Chicken House Plans - The Best Chicken Coop Designs Follow These Basic Guidelines
It goes without saying that a good chicken house will help to keep chickens productive and healthy.
But what many people don't know is what exactly it is that makes a great chicken house.
And while there is no one size fits all rule, there are a couple rules of thumb that you should incorporate in any chicken house plans that you may use.
Sizing Requirements for the Chicken Coop One of the most important design questions that people often ask is what size they should build the chicken coop.
Much like people, chickens are happier and healthier the more space that they have.
Depending on the breed and size of the chicken their space requirements can change, but at a minimum each chicken should have at least 2 square feet of living space.
It's possible to get by with a little less space, but their productivity may decrease.
Also, close quarters can cause undue stress in the chickens, which in turn can lower their resistance to disease.
Don't forget About the Size of the Chicken Run Unless you've got a large safe area that's impervious to predators, you'll need to provide your chickens with a fenced in chicken run.
The chicken run is a space for chickens to move about and forage.
It allows them room to exercise and wander around.
Space requirements for a chicken run average eight to ten square feet in traditional designs, but may be much less for chicken tractor or chicken ark designs.
Bigger is Better when it Comes to Chicken Coops Before you start building, you probably have a pretty good idea of just how much space you can devote to your chickens.
If you don't, you need to come up with a definite number of square feet that you intend to use.
Since each chicken requires ten to twelve square feet of total space, the maximum number of chickens that you can raise in your allotted space is easy to find.
Remember that it's easier and cheaper in the long run to build your chicken coop bigger the first time than it is to rebuild it or add on to it.
This has a couple of distinct advantages.
The first is that it will allow you to increase your brood later on if you so desire.
Raising chickens is addictive, and there is a strong likelihood that once you get a few you'll want more.
The second benefit of a larger chicken coop is that your chickens will be happier and healthier.
Chickens that are overcrowded often peck at each other and in extreme cases can resort to cannibalism.
A bigger coop will help prevent this.
But what many people don't know is what exactly it is that makes a great chicken house.
And while there is no one size fits all rule, there are a couple rules of thumb that you should incorporate in any chicken house plans that you may use.
Sizing Requirements for the Chicken Coop One of the most important design questions that people often ask is what size they should build the chicken coop.
Much like people, chickens are happier and healthier the more space that they have.
Depending on the breed and size of the chicken their space requirements can change, but at a minimum each chicken should have at least 2 square feet of living space.
It's possible to get by with a little less space, but their productivity may decrease.
Also, close quarters can cause undue stress in the chickens, which in turn can lower their resistance to disease.
Don't forget About the Size of the Chicken Run Unless you've got a large safe area that's impervious to predators, you'll need to provide your chickens with a fenced in chicken run.
The chicken run is a space for chickens to move about and forage.
It allows them room to exercise and wander around.
Space requirements for a chicken run average eight to ten square feet in traditional designs, but may be much less for chicken tractor or chicken ark designs.
Bigger is Better when it Comes to Chicken Coops Before you start building, you probably have a pretty good idea of just how much space you can devote to your chickens.
If you don't, you need to come up with a definite number of square feet that you intend to use.
Since each chicken requires ten to twelve square feet of total space, the maximum number of chickens that you can raise in your allotted space is easy to find.
Remember that it's easier and cheaper in the long run to build your chicken coop bigger the first time than it is to rebuild it or add on to it.
This has a couple of distinct advantages.
The first is that it will allow you to increase your brood later on if you so desire.
Raising chickens is addictive, and there is a strong likelihood that once you get a few you'll want more.
The second benefit of a larger chicken coop is that your chickens will be happier and healthier.
Chickens that are overcrowded often peck at each other and in extreme cases can resort to cannibalism.
A bigger coop will help prevent this.
Source...