Building a Great Chicken Coop
One way is just put something together from whatever you have to hand, but you may regret this approach!
Think about what type would work best for you when you are building a chicken coop.
First off – how many chickens do you want to house?
Next – do you want to be able to move your chicken coop?
Now – where are you going to site your chicken coop?
And – how much space do you have?
Then – how are you going to design your chicken coop for easy cleaning?
And another thing – how will you position roosting bars and nest boxes?
Finally – how much time do you want to turn over to this project?
One way to get the best result when you are building a chicken coop is to buy a comprehensive set of plans and assembly instructions. Check the plans have several options so you can get a good idea of what will work for you.
Portable chicken arks are simple and quick to make and are ideal if you are just starting to keep chickens. They will take about three, and can be easily moved around your garden to new patched of grazing. Keeping the ark close to the house means you can watch the chickens easily.
A simple mid-size hen house won’t take you much longer to build and normally has a run attached. This is ideal for a larger flock of say, six hens. Identify an area to site the hen house that has good light and some protection.
You could let your chickens out when you’re there to supervise, or build both a chicken ark and a fixed coop so they can have new ground to scratch at.
Building a chicken coop is a straightforward weekend project if you start with plans and instructions – and you will get a chicken coop that looks good, functions well and will last a long time, for a fraction of the cost of buying one.
