hen houses – Latest hen houses news – Hen House Plans – Build Your Own This Weekend

If you’ve been keeping up with my blog posts lately you’ll know I’ve come to adding a few news posts from around the web on this subject. I’ve got a couple more today that are new and updated, so let me know what you think of em…

Hen House Plans – Build Your Own This Weekend

Using a sensible set of hen house plans will create your building method fun and rewarding. Without a sensible set of plans you'll finish up with a pile of scrap wood that your hens may avoid like the plague. The little amount of cash …

Couple brings a little country living to neighborhood – Snohomish …

Snohomish County Tribune. Couple brings a little country living to neighborhood Snohomish County Tribune If you're interested in keeping your own chickens, join Ritch Carbaugh for a tour of Everett's backyard chicken coops sometime next …

Chickens in the Basement: Flower Frogs and Snow Days

Since we have lots of snow, the girls and Skippy (Hazel, too, but I still think of him as a girl) were still in the hen house. When I opened the door, the chickens were having a little snack inside. It's just too cold to venture out! …

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Have a great day!

For those who have decided that keeping chickens is a good way to cut down on their weekly grocery bill the one thing you have to keep in mind is your poultry house design. Your hens are going to need a safe dry place to roost and to lay their eggs. If you do not have room for some form of hen house you may want to think about other alternatives to keeping your own chickens.

The Basic Poultry House

When you start to look at basic poultry house design you are going notice that they come in a tremendous variety of shapes and sizes. No two hen houses seem to look exactly alike, this is pretty normal especially when you stop to realize that the majority of them are home built by people with only a small amount of building experience if any. This is not really a problem as you do not need to be a master builder to put up your own poultry house.

One thing that you will notice with even the most basic poultry house design is that it is made with one thing in mind and that is to provide your flock of hens a secure home. Chickens are a relatively hardy species, but they do have certain requirements including needing a place to stay out of the weather. This means both the cold winter weather and the hot summer sun as they do not have sweat glands to help them stay cool.

What Your Poultry House Must Have

In your poultry house design there are certain elements that you must have and some that are considered non essential but can provide a much nicer environment for your chicken. If you have been looking at different plans you will find that most of them have the same main features no matter what shape they are.

The most important features that the inside of your poultry house should have if you want to have eggs are nesting boxes. These are small “rooms” that your hens will roost in to lay their eggs, chickens prefer to lay their eggs in small darker spaces that are lined with straw and it gives them the sense of being in a nest which is where they would lay their eggs in the wild.

You should also provide them with enough roosting perches so that there is enough space for all of your hens to roost up off the ground at night. Before they were domesticated chicken roosted in trees at night to stay safe from predators and the perches provide them with the same sense of security.

While including a window in your poultry house design is not an absolute necessity you will find that if you put a window in the side where the majority of your summer breezes blow from it will help to keep your poultry house well ventilated and cooled down during the hot summer months. All of this can easily be incorporated into any design and will go a long way toward keeping your hens healthy and happy.

For expert and detailed step by step instruction on how to construct your own Chicken Coop visit How To Build A Chicken Coop

Buying a Chicken Coop can be quite costly, and you can easily build one for a quarter of the cost of buying…plus you have the satisfaction of knowing that you did it yourself. Check out how to build it now at How To Build A Chicken Coop

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janet_Patrick

Building A Homemade Chicken Coop – 7 Essential Planning Tips For Construction Success

Building a homemade chicken coop starts with plans. When we say plans, we don’t just mean designs plans; we also mean a blueprint in your mind of how to go about it.

To get you on the right path, we have enumerated several factors that you need to plan for before making your homemade chicken coop. These are simple things that you might forget if your focus is only on designs.

1. How many are you raising? Before deciding how you would design your coop, make sure that you know first how many chickens you’re going to have.

2. What breed of chicken will you have? Different breeds react differently to climatic conditions and each breed has its own potential health risk. You need to find out about this before building their home.

3. How much time and money can you spare? You need to have a budget and pose a limit on how much you’re going to spend on materials and possibly, additional help. You also need to have a plan on how much time you are willing to spend on building your coup.

4. Where are you going to build your chicken coup? Consider whether you will put it in your backyard or somewhere else. Measure the space available and consider the weather in your area. The latter will be your primary concern in whether to build an elevated coop or one that touches the ground.

5. What parts should you incorporate in your homemade coup? Don’t forget the ventilation. Don’t build a coop that is too cramped or too enclosed as lack of proper ventilation and the damp can cause your chickens to get sick. Remember to allocate spaces where they can roost; where hens can lay their eggs; where the poultry can feed and drink; and where litter can be gathered.

6. What tools are you using? If you already have a hammer, nails, a drill and other simple tools, then you’re all set. If the plan you’ve chosen requires additional tools, ask around if you could borrow them from friends and neighbors or make a survey of how much they would cost if you need to buy them.

7. What ordinances and regulations are in place in your city? Most cities have rules governing poultry breeding, particularly if you’re going to do it within or near a residential area. Make sure that you
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know all these as your coup design will likely be affected by these regulations.

A homemade chicken coop might be fun to make. Keep in mind though, that there is more to it than hammering a few nails and attaching a handful of wires and some pieces of wood.

By: Dean James

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

For more advice, tips and information that shows you How to Build a Chicken Coop for use at home as well as our unbiased reports on the top guides available that supply step-by-step building plans visit => www.diybuildchickencoop.com

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