A chicken coop is a kind of enclosure in which the chickens are kept. The interior of the housing have nest boxes for the chickens to lay eggs, and also has perches for the birds to sleep on.
The inside and outside of a chicken coops is usually covered with material such as straw or wood chips. These collect the chicken waste making it easier to clean. A chicken coop would usually have enough ventilation for air circulation helping airing out any odors that may occur.
How to build a chicken coop:
There are 6 crucial elements in building a chicken coop -
The appearance:
Before you get on to constructing a chickens coop, sketch out the design of the kind of coop you need. It is not only the construction that you need to chalk out, but also the colors that you are going to use on the roof and walls of your chicken coop.
The coop should not act as a distraction to your neighborhood if it is clearly visible to your neighbors, or be a defacement of the surroundings where you live. Therefore, your chicken coop should have an aesthetic design and have no complaints from your neighbors.
Use sound judgment:
You should always use your sound judgment when constructing a chicken coop. You would be better off in using building materials which would allow you to clean the coop easily. The door of your coop should always open inwards, and it is always better to have sliding doors so that chickens cannot come out to roost on your windows. You should consider constructing the floor of your chicken coop with material which you can easily hose without many puddles.
To find the most suited solution regarding chicken coops, it takes a little careful planning.
Protection from Hazardous Elements:
Your chicken coop must be built in such a way that it can protect your chickens from hazardous elements such as heavy rain, wind, hale, snow, cold climates, etc, and from being eaten or killed by hungry predators.
The coop should protect the chicken from being stolen as well. The coop should be protected from draft with windows that can be opened and shut, having proper screening system, for example, a heavy gauge mesh wire.
Your chicken coops must have an adequate drainage system where rain water may flow out keeping the coop dry. You need to position your chicken coop in an area where it gets the Sun which will keep the chickens warm and dry.
Coop ventilation:
You have already taken care in protecting your chicken coops from drafts. At the same time you will need to maintain ventilation in the coop, allowing free air movement throughout. The chickens inside the coop are quite safe with cold being kept out, but at the same time they would need air to breathe.
It is very necessary that the carbon dioxide accumulating inside your chicken coop be removed regularly replaced by fresh air in order that the chickens can breathe. There has to be ample movement of fresh air inside with cold drafts being kept away from entering the coop.
Light Source:
You would want your chickens to be kept warm during the cold months and yet have solid source of ventilation during the hot months of the year. Placing your chicken coop facing the South would be a good idea, where the coop may get Sunlight and air through-out the day.
You should also consider an electrical light source which will help the chickens produce great eggs all the year round. This light could easily be installed at the height of the chicken coop's ceiling, and this would help in keeping the chickens warm and lay better eggs through-out the year.
Conveniently placed Water and Chicken Feeders:
You should always check if the water and chicken feeders have been put in the right places, and the flock has easy access to those areas. You should also take care in placing the containers knowing that the chickens like to make a mess of everything they eat. Try and place the feeders at the back of the chicken at a height where the chickens have to stretch their necks to eat and would not be able to reach the feeders with their feet.
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