The Value of Selecting the Right Chicken House Site

     Location may be the number one factor determining success or failure when raising chickens. Picking the best place in your backyard can make it possible to raise chickens successfully. If you manufacture your shed in the incorrect location it can eventually lead to diseased and unproductive poultry. This makes it a good idea to construct your chicken shed in the most ideal location. It's very easy to forget something that might very well appear unimportant when constructing your chicken house, but afterward turn out to be enormously important.

Prior to beginning construction take the time to contemplate a few important things and you will be rewarded with happier and healthier chickens. In this article we will discuss the most important issues that should be taken into consideration when determining the ideal location is concerned. There are unquestionably additional factors, but water drainage, air circulation, and water accessibility are the three most crucial.

Inappropriate water drainage can lead to lots of troubles. When the soil gets wet the water will drain and disappear into the earth or puddle. Proper water drainage keeps the ground drier and less mucky. Puddles of water combined with bird droppings are a quick way to produce health disorders. The pullets will soon track that mixture everywhere, including into the chicken shed where the food, water, and nesting areas are situated. The food and water can easily become contaminated and the eggs can become sullied. Choosing a location with excellent water drainage will put an end to many pollution concerns.

The direction that the wind blows is another issue that ought to be considered when deciding on the best location for your coops. If at all possible build your structure in a spot where the wind will not blow the odors toward your residence, and even more importantly, toward a neighbor's dwelling. Having unhappy neighbors is not what you want. And satisfactory air circulation will eliminate potentially unsafe smells in the poultry housing area.

Establish your chicken coop in a place where future expansion is possible. You might want to raise only a few pullets right now, but what if you decide to raise more at a later time? If you manufacture a chicken shed that will hold 6 or 8 hens without room for expansion, what will happen later after you decide you want to raise 24 hens? It's a lot easier adding on to existing housing than it is making a completely different chicken coop in another location. Keep your choices open and allow room for expansion.

Your location ought to be accessible to water and electricity. If you don't have a close water supply you might end up toting water fountains back and forth on a daily basis just to make available unpolluted water for your hens. Automatic watering is possible with a nearby water faucet which will also decrease your manual labor. In addition, water will normally make any needed cleanup activities easier.

If you want your flock to produce eggs the entire year you must give them artificial light. Hens must be provided a minimum quantity of light each day or they won't lay eggs consistently. To make this light available for your poultry you will need electricity. Put your chicken pens in areas with existing electricity.

In freezing regions where the winters are cruel, chicken sheds should be facing south. This will provide maximum sun exposure, keeping the birds warmer. The added sunshine will also keep the housing from building up too much moisture. Take a little time to contemplate these factors prior to deciding on a permanent location and you will dramatically boost the odds of success.