Housing Chickens Takes Some Basic Planning
Housing Chickens Takes Some Basic Planning
One of the first things you need to look at when considering housing chickens is how much room you have on your land. This will, of course, determine how many chicken you can have. Next is to figure out how stylish you want to get with your new project. Do you want to build a two story hen house or are you planning to build a one story? The two story choice has some advantages if you have a large number of hens but keep in mind that the two story structure is harder build and harder to clean. Also, if you plan on breeding chicken it would be wise to build a coop big enough to accommodate the increase in numbers so you don't find yourself later needing a bigger building.
Your building also needs to look good for the benefit of your relationship with your family and neighbors. For this reason it might be best go online and get a design from an expert and take a few tips into consideration before you even get started. There are legal and structural issues as well as health and cleanliness issues.
First take care of the legal matter. Find out from local officials if you are prevented from keeping chickens under local ordinances. Perhaps you will need a license. Contact the city or county to get the go ahead before you start your building or purchase the hens.
Without a doubt building a hen house is a worthy endeavor. It not only needs to be able to protect your chickens from the weather but also from predators. A sturdy structure with a dirt floor is generally considered adequate but added protection such as chicken wire planted around the base of the building will be needed to keep animals from digging in under the walls. One way to do this is to dig a one foot deep ditch just at the edge of the wall and sink the chicken wire into it and cover with dirt. Another way is dig a six inch ditch which is also six inches wide and fold chicken wire into the ditch and then use some ready-mix concrete to fill in back to ground level. Hopefully your yard is fenced in for protection of your hens when they are not in the house. If not, then you will need a chicken run, an enclosure of chicken wire also protected from digging under by predators.
In your design choice you should make sure that your hen house is well ventilated and easy to clean. Good ventilation will help insure the good health of your hens. You will need to clean the hen house a minimum of once per week, so your design needs to have a good sized door for you to enter for your cleaning. You need to be able to easily remove the bedding, waste, and other items out of the coop. You will need to design your hen house around these ideas when you are building. When you find coop plans online, housing chickens in a professionally designed structure will not be a problem. You, your family, and your neighbors will be pleased with your results. Watch St. Jude Classic presented by Smith & Nephew Leaderboard PGA Championship Live Stream Broadcast Online coverage Live golf tour June 10 - Jun Watch LPGA State Farm Classic Championship Live Stream Broadcast Online coverage Live golf tour June 10 - June 13, 2010 A Guide To Choosing Your Wedding Insurance Bajaj Allianz General Insurance-Mediclaim Policy Managing Your Insurance Portfolio Watch Live Coverage of US Open Golf The Good Side of No-Fault Tow Truck Insurance 1-800-513-3135 Finding The Perfect Men's Wedding Band Free Maths Teaching Resources That Are Available Online Renko Chart Trading Strategy-Protecting The Pips Gained! Ever Tried Coconut Oil For Weight Loss? Finding The Perfect Lamp Online Bariatric Surgery May Boost Fertility In Obese Women