Hen Coops

When attempting to build a hen coop it is a good idea to get hold of some trustworthy, easy to follow chicken coop plans. The chicken coops themselves are made out of reasonably cheap materials and you can construct them with the most basic of tools. Before you start to build the coop bear in mind there are a few points to remember.

If you have not looked after chickens before you will be surprised by the amount of waste and muck they leave behind. A chicken coop will start to smell in the space of a couple of days. Bearing this in mind you should build a coop that is very easily accessible so that you can clean the coop out easily. A chicken coop with sliding doors would be an excellent idea.

The second big choice you will have to make is whether the chicken coop is going to be stationary or mobile. Usually, mobile coops are used in more urban areas because of their ease and mobility. Mobile coops also have the advantage of being able to gather a lot of natural sunlight because you can constantly move them to the sunlit areas. You will not lose grassed areas either if you constantly move the coop from patch to patch.

If you are building a stationary hen coop then you should plan in advance where in the garden you will position it. If you decide to place the chicken pen to close to any hedges then you are taking the risk of putting your chickens close to predators in the hedges. You will also lose a lot of sunlight by putting the coop near hedges and this can cause bad health and low egg production with your chickens.

Building the chicken coop to close to the house will cause a lot of unwanted smells and odors in the house. Proper ventilation is a must for chicken coops so try to pick design plans that cover the use of windows in the coop. Again, sliding doors can act as a good ventilation system so you may want to think about including them in your design.

Remember - the amount of eggs your chickens produce will directly relate to their health. Ventilation, cleaning out, sunlight are all very important points to remember. Choose your chicken coop plans that will help cover all these points and remember to write things down before you start to build your project. Hen coops are not an impossible job so with a little work and dedication you will achieve your goal.