Building a Chicken Coop - Size Matters

More and more people are starting to learn how to build chicken coops. Some do it as a hobby, while others do it because they want chicken meat that's chemicals free. It is common knowledge that the meat you find in supermarket contains special hormones because the chickens are fed with chemicals to speed up the growth. Consumers want their chickens to be nice and fat, and the chicken farmers know that.

To avoid consuming chemicals infested chicken meat, many people are starting to rear their own chickens. Of course, for some people, this is not an economically viable option because rearing chickens do take time and effort. It's just too expensive to be doing it on their own. Still, some people insist on rearing their own chickens for personal reasons.

To get into the business of rearing business, whether it's for profit or hobby, you have to first learn how to build a chicken coop. The chickens have to have a shelter over their heads, right? But if you do this wrong, you could end up with a host of headaches.

The first issue you need to consider is the size of the coop. How many chickens are you going to raise? If you are just going to raise 4 chickens, then a small coop will do just fine. But if your intention is to raise 50 chickens, then you better be prepared to build a huge coop. Space is always a constrain when it comes to building a coop. To save space, you may wish to consider building coops with multiple levels. Of course, such a coop requires more time and skills to create. But to prevent congestion, you have to start thinking about the size of the coop from the onset.

Once you have decided on the size, you then need to think about the design of your coop. Just like building a house, there are many ways you can build a coop. You can have a slanted roof, a coop with just one horizontal column, or a coop with more than one horizontal column, and so on. Think about where you would like the coop to be situated. If possible, have the coop situated in a position that has a lot of shade. Try not to have the coop exposed directly to sunlight and rain as that will promote wear and tear.

The materials that you use is also very important. You don't want to end up using materials that will cost you a bomb. You can easily build a functional chicken coop with affordable materials such as wood. However, bear in mind that most wood is not a good candidate for the outdoors as wood tend to rot more easily.

That is why it is always wise to pay more attention to the design. For instance, have the roof designed in a slanted manner so that it doesn't hold water when it rains. Usually, when a protective layer is added to wood, the material can become water resistant. However, it's always better to design the coop in such a way that water doesn't get trapped in the wood in any way. This will prolong the life of the shelter. Unwanted excess moisture can also leave a pungent smell in the coop.

Finally, always try to create as much space for each chicken as possible. A more comfortable dwelling will certainly increase the chances of rearing healthier chickens - size really matters!