If you are interested in building your own chicken coop, it is a good idea to start by researching chicken coop designs. Whether you are building a chicken coop coop just to have your own farm fresh eggs, or if you plan on harvesting eggs as a job and selling them, there are many different designs and styles to help you accomplish your goal.
If you search chicken coop plans on the Internet, you’ll find literally thousands of different plans, styles, and photos of coops that different individuals from all over the world have built. Many plans are free and include directions and photos to help you along, although most people charge for building plans.
The design of your chicken coop is something that should be taken very seriously, as it can impact the health of the chickens. Your coop should have approximately 3 feet per chicken on the interior of the chicken coop. You also need to make sure you have at least 10 feet of running room per chicken in the chicken run. For the nesting boxes, where the chickens lay their eggs, the general rule of thumb is to have 1 nesting box for every 2-3 birds. Because they all lay eggs at different times, this should accommodate the chickens.
Also, if you do it right, your coop will be affordable and you can tailor it to match your surroundings and personal needs. You can use scrap material from other buildings to construct your chicken coop, making it much more affordable in the long run. Really, your main materials are wood, usually 2 by 4’s (make sure the lumber is untreated, as treated wood can often be poisonous to the chickens), nails and screws, an exterior material such as siding, and shingles for the roof. The chicken run is constructed using cheap chicken wire, so that is also not costly.
When in the design process, make sure that you keep door location in mind. You should try to have at least 2 doors, one for easy egg pick up and coop clean up, which should be large enough for the owner to move around in, or in the case of a smaller coop, large enough to reach in and access all portions of the coop. You also need to have a smaller door for the chickens to access the chicken run. You also should have windows for ventilation, which would be covered typically in chicken wire but should be closed in over the winter months to keep the chickens from getting ill.
You also have to keep in mind easy access to food and water. Also, if you want your chickens to lay eggs year round, you must have some sort of lighting inside. Typically a small chicken coop can be well lit by a light bulb in the feeding area.
Overall, there are many things to keep in mind when choosing a chicken coop design. The best idea, rather than just winging it, is to purchase a book that explains in detail all of the important things to remember during chicken coop design. You can also buy a do it yourself chicken coop plan which includes photos, directions and information to walk you through the process, or do research on the internet. The most important part of building your chicken coop is the chicken coop design, so good research is the key to success.