking of having small backyard poultry at home. With proper knowledge and information, you can at least acquire confidence that you are in the right track towards a successful chicken production.
