How To Make A Great Homemade Chicken Coop
There are many people who, having space and wanting to lead a healthier life, have started learning how to make a big chicken coop to have chickens and enjoy fresh eggs every day that do not go through the food sector.
You have a healthier food because it is natural. And it does not need as many animals as you might think, six chickens are more than enough for a family of four. But how to make a great chicken coop at home? Can you have it?
Index
- 1 How to make a homemade chicken coop step by step
- 1.1 Check that it is possible to set up a large chicken coop at home
- 1.2 Collect enough space for the chicken coop
- 1.3 Check the materials
- 1.4 Two different parts
- 1.5 How to make the outside of a big chicken coop
- 1.6 How to make a great homemade chicken coop
How to make a homemade chicken coop step by step
First of all, you must remember that these animals need to have enough space to live well. If you put them in crowded places, you would almost give them the same life as those that live in the food industry, that are fed with feed and fill them with antibiotics that pass into the eggs that we eat.
If you live in an apartment, we do not recommend this, but if you are in a house with a garden or on a larger plot, you can consider it as part of your garden, not only with fruits and vegetables. Also with animals. And it’s not as hard as you might think.
In fact, we will give you the steps you have to take.
Check that it is possible to put a large chicken coop at home
It is important that you check if you can set up a chicken coop. If you live in an urbanization or in an area of the city, there may be regulations about the animals that can be kept. If not, you should know that the minimum standards for laying hens were found in Royal Decree 3/2002 of 11 January, so it is a matter of consulting the BOE.
Collect enough space for the chicken coop
It is important that you choose where you will put the chicken coop and how much space you will take away. You can build the chicken coops yourself or buy it prefabricated, but you will need one that is consistent with the number of chickens you want to have.
Also keep in mind that you must leave the chickens outside.
Check the materials
In this case, we will talk about building a big chicken coop and not buying it. Therefore you need to get the typical materials for it:
- A galvanized steel, PVC or wood structure to be treated so that it is waterproof and withstand bad weather.
- A chicken wire, so that the chickens go out into the open air but are not all over the garden.
- Hangers and sticks, so the chickens can climb.
- Nests, which are usually made of straw or pine needles. In some cases, nest boxes are also required to hold the material in one place.
- Substrate for the floor to be cleaned properly every few times.
- Feeders and drinkers.
Two different parts
Based on the materials we have mentioned, you will see that you have two different parts. One, the one on the outside, which will be delimited by the chicken coop and that you can place more or less based on the space; And another, the “chicken house,” proper. Here the chickens will stay and where they will lay their eggs and so on.
In the outdoor area, you should consider that the mesh itself must be fastened well, usually with some irons stuck in the ground so that it does not fall. In addition, we recommend setting a door to enter and / or exit the chicken coop. It is a must.
And the house? Well, you will also have to design it, especially inside. Obviously, keep in mind that you will have to build the house something elevated. It is done to prevent moisture and cold from the soil entering the interior, so it is usually lifted several centimeters from the ground and install ramps so that the chickens can enter easily.
How to make the outside of a big chicken coop
Focusing on a practical basis, we will start with the outside of the chicken coop. As we have mentioned, for this you need chicken wire, but also some articles that can be irons driven into the ground, but also wooden articles (in fact they are the cheapest).
You must use the necessary mesh to close all the space that you will give to the chickens, taking into account that the area must be larger than their house.
In this case, you have two options: enclose more, encompassing the little house they will have inside; Or enclose only a smaller space and demise on one side by the width of the house.
Finally, it would be necessary to place the door. This can be done with wooden slats and chicken wire. Another option is to use irons or similar. As the chickens themselves do not want to open the door, with a attachment, rope or even chain with a padlock, it will be enough to keep it closed. Obviously, be careful if it is not closed properly, especially in the lower part, lest the chickens sneak into it.
How To Make A Great Homemade Chicken Coop
Going to the next step, we have to make the chicken coop. You must take into account the number of hens that you will have, because a hen house is not the same for a hen as one for five or six. If you will have these, you need to make it at least one square meter to make them feel good.
As we have said before, you need to lift the structure of the earth. To do this, use thick poles, ideally 7 × 7 cm and 1.8 meters high. You have to put four articles and two more in the center so that the structure is secure. Some of what they do is to treat the articles to withstand poor weather.
The house itself is easy to build because you can make it from wood, which is a material that is insulated and provides heat. In addition to being treated, it will be more resistant. We do not recommend the use of veneer because in summer it will be too hot and the chickens will not feel comfortable in it.
Sketch a design with your site in mind and how you want it to be. It is important that you make a window and even a door, or that the roof is the type that opens, because you can design and clean the inside of the chicken coop. We leave you a tutorial of a house made with palace that can give you an idea of how to do this.
Inside a henhouse must be comprised of sticks, which is where hens climb up and nest boxes, to place the eggs there so that they do not roll on the ground or break.
And nothing more! You already know how to make a great chicken coop, so you just have to take business.