Chicken House Designs - All New Plans and Ideas To Design Your Chicken House The Eazzzy Way !!!
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Tips and Some Thoughts To Help You Design Your Chicken House
The purpose of writing this article is to give you an overview of basic housing principles for small flocks of chickens.
WHY SHOULD YOU PROTECT YOUR CHICKEN ?
Reasons for providing proper housing facilities for chickens include:
- Protection from predators;
- Protection from rain, snow, and other inclement weather;
- Protection from excessive heat and cold (i.e,. moderation of extreme temperature changes);
- Provision of feed and water space and nesting facilities.
KEEP IN MIND THESE GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS :
Chickens are very adaptable and no single best way exists to house them. Creative architectural construction may even be considered in building a "designer" chicken house in order to enhance the backyard landscape. Regardless of ultimate design, the following practical considerations should be observed. The building must:
- Be large enough for proper air circulation (i.e. ventilation) but small enough to keep from getting too cold and drafty in winter
- Allow 1.5 to 2.0 ft2 (0.14 to 0.19 m2) floor space per adult chicken
- Provide easy access to feed and water
- Provide nesting areas for hens in egg production.
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Keep Your Chicken House Airy
In order to provide a comfortable building for chickens, it is necessary to keep in mind a few basic concepts regarding ventilation .Warm air rises and cooler air, being heavier, settles to the floor. Adequate air circulation and exchange is necessary to keep different air temperatures from stratifying and air from becoming stale.The ventilation and insulation of your chicken coop is very important as it directly affects the health of your chickens, thus affecting the possible profits from your efforts. Like humans, chickens don't like stuffy houses. Without enough ventilation, the chicken coop will build up fumes to an unhealthily, and potentially toxic, level. With insulation, your chickens are comfortably warm and dry even during winter season.
Concept of summertime ventilation : Figure 1 Warm air holds more moisture than cold air. For every 18°F (10°C) increase in air temperature, its water-holding capacity doubles. This concept is important in managing potential moisture buildup, particularly in well-insulated, tightly-sealed chicken houses.
Concept of wintertime ventilation. : Figure 2 Ventilation needs in summer are different than in winter. During summer, warm stale air must be removed, allowing fresh air to enter and circulate. During cold seasons, only enough cold outside air should be allowed in for adequate air exchange. It is preferred to bring this air in from near the roof of the building which allows it to warm as it drops towards the floor. This colder air will warm (by the birds' own body heat and/or with additional heaters) and pick up moisture. A method must be available to vent this air from the building allowing the cycle to continue.
In small chicken houses, these factors can generally be sufficiently controlled without employing power ventilation (i.e. fans). The judicious and well-placed use of windows and vents will usually suffice. During summer, natural convection and/or gentle breezes will usually be adequate to drive air out the upper vents, or cupola, and bring in fresh air through windows or lower vent openings. Place upper vent openings on the side opposite of wind direction (i.e. leeward side).
Do Your Chickens Need Perches ???
Good Rule of thumb : Allow 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) of linear perch space for each chicken housed.
- Perches should not be more than about 3 feet (0.9 m) off the ground; otherwise, there may be an increased tendency to bruise feet or cause egg rupture as the hens mount the roost.
- Plan at least 12 inches (30 cm) clearance under the perches; final height and dimensions will depend on individual building design and convenience of being able to clean out the manure underneath them.
- Any suitable building material may be used to construct perches: 2 x 2 inch (5 x 5 cm) material with rounded tops is ideal. Space the perch bars 14 inches (36 cm) apart.
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All About Nest Boxes
Quick Facts : What Is A Broody Hen ?
A broody hen is one that has ceased laying eggs and desires to raise a clutch of chicks. She will remain in the nest box for prolonged periods, become territorial, and not allow entry of other hens needing to lay eggs.
Again, there are no hard and fast rules for nest box construction. Commercial boxes are available from various retail sources or you may wish to construct your own. Nest box height and width should be 12 to 15 inches (30 to 38 cm); depth should be least 12 inches (30 cm). Figure 3 illustrates a generic nest box design that is functional for most applications.

Quick Facts About Nest Boxes :
- One nest box is required for each four to five hens.
- Place nest boxes no less than 18 inches (46 cm) off the floor.
- A front panel, 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) high, is necessary to provide seclusion and keep eggs from rolling out of the nest.
- A perch may be attached to each box, running parallel to the front of the box and located 6 to 8 inches out, to facilitate access.
Predator Control
Entry by rodents into a poultry house can be in a variety of ways ranging from open doors to holes as small as a pencil. These animals are very resourceful and can find a way into the house. Once inside, their presence can be detected by actual sightings (daytime sightings of rats usually mean high populations), or by finding burrows, tracks or pathways, droppings, nests and food cashes, gnawing or claw marks, sounds and odor, unusual excitement in flocks, or damaged insulation or curtains. How serious is the problem if signs of rodents are found? Some experts suggest that if no rodents are actually seen, but there is sign, a population of 100 is not unreasonable. An occasional sighting in the daytime and frequently at night could suggest a population of 100-500. When daytime sightings are frequent the population may number in the thousands.1. When building the floor, integrate heavygauge wire mesh beneath the sub-flooring to discourage entrance of predators.
2. Cover windows and vent openings with good quality poultry wire to keep out birds.
3. Make sure doors and windows fit tight. Caulk and seal all cracks and crevices. Small rodents can gain entry through holes the size of a nickel or quarter.
4. Keep the poultry house locked to discourage theft and uninvited visitors.
Final Word : Additional Housing Consideration

A lot of people who house chickens in their yards have paid quite an amount for a ready-made chicken coops and runs from farm stores or paid someone to build it for them, simply because they don't know how to go about building their own. Assuming it's too difficult to build it themselves little do they realise that they couldn't be further from the truth. In fact it's actually quite easy (and sometimes a lot of fun) building chicken coops, when you know how!
I can hear you from here saying to yourself that you don't know how to build a chicken coop... well, not yet, you don't, but with some helpful advice you will be pleasantly surprised at just how easy and fun it can be. No one starts out knowing how to build a coop to house their flock of chickens, they learn how to build a coop first and then they do the building. So if you're willing to put in some work to build your own coop, then first you need to pick up a guide that will guide you through the whole process of building chicken coops. It'll also tell you exactly what materials you need.
A good guide will explain everything about building chicken coops, so it's actually fairly easy if you're capable of following simple instructions, so I don't have to go into too much detail about building chicken coops - a good guide to chicken coops will take care of that. But I am going to tell you a few thing to keep in mind when building your own chicken coop.
When building a chicken coop you need to keep in mind the safety, well being and health of your chickens. Ideally, you want to build the coop on the flattest part of your backyard for reasons that are fairly obvious. You also want to keep in mind predators that may go after your chickens. So that dogs and foxes can't get in under the wire of your chicken house it is important to bury it at least 15 inches under the ground.
Making sure that your chicken coop is fully insulated ensures that the quality of like for your chickens will be improved. If it's not, the weather will cause your coop to leak which can lead to mold that can harm a chickens health and bring with it unwanted disease. Make sure you have an open area for your chickens and a closed area that is fully insulated.
For more free advice, tips, and help in building chicken coops Click Here To Get Connected To This Splendid Website To Start On Your Chicken Coop Today !
Take into consideration all the above said points while making your Chicken House Design and you and your chickens will be blessed.
Share Your Thoughts With Me
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Reply
- Head-Chook Head-Chook Nov 24, 2009 @ 5:33 pm
- Good Info thanks :o)
Get Enticed And Design Your Own Chicken House Today !!!
A chicken will give you healthy "homegrown" eggs for the cost of food scraps. In fact they are little recycling machines. Feed the chickens homegrown vegetable scraps & grit (ground shells available at any feed store) and they will also eat loads of pesty little insects ( they love Japanese beetles) & weeds. They then produce natural manure that you can put in your garden to grow more vegetables that will create more vegetable scraps that will feed your chickens- Get the picture? They are quieter than dogs as long as a rooster is not included in the hen house. All they need is a small shelter to keep them out of the elements. Think about it- an animal that weeds, kills insects, provides homegrown eggs & natural fertilizer and all for a little shelter, scraps, and chicken grit? Come on , WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Here's my favorite link:
Planning to raise chickens ? Get the know how today .Click here to know more.
Tips To Make Chicken House Designing Easy !
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Advice , Pointers And All The Direction You need .
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What's In An Egg ? Know Them Before You Deal With Them .
" Knowledge Is Power ."
The air space : increases in size as an egg gets older, because water is lost from the egg and air is drawn in. The fresher the egg, the smaller the air space.
The yolk : full of goodness (vitamins A, D & E) and has a higher concentration of protein than the white.
The white : contains other vitamins. There are 2 types, thick and thin, which pupils should spot when the egg is broken open.
The membrane : holds the egg together and acts as a fine filter.
The anchors/chalazae : white strands attached to the thick albumen that anchor the yolk in the middle of the egg.
All New Plans and Ideas To Design Your Chicken House The Eazzzy Way !!!
Click Here To Get Connected To This Splendid Website To Start On Your Chicken Coop Today !
"For a deep yellow yolk, make sure your chicken is eating its greens."
INSTANT ADVICE AND TIPS TO BUILD YOUR CHOOK A COZY CHOOK HOUSE
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Key Elements In Chicken House Designing

In order to successfully raise healthy and productive chickens, you have to provide housing that meets all their needs. There are a lot of different chicken house designs to choose from, but most of them share some common characteristics. Whether you're building a large coop or a small one, there are certain elements that are essential.
The primary purpose of the chicken coop is to protect your chickens, both from harsh weather conditions and from their natural predators. If you don't secure the coop properly, or for example fail to a weather-tight roof, your chickens' hens' health and longevity could easily be compromised. When it comes to keeping predators out of the coop, the aptly named chicken wire is your best bet. Be sure to surround the coop with it, and it's also a good idea to bury some underground to keep tunneling rodents away.
If you're raising a lot of chickens, you should also take steps to ensure that feeding and watering them is convenient. You can set up automatic watering and feeding systems that will ensure that your birds will get the necessary nutrition daily. It also removes one of the necessary chores involved in raising chickens.
Another of the key elements in many chicken house plans is the inclusions of lights and a source of electricity. In the darker winter months, chickens instinctively don't lay eggs. However, if you provide enough light, it can actually fool the chickens into laying eggs year-round. Once you have these basic necessities covered, you can customize your chicken coop to suit your personal taste.
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