Build A Chicken Coop? | What goes Inside?

by RonnyG on April 7, 2010

When you build a chicken coop… What the heck goes inside, wall to wall carpeting and a TV?  Probable not!!!

So lets see what the basics are. They need some place to sleep…they need somewhere to lay those great tasting eggs.  They need food and water and for that carpet why don’t we use wood chips. They really are easier to clean. They also need  light. So either have some windows or a light on a timer.

Lets start with the bed which is called a roost. Their natural instincts are to sleep on a branch or something off the ground. So install some 2×2′s horizontal to the floor and about 18″ to 24″ high is perfect. Make sure they are a soft wood and don’t use metal or plastic as it is hard for the chickens to get a good grip on. Really doesn’t get any easier than that.

OK now to the nesting boxes. This is where the chickens lay their eggs. Yum! Yum! These need to be off the floor but below the height of the roosts. If they are higher the chickens will sleep there and the eggs will be kinda messy. You can build these out of wood but something I did was use 5 gallon plastic buckets with the lid cut in half or a little less than half.

It is a great idea if you can cut out most of the back and have a door to reach through from the out side to gather the eggs. The great feature of the plastic buckets is that when needed you can wash the with soap and water. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

For the automatic feeder and waterier I would just buy them at a local feed store. Yes you can save money if you DIY however this is a good time to just buy them if you can afford to. Again the feeder needs to be off the floor and I suggest that you hang it with a wire at he height that they can easily get to their feed. Her’s to the good old days…

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Small Chicken Coops

by RonnyG on April 7, 2010

Small Chicken Coops can house 10 to 15 chickens with ease. The success of a small chicken coops depends on the layout and design. Of course the purpose is to provide a safe warm and dry place for chickens to sleep at night. Several decisions you need to make  have long term effects… so take you time and get it right the first time. Let me see if I can help you get off to a good start.

You really can raise just one chicken however I would suggest 3 or 4  ( for me about 6 to 7   fits my need, time and space). 3 or 4 will be enough chickens  to provide a couple of eggs per day on average…you will have days where you get 4 and days just 1. It will average out. The point is the number of chickens determines the size of the coop. Each chicken need 4 to 5 sq feet. So 5 chickens need 20 to 25 sq ft. So it would need to be 5″ x 4″…

Next what type of climate do you live. If it cold it will need to keep the chickens warm and if you live in a hot area the shade and ventilation is most important. Me, I get both living in southern Missouri. So I need it warm in the winter and good ventilation in the summer.

Next do you plan on having a permanent run or pen or are you going to let them run loose around the yard. My preference is a small permanent run and a movable pin that can be moved around the back yard and garden. The chickens just love eating the young sprouts and the bugs. Oh and what a nice fertilizer machine they are. This picture will give you the general idea of a mobile chicken house. My idea is that only the pin needs to be moved and not the hole house.

Raising chickens weather it is for eggs, meat of for show and pets is lots of fun and takes you back to a much simpler and quieter time. So enjoy the journey and enjoy the the good life.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }