For the beginner, there are great chicken coop plans that you can follow for making a chicken house. Yes, you can purchase ready make ones, but you will find that by building one yourself, you will get a more satisfactory house and at lower cost. Plus, by having one planned out for you, versus you doing the planning, is that all the requirements of a good chicken coop will already be incorporated into the plans.
Here are a few things to think about when making a chicken house.
Interior
Location of the Chicken House
If a new house is to be built it should be located if possible on high or sloping ground and always on dry and well-drained soil. Wet or damp ground means a damp house and a damp house not only means a cold one but invites sickness and diseases. Never build a house in a hollow, as water and cold air settle in low places and should be avoided. Have the house face the south, as it gives more sunlight and for a longer part of the day, especially in winter, when sunlight is necessary for the comfort of the birds. It also makes the house warmer, drier, and more cheerful and adds to the productiveness of the flock.
Chicken House Floor Space
The chicken coop should be convenient, substantial, and inexpensive. Its size or dimensions depend largely upon where you live and the number of fowls you wish to keep. On a farm or where the birds can be outside nearly every day in the year, about 2 1/2 square feet of floor space per bird in flocks of 20 is enough, but in a town or city or in a climate where there is a good deal of snow, making it necessary to confine the birds closely, 4 or 5 square feet per bird should be allowed.
Planning the Floors of Your Chicken House
Chicken coops may be built with or without floors. In either case they should be dry, as damp floors make damp litter, and dampness is fatal to both fowls and chicks. If the house is on dry sandy soil, a dirt floor is usually fine, but it is usually more damp than board or cement floors. Dirt floors should be scraped down to the clean soil and fresh gravel or sand put in once a year to keep them sanitary. If board floors are used they should be both tight and smooth so as to make them dry and easy to clean. If possible they should be 8 or 10 inches from the ground to allow a circulation of air and to prevent rats from harboring under them.
Cement floors, especially for large houses, are great too because they keep rats out and also last much longer than board floors. They are also sanitary and easy to clean. A cement floor should always be kept well covered with litter because they can be cold and uncomfortable for the birds.
Making a Chicken House - The Interior
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