Blueprints For A Chicken Coop – Choosing The Correct Plans

Blueprints For A Chicken Coop - Choosing The Correct Plans

The road to successfully keeping happy chickens is by providing them with the appropriate housing, food and water. Whether you are wanting to keep a hen or two or ready for a whole flock, you will want to maintain the proper accommodations to keep them healthy and safe. Here, on the internet, you can find a wide variety of blueprints for a chicken coop that is right to fit your needs.

Many chickens require about the same types of food and housing, but it depends upon what types you are wanting to keep. The nesting needs of chicken that lay eggs for food or chickens for the breeding of chicks, have little variation in the accommodation they need. Chickens that are breed for their meat will not require a nesting box, but they will need a place to roost during the night. You will need to provide adequate space for your chickens to exercise, whether you are keeping chickens for their eggs or their meat.

Fresh food and water is always available in mass producing egg facilities, as well as clean cages. Hens are kept individually, each with their own cage. You can give your chickens more room than these facilities, which will increase their life span. You may also enjoy your flock as pets. You need to decide exactly how many chicken you wish to keep and also why you are keeping them, before you go forward in deciding the type of building you will need to house them.

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The best pets are generally some of the larger egg-laying breeds. These are calmer birds and apt to come running every time someone comes out to see them. While they generally do not like to be handled, they do come up to people and will learn to take food from the hand. Their behavior and expression seems to indicate that they actually are more aware and understand what you are saying to them, than is really true. The egg laying ability of this selection of birds, make them great to work with, from experienced chicken farmers to first timers.

Chickens that have fancy feathers on their feet and head and bright coloured markings are some of the more popular breeds today. These are usually smaller chickens, lay smaller eggs and are a bit more skittish. They are the most attractive of the chicken breeds and are used in many cases as show birds.

Fresh food and water will always need to be provided whatever type of chicken you decide to choose. Chicken scratch generally consists of corn with some other grains and is a good stable food for non-egg-layers. However, a higher level of calcium and protein is needed for chickens that lay eggs more regularly, and also for growing chicks. A chick start formula is good for the young ones, and a mash or layer crumble is good for the adults.

The safety of your chickens should be in the forefront of your mind, so when planning to build your chicken house, you must consider keeping your flock safe from any potential predators. It is a wise idea to surround your chicken coop with a wire fence that has small enough holes to keep out the smaller predators as well. You may also need to cover the top coop and pen to keep out hawks and owls who will prey on the smaller birds in your flock. Some chickens are flyers, so you may have to put a roof over the coop to keep them in, but you can always clip their wings if this is not an option you would like. Also provide some type of shelter from the elements. Younger birds will need some type of heat source in winter months, especially in colder climates, such as a heat bulb.

There is a lot to consider before you start to build and purchase you birds. Look at the various blueprints for a chicken coop that you think may be right for your situation and make sure it is right for you. Weigh the options of what you want to keep, how it will work in your yard and, of course, your budget.