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Building your own Chicken Coop

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Why build a chicken coop?

I'm what some would call a "chicken coop addict". I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about them, talking about them and building them. Public interest in keeping backyard chickens is currently undergoing a huge surge. The idea of having fresh eggs from a known source straight from your back garden along with the intrigue of having chickens as pets is generating interest around the world.

1. Are chickens a difficult animal to own?

Chickens are quite straightforward to keep. One of the fundamentals is that they are a social animal so keeping at least a pair or even three is essential. This does not reduce the amount of time and care needed to maintain their health everyday but is an important factor to know going in.

2. Am I legally allowed to build a chicken coop in my yard?

Before rushing out to the hardware store to get your two by fours and chicken wire, be sure to check with your municipality about limits or bans with regards to keeping chickens. Typically hens are looked more favorably upon than roosters for noise reasons but as hens do not require a rooster to lay eggs, this isn't a cause for concern. More and more major urban centers are allowing residents to keep small chicken coops now but it is definitely worth checking this out before cracking out your hammer.

3. Do I start with young chickens or adults?

There are distinct advantages to beginning your chicken husbandry with chicks. They will get to know you and get used to being handled making them much more like a typical house pet. It's not uncommon to find a tame chicken snoozing in their owner's lap after a hard day's work!

New Table of Contents

  1. 3 Ways to Save Money Building a Chicken Coop
  2. The Best Chicken Coop Plans I've found online
  3. Chicken Coop Nick's new blog!
  4. Recent blog posts about Building a Chicken Coop
  5. Chicken Coop Nick
  6. Visit me at Hubpages for more information on Chicken Coops
  7. Ezine Articles on How To Build A Chicken Coop

3 Ways to Save Money Building a Chicken Coop

One of the most common questions that gets asked when the subject of building a chicken coop is raised is invariably how much it costs. Some people will tell you that it's dirt cheap (excuse the pun) and some will say it can be on the expensive side. Let's look at 3 ways to make sure you keep your construction costs low.

1. Do It Yourself

The most important factor is rolling up your sleeves and building your chicken coop yourself. Paying someone to build and install even the simplest, smallest coop is going to end up costing you. If you're reasonably handy and find a good set of chicken coop plans online, you'll ultimately save a lot of money on labour.

2. Buy your own materials

Avoid any pre-made chicken coop kits. It is ultimately way more cost efficient to source your own building materials than to pay for someone else to do it. All the materials necessary to build your coop should easily come in around the $300-$400 range and with some clever shopping this number could be even lower.

3. Buy a quality set of plans

Buy a quality set of chicken coop plans online. It's all well and fine to have all your lumber and chicken wire but if you've got a crappy, hard to read set of plans, you're setting yourself up for trouble. It is possible to download free plans off the internet but I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for" and advocate spending a few bucks to get a good set.

If you're still researching and haven't started building your chicken coop yet, I'd recommend visiting urbanchickencoop for some great tips and links

The Best Chicken Coop Plans I've found online

How To Build a Chicken Coop

Find out how to make a coop for cheaper without having to buy second hand wood. How to control ventilation, climate and apperance using different floor structures and materials. How to position your coop to prevent flooding and moisture buildup.

It's all in this top-rated informative guide. Don't settle for any of the other plans available on the internet - go with the best. Click here for more information.

Chicken Coop Nick's new blog!

More wisdom from a man obsessed

I'm finding Squidoo a bit limiting so I've set up a bit of a blog over at Chicken Coop Nick to house my eternal ramblings and maybe even post a picture or two.

Recent blog posts about Building a Chicken Coop

You can tell a lot about a person by the bees they keep
With a backyard vegetable garden, a chicken coop, and some honeybees, the resulting foods are very, very local indeed: Imagine pulling out a jar of day-old honey and spooning it into Earl Grey tea, or slathering it over a hunk of just-baked homemade ...
Coop D'Etat: Farmers, Humane Society Partner On Chicken-Cage Revolution
At the JS West egg farm, south of Modesto, Calif., one chicken house has the new, spacious cages that egg producers and animal welfare advocates say keep chickens happier. (Big Dutchman) When I first saw the press release, I figured it had to be an ...
Used materials are reborn into charming garden sheds
Even a chicken coop exudes rustic charm with its cupola, metal roof and screened run. The screens come nearly to the ground to help circulate air and give the birds a view to the garden. A Dutch door, whale weathervane and colorful pots in the window ...
Blountville farmers market hopes to have permanent shed
The family bought the house next to the farm and built a greenhouse and started a small garden plot. The pasture was converted to organic fertilizers. A chicken coop was constructed. The farm started to sell the meat, produce and eggs directly to the ...
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Chicken Coop Nick

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Visit me at Hubpages for more information on Chicken Coops

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Ezine Articles on How To Build A Chicken Coop

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