When one thinks of a chicken coop, they
probably think of the old red coop in the backyard. Typically this coop is worn
down and needs repainted. If you want though, you can build chicken coop quite
easily using the most basic materials. The most important thing when you are
building your coop is to make sure you adhere to a few simple specifications.
For the most part you can build chicken coop any way you want, but there are
some things you will need to remember.
The first thing you need to do is make sure
that the roof isn't too low. One thing that you will learn about chickens is
that they love to jump. There is nothing wrong with this but if they hit their
heads on the ceiling there is a chance that their necks will break. No, one
chicken will not look at another and learn from its actions. If you ceiling is
too low, then your chickens will jump into the ceiling one by one until they
are all dead and let's be honest, laying hens do not make for good meat.
When you build chicken coop you will want to
make sure that the chickens have a way out of the coop on warm days. This means
you will need some sort of pen outside the coop, and there is chicken wire made
for this exact purpose. It is up to you whether you want to fence the top of
the yard, but if you do not, then make sure that the fence is high enough that
the chickens cannot simply hop over it.
Your chickens may not always be able to use
the yard. If you live in an area that gets snow, you will want to make sure
that you devise a way to close the exit when you build chicken coop. There are
a number of ways to do this, and one way would be to use an old mailbox for the
ramp. By using this method, you can simply shut the mailbox and stuff it with
insulation from the other side to keep your chickens warm in the winter. Do
make sure you close it at both ends to avoid having the chickens eat the
insulation.
Make sure that there is a fixture for a heat
lamp somewhere in the ceiling. Chickens do need an adequate amount of light
during the day, and the last thing you want to do is keep them in the dark all
the time and then keep opening the door every few hours to check on them. Not
only is this unhealthy, it could also cause them to go blind.
