Chicken Coop Hen House

Design Tips for Building a Backyard Hen House

If you want to raise chickens in your home, then constructing a backyard chicken coop or a chicken coop hen house is a must. Only healthy and comfortable chickens who feel safe in their surroundings produce the greatest eggs and keeping them in a pen built of only chicken wire will not make them feel this way.

What you want is a proper coop made out of wood so that your chickens are able to feel safe enough to give you superb eggs. This article will talk about some tips which will help you ensure that the hen house you manufacture comprises of all the plan elements needed to allow your chickens to produce the most number of eggs.

When planning your chicken coop hen house, predators should be on the top of your list of priorities. Foxes, dogs, raccoons, weasels and other wily animals are a serious threat to the safety of your chickens, and keeping them penned in a simple wire construction if of no value if you want to keep these predatory animals out. In order to maximize the safety of your hens, you need to have a coop constructed out quality material, with good doors and wire layering the windows. Likewise, put chicken wire around the chicken run buried 1 foot deep into the land to keep these predatory animals from digging their way through to your chickens.

When thinking about the comfort of the chickens, think of them the way you would think about the comfort of people. They dont want to be in a place which is too hot, or damp or too cold, as exposure to such extreme conditions can gravely affect their wellness. This is why the plan of the chicken coop needs to be so that they are preserved from excessive weather conditions. Add the windows so that they look south, as this will allow enough sun to enter the coop, sustaining the coops warmth in the winter months. During summertime, these windows will allow fresh air, as ventilation is essential for the coop to remain dry and cool.

Keep these views in mind when your are planning the chicken coop, or better yet, buy a chicken coop design plan and make small amendments to accommodate your particular needs. With the correct plans that have instructions which are simple to follow, you will save plenty of money. Just remember, only the most comfortable and healthy chickens lay the best eggs.