Chicken Coops

For people who aren't great at cutting and measuring, chicken coop kits are a nice option. They are often a bit cheaper than pre-built hen houses, but still provide the satisfaction of saying, "I made it myself!" I think that kits are a wonderful way to get children involved in the project, since there is no dangerous sawing involved.

When you are looking at coop kits, be sure to read the fine print to see if all the materials you need will be included. You should also take a hard look at the design details to be sure the person who created the kit knows what he or she is doing. Before you buy a kit, ask yourself:
-Is it going to be easy to clean?
- Is there adequate ventilation?
- How hard will it be to collect eggs?
- Is it going to keep my hens safe from predators?
- Do I care about portability?
- Are the materials included going to be good quality?

Once you find a kit you like, be sure to take the time to read all the instructions thoroughly so you don't end up putting the wrong pieces together. Even the best kit won't be very functional if you screw the roof sections together instead of the sides!

So, I'm thrifty. I was determined to re-purpose my old, inadequate chicken house for my new flock. I was sure I could find free plans online that would give me everything I needed. But, you know what? I had a really hard time finding good plans that met all of a chicken's needs and included all the steps involved. You won't believe how close I came to just buying a pre-built chicken coop from Amazon. I wanted to build an eco-friendly house using scraps from construction projects, though, and I don't want to spend a dime on materials. So, I kept hunting.

I found some instructions on Mother Earth News, but there weren't any diagrams to print off. I'm a diagrams needed kind of gal. I looked through my old farming magazines and found a few I liked, but something wasn't quite right with most of them. I wanted portable. I wanted sort of cute. I wanted to quit looking and start building before my chickens started getting gray feathers already!

Just as I was reconsidering my eco-friendly, budget friendly stance, I ended up discovering that my neighbor made the cutest chicken house for his son and was willing to make me one in the same design. As long as that ends up happening, I'm going to be all set. If not, I've decided to buy the Chicken DIY Guide. The plans for the portable house are exactly what I am looking for and they even offer technical help if I happen to get stuck. That is a really nice option, since I by no means have been blessed with the gift of carpentry. I also wouldn't mind getting some of the other features the guide offers. Here are a few things that I thought were really nice additions to the package:
- Plans to grow on. If I decide I want a big chicken house later on, I can go back and build a new, larger coop using the same package.
- City ordinance guide. I don't need this because I already was told that a few chickens or ducks are okay, but if you live in a city, you could use it.
- Access to a video library that helps with chicken care.
- Special reports on raising chickens. It is always nice to know how to better care for your chickens or how to successfully raise chicks.