Chicken Shed - Things You Should Know

Owning chickens and a chicken shed is a very fulfilling project. Becoming more self sufficient in areas of your life is a very organic feeling and most of us strive towards this. Raising your own chickens in a chicken coop sounds like a very expensive proposition but it can be done on the cheap. If you go to your local store and purchase a ready made chicken coop you will be looking at shelling out over four hundred dollars for a standard coop - this is a very expensive way of doing things.

On the flip side of the coin, if you purchase some chicken coop plans and build your own chicken coop it will cost you about half the price of buying one. A purchased chicken coop is somebody else's design with their personal touches put to it. Building your own chicken shed will allow you to put your own mark on the coop.

Before you go out searching the internet for chicken shed design plans you should have an idea on the amount of chickens you are going to raise. The design plans must be able to offer the birds adequate space. As a rule of thumb each bird will need four square feet of space to live a healthy, productive life. If you cannot find a chicken coop design that fits your chickens exactly it is a good idea to find one that is a little bit bigger ( you can always expand the project at a later date if you so wish ).

There are a lot of different chicken shed designs out there but I would recommend trying to get one with a window system included. Ventilation is a very important factor to consider when constructing a chicken coop. Chickens will not do well in an environment full of moisture. Windows will help aid the ventilation in a chicken coop and therefore help the chickens stay healthy and happy.

Do you have the space in your backyard or garden to successfully house your chickens? Chickens are like humans in their day/night cycle so they need daylight and night time hours to remain healthy. Try to chose the part of your garden that receives the most light in day time hours. If you have a generally dark garden or yard you can fit a couple of lights inside the coop to aid the daytime process.

You do not need to be a tradesman or a carpenter to build yourself a chicken shed. If you find some decent chicken coop designs and follow the plans point by point you will have your chicken shed up and running in no time at all.