How to Build a Chicken Coop
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Coops: because everyone appreciates a comfortable and safe home
A poultry house should provide protection from heat, cold and rain. It must have good ventilation and dry litter.
Most birds will imprint to their home after 14 days. Never turn your birds out to free range prior to the 14 day period as they won't recognize it as their home and you will be in danger of potentially losing birds, particularly so if they can fly. however, afterwards keeping them home is not a problem. They learn to love their home. Most of us like the idea of allowing our birds to free range, eating pesky insects and delicious grasses and weeds. However, despite the information you will often read that chickens can free range 100% of the time, they do appreciate a safe place to go at night. We've all heard stories of chickens not needing much in the way of housing, they can live in the back of an abandoned pick-up or whatever, but in the end this typically doesn't work well - meaning you'll eventually begin to lose birds which not only costs you time and money, but you will feel sad for losing the birds you have become attached to. Almost every thing loves chicken. That includes humans, coyotes, dogs (wild, tame and your own), foxes, raccoons, birds of prey and about a zillion other animals. In addition, rats and snakes can become stiff competition for your eggs.
For this reason you need a safe place for them so they can rest comfortably at night., get out of the sun, know where they can always find water and have a safe place to lay and store eggs until you get around to gathering them. In addition, for almost all urban dwellers, a coop is a requirement, not an option. There are two basic types of coops permanent and portable "chicken tractors". The chicken tractor allows you to move your chickens inside the coop to various locations on your property. Although they work, they are typically a bit small so they are able to be moved and personal observation is the birds have a tendency to get a bit stressed in them. Therefore, the focus will be on the traditional house style chicken coop. Why do you care about your chickens being comfortable and happy, in addition to obviously wanting them to be healthy? One reason is because you are going to enjoy your birds more than you realize and you'll want this for them, but also because birds will always be better producers. Chicken coops do not need to be fancy or huge and chickens can take advantage of vertical spaces as well as horizontal. There are some adorable ones made to look like a house fit for a human, but this isn't necessary. Allow about 4 square feet of ground space per bird. Below are a few key building tips. |
1. Use hardware cloth, not chicken wire.
Chicken wire is fine to keep chickens out of things, it will do nothing to protect your chickens from predators as they will chew right threw it. The 1/2" hardware cloth is a much sturdier way to go and not only prevent predators, but reduce the amount of time spent on maintenance as chicken wire easily brakes. . You can usually find the hardware cloth at any home and garden store. When installing the hardware cloth, make 100% sure you have no holes anywhere. The hardware cloth should be buried deep into the ground and then secured by pouring the concrete barrier over the edge of the cloth to ensure that it remains securely in place. 2. Secure the ground perimeter. Dig a symmetrical trench into the ground the ground about 6 inches deep by 6 inches wide. Then mix and pour cement into the trench around the coop touching the bottom of the hardware cloth. You may prefer to avoid using cement, but in the end, you'll eventually have enough critters burrowing underneath that you'll end up going out and doing this anyway, so it's easiest to do this from the start. If you have soft ground, go down at least 12" (30cm). If you ground is hard, then 6" (15cm) should suffice. 3. Put a sturdy, sealed, solid surface roof on your coop. most predators are adept climbers and will inspect every corner and possible crack in your coop as an entry point. Also chickens do not do well with heat and direct sun. A combination of hardware cloth roof with a shade coth combined with a hard cover roof will allow both a breeze and provide shade. Have a portion of the roof be hard cover so that you can keep rain off the nesting boxes and provide a dry place for your birds. If you have very cold temperatures in your area (below 0F or -17C), you probably should consider a shed or solid wall coop to help protect them from the elements. A good heat lamp can help warm any space and keep the birds feeling comfortable. 4. Flooring. Earth is the best way to go, but besure to control dust in your pens. Dust creates stress for the respiratory system. Some people use concrete because you can easily hose down the area. However, the earth is easier on the bird's feet, they can hunt for insects and take dust baths. Do not wrap the wall materials (hardware cloth) under your coop wall and into the floor of the coop. The birds will scratch around in the dirt and injure themselves on the wire. Chicken wire is particularly notorious for causing injuries. 5. Water and waterers, also known as drinkers or drinking fountains. Because birds must always have access to fresh clean water. There are two basic types of watering systems automatic and manual. Automatic waterers are very convenient. The disadvantages of automatic waterers is it can be more difficult to determine how much water your birds are drinking, but unless you are positive the birds aren't spilling or trying to bathe in the water, it may be difficult to determine how much they are drinking versus how much is being splashed out. Automatic waterers also cost a little more than fountain-style drinkers; you need a dedicated water source such as a garden hose, or preferably a PVC pipe; and are more complicated to install. However, automatic waterers will save you a lot of time, trouble, worry and stress relative to your chickens running out of water on hot days. They are affordable and can be found at any feed store and many online sources Manual waterers are typically drinking fountains that can be made of plastic or metal and either hang or are placed on a flat surface. You typically fill them from a hole in the top that may or may not be closed with a lid and the birds drink from the bottom. One complication of fountains with open tops is the birds' own dander, scratching, feathers and dust will dirty the water very quickly, so closed top containers are a bit easier to maintain from a cleanliness perspective. For any type of waterer, it is best to place than in a place where they are not exposed to directly sunlight. Exposure to sunlight increases the amount and rate of algae growth which results in more frequently bucket scrubbings and plastics will quickly break down with exposure to heat and direct sunlight. Metal containers will heat quickly in the sun, sometimes to a point where the birds are no longer interested in drinking the water. Lastly, some animals prefer not to drink from metal containers and there have reportedly been poisoning incidents from animals that had galvanized steel water buckets. For more information, visit the Chicken Feed, Water and Care page. 6. Feeders. You can certainly throw feed on the ground, but that can get wasteful. Using a feeder helps you monitor the amount of feed the birds are consuming. Even if you allow your birds to free range, you will still need to supplement their diet with a good quality layer feed which comes in either a layer or crumble The birds will inevitably throw some of the feed on the ground themselves and smaller birds will sometimes get into the feeder itself, so you'll want to see if that's a problem for you and, if so, consider putting a cover on your feeder. 7. Roosting dowels. Give the birds a comfortable place to roost at night. Wooden dowels appropriate to the size of the chickens feet are most appropriate. Other types of materials such as metal can be tough on their feet and cause foot problems. Too small of a dowel diameter should be avoided as they will not rest comfortably. For most birds seem to prefer a round, 3/4" dowels. Roosting dowels should be mounted away from drafts and where rain can penetrate, but where there is good air circulation. Provide ample roosting space to avoid stressing birds and allow them to roost where they find it most comfortable relative to the current weather. In the colder months, birds will often cuddle together, but in summer they want more space to spread out their wings and dissipate heat. 8. Doorways. Doorways for humans This sounds obvious, but doors require some thought. Is a sliding or swinging door better for your available space. The door doesn't have to be a standard size for an adult human to enter and exit, but make it large enough so that clothes aren't constantly snagged and exposed flesh scraped. Make sure the door is covered in the same heavy-duty hardware cloth as the remainder of the coop, has virtually no gaps to allow predators in and has a secure latch that clever little paws can't flip open. A corresponding latching point to hold the door open is useful when allowing your birds to free range. When the birds sense danger, it is their instinct to return to their coop. Keeping the coop door open will frequently allow the bird the opportunity to run back to their coop and escape flying predators. Doorways for birds Because we have different breeds of birds and different sizes, we have configured our coops in a single story apartment-type compartments. Between the compartments are small doors that can be close or secured open so the birds can either be contained in a specific area or allowed to roam between two or more compartments. This allows significant flexibility as your flock requirements may change. 8. Optional accessories.
9. Nesting boxes. Hens are vulnerable while laying eggs, so most hens will lay better if provided with a safe and quiet place to lay eggs. See the nesting boxes page for more information. |
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Coop at Night and Clip Flight Feathers to Prevent Tree Roosting
If you allow your birds to free-range, you will still want to be sure to keep them in their coop at night. The coop is a safety zone for the birds, it's their home and it's where they feel comfortable. In addition, securing your birds at night will prevent unwanted loss of birds to night predators and pets that may be gallivanting about in undesirable areas while you are unable to keep an eye on your birds. In addition, owls will frequently target roosting birds.
Most, but not necessarily all chickens, will happily return to their coop at night. Other fowl such as ducks and guineas may be less inclined to do so. It's not unusual for these birds to try to roost in trees. Once this happens the only answer is to try to get the birds out of the trees and into the coop. This can be a very time consuming and frustrating task, so preferably it's best to never allow the birds to learn they can do this. From the time your birds are ready to free range, clip their flight feathers to prevent them from roosting in the trees.
Most, but not necessarily all chickens, will happily return to their coop at night. Other fowl such as ducks and guineas may be less inclined to do so. It's not unusual for these birds to try to roost in trees. Once this happens the only answer is to try to get the birds out of the trees and into the coop. This can be a very time consuming and frustrating task, so preferably it's best to never allow the birds to learn they can do this. From the time your birds are ready to free range, clip their flight feathers to prevent them from roosting in the trees.
When clipping wings, follow these guidelines.
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