3 Helpful Tips for Building a Chicken Coop
I am asked all the time about tips for building a chicken coop. It seems that no matter how good your plans are there are always a few tips that will help out that you'll never see on blueprints. Frequently, chicken ranchers make critical mistakes while building, which ultimately end up costing a lot of time, money, and frustration. So it's best to git-r-done right the first time around. Making sure that you have a good plan to follow will allow you to feel confident that you are building correctly and are less likely to make mistakes along the way. So here are a few tips to help you in building a chicken coop.
Give Your Chickens Enough Room to Exercise
Due to recent farming laws, you need to make sure to build a chicken run large enough for each chicken to freely move around. Now as an animal lover I couldn't be happier these new laws are in place to make sure chickens are treated humanely. I mean how would you feel having to stand side by side among hundreds of other people without room to move? Not a very good mental a picture is it? Since a chicken run is going to be how chickens will get exercise, build it big enough to accommodate the chickens you currently and will have in the future. Another bonus of having a slightly-bigger-than-needed chicken run is that it helps keep predators a farther away from your coop.
Put Down a Good Foundation
Since you foundation is what the rest of your coop will be built, you will want to take some extra time putting down a good foundation; because if the first step goes wrong then the next steps of building a chicken coop will also go wrong. This is important too because foundational problems are one of the biggest problems people run into when building a chicken coop. Since your foundation determines the structural integrity of your coop, it is something you don't want to phone in.
Pick a Good Location
Where you place your coop makes a big a difference as what you build or how you build it. You will wan to avoid extreme locations. For example, if build in an area that's too low then you will run into flooding problems. Water from rain or water hose use will collect around the base of the coop, causing big problems. Also, location determines light source. You will want to build in an area that gets natural light. This is because light determines the mood and health of the chickens which in turn determines how many fresh eggs you get on a daily basis. The process of building a chicken coop should not be hard to do if you have a good set of plans to follow. Take your time when building because most mistakes happen when people try to rush and get their coop done quickly, which spells disasters in the end. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.
Give Your Chickens Enough Room to Exercise
Due to recent farming laws, you need to make sure to build a chicken run large enough for each chicken to freely move around. Now as an animal lover I couldn't be happier these new laws are in place to make sure chickens are treated humanely. I mean how would you feel having to stand side by side among hundreds of other people without room to move? Not a very good mental a picture is it? Since a chicken run is going to be how chickens will get exercise, build it big enough to accommodate the chickens you currently and will have in the future. Another bonus of having a slightly-bigger-than-needed chicken run is that it helps keep predators a farther away from your coop.
Put Down a Good Foundation
Since you foundation is what the rest of your coop will be built, you will want to take some extra time putting down a good foundation; because if the first step goes wrong then the next steps of building a chicken coop will also go wrong. This is important too because foundational problems are one of the biggest problems people run into when building a chicken coop. Since your foundation determines the structural integrity of your coop, it is something you don't want to phone in.
Pick a Good Location
Where you place your coop makes a big a difference as what you build or how you build it. You will wan to avoid extreme locations. For example, if build in an area that's too low then you will run into flooding problems. Water from rain or water hose use will collect around the base of the coop, causing big problems. Also, location determines light source. You will want to build in an area that gets natural light. This is because light determines the mood and health of the chickens which in turn determines how many fresh eggs you get on a daily basis. The process of building a chicken coop should not be hard to do if you have a good set of plans to follow. Take your time when building because most mistakes happen when people try to rush and get their coop done quickly, which spells disasters in the end. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.
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