All posts by Gina

About Gina

For the last seven years I have been the editor of the Keeping Chickens Newsletter @ http://www.keepingchickensnewsletter.com

Build a Chicken Coop – Part 1 Chicken Coop Supplies

How to make a chicken coop, ,

I'm sure the Department of Defense has an indestructible, bomb-proof chicken house, somewhere, that they're developing.

You know ... Something made out of chicken coop supplies like ... titanium, kevlar, nylon, or some other space-age material. Unfortunately, I've never seen it. And yes, I have been watching for something like that. Whenever I'm out scouting chicken coops, I watch for amazing, predator-proof chicken coops.

Of course, I could never afford a coop like that.

But I would LOVE to see what they would build. And, I know we all want to make our coops bomb-proof, so our chickens will survive a long, long time. But, instead of relying on the military, and their bomb-proof chicken coop supplies, you and I have to piece together our coops with the most reliable, strongest, and lowest-cost supplies we can get our hands on.

So, today I want to discuss some of the most common supplies or materials used in building coops. I have actually heard people talk about lots of different building materials and re-purposed structures...

Things like:

  • Wood
  • Brick
  • Stone
  • Plastic
  • Cars
  • Metal
  • Boats
  • Playhouses
  • Shelving units
  • Wire cages

Pretty much … If someone can find an empty space, or stack something up, they've probably used it to build a chicken coop before.

And, in the United States wood is usually pretty cheap. You can even find it for free in some places. I used wood to build my little mobile coops. Most folks, you’ll talk to for advice, would most likely suggest using wood as the basic starting point for your coop as well.

Your coop's exterior shell can be built with low cost, or even freely scavenged lumber, fiberglass, metal, or plywood. One of these should be enough to ward off most elements and temperature changes.

Finally, you'll definitely want some chicken fencing wire, also known as chicken mesh, for a run. Personally, I wouldn't go for anything larger than 1" mesh. Smaller is better - but more expensive.

What Kind of Chicken Coop Plan Is Best For YOU?

Keeping Chickens Safe from Predators, , , ,

"What Kind of Chicken Coop Plan
Is Best For YOU?"

By Kelson Spear

We've been raising our own chickens at home for years now, in our own chicken coops, with chicken coop plans that we designed ourselves.

And some of my friends couldn't understand why I got so crazy about my feathered girls. They wondered why we put all the hard work into building and protecting our chickens. And, to be honest, most of them couldn't understand why we did it, so it was just easier for us to keep our hobby to ourselves, right?

inside the chicken coop with splatter
Me and My Girl - Arrow

Well, not anymore. Times have changed. Now everyone knows why we raise our own chicken flock:

  • They provide AWESOME organic compost for your garden.
  • They give your family amazingly healthy, tasty, home-grown foods for cheap.
  • You can raise them with NO nasty chemicals, hormones, or pesticides.
  • Grocery store costs are as high as backyard raised egg costs now.
    (and if that's not enough right there...)

All that alone makes building your own chicken coop a no brainer, right? All my friends stopped asking me why, and instead started asking how they could keep chickens themselves 🙂

There is so much you need to know to make your own chicken coop, and raise your flock at home but at the same time a lot of it is just common sense. There are many things I have learnt along the way. Take this for example :

Here's How YOU can INSTANTLY save your entire flock in one day.

holding hen in armsDid you know that if you don't build your coop to stop ONE specific predator, that you can seriously lose your entire flock in one day? And no ... it's probably not the large animal you're thinking of right now.

NOPE - it's hawks.

Do you want to guess how I figured that one out?

Yep...

And that's not the only lesson I learned the hard way.

Here's what I realized pretty quickly ...

There are SO MANY different types and styles of chicken coops out there, that you really have to know what you want to accomplish before you find the chicken coop plan that is right for you!

  • You want to understand what YOUR needs are (eg. easy access to the nestboxes and being able to clean the coop out without being bent over double make life with chickens more enjoyable)
  • You need to know what the needs of your flock are going to be (eg. smaller breeds will feel the cold more, a big breed may need low roosts and a bigger entrance, breeds with feathered feet can get really clogged down with mud [or snow] if you live in an area with lots of rain and their pen floor is soil)
  • You have to build a chicken coop that you are comfortable having your neighbors see ('have to' is not strictly true but it is nice to have something you can be proud of 🙂 )
  • You have to stay within the legal limits of your area (some areas don't allow chickens at all, or if they do they restrict how many you can have or specify no roosters etc. - it is best to check these sorts of things before you buy your chickens and build a coop)

All of these, PLUS a whole bunch more are key factors in your chicken coop building process.

You see ... making that first mistake, of losing an entire flock in one day, taught me an important lesson in how to keep your chickens safe and predator-free.

Incidentally probably the easiest way to keep hawks at bay is simply to have a wire mesh going over the top of your chicken pen, if that is not possible/practical then at least use some of the common deterrents such hanging reflective items such as cds and provide cover such as bushes for your chickens to dive under. Bamboo sticks stuck in the ground at various heights can help prevent a clear flight path for swooping in. Additionally there are all sorts of deterrents available at places like garden centers.

It is not a nice thing to think about, but any time spent thinking about ways to make a predators access to your chickens more difficult is worth it - and it can definitely save lives.

Equally some time planning the overall picture of your coop and how you want your life with chickens to be (coop position, flock, access etc) is also worth it so be sure to check out the video we made about some common things people forget about when designing their chicken coop.

The 3 Biggest Problems Owners Have in Raising Chickens!

Caring for Chickens

"The 3 Biggest Problems Owners Have in Raising Chickens!"

The pains of raising chickens is talked about by chicken growers all the time. But is it really THAT important for you, if you have a backyard flock, to pay attention to other chicken owner's problems?

Sometimes in order to succeed we need to learn how not to fail. And when it comes to raising chickens, learning from others who have gone before us can be a huge help in dealing with our own flock's troubles. Plus being prepared for the disasters, which can strike at any time, will improve your chicken raising skills to an art form.

1. Protecting their flock against predators is the #1 biggest challenge with keeping your chickens safe.

It's not easy! And there are LOTS of animals out there who want to take the opportunity to eat your chickens. Raccoons, bears, snakes, hawks, coyotes, neighborhood dogs, skunks, and at times even other people might decide to take an opportunity to hurt your brood. Your number one defense against predation, is to be on your guard and ready all the time. Sometimes you can keep other protective animals with your chickens, around them and in their pens. Animals like pygmy goats, geese, guard dogs, or donkeys can sometimes be effective in helping ward off some predators.

Of course building a Sherman-tank strength coop will help as well, but even at that you are going to have constant sneak-attacks and attempts for your chicken's lives. So any time you hear commotion out of your flock, you're still going to have to check on them and make sure everything is okay.

You might also want to try some other protective strategies like... small gauge chicken wire, electric fences, and maybe ultrasonic noise deterrents.

2. Another big chicken owner concern is... 'how' to take care of a chicken once it becomes sick.

Many illnesses can hit your flock, things like upper respiratory infections (URI), fowl pox, Avian Diphtheria, plus a host of others. And unless you are already prepared to deal with the problems as they arise, you're going to need some help deciding how to care for them. For the most part, it is quite standard for most people to just allow the illnesses to take their course and see what happens with the chicken. And that might be okay for you. It may mean the hen will not survive, and you'll have to be okay with that outcome.

Your other main option is to visit a local veterinarian, treating your hens just like any other family pet, to see what's wrong with them, and to get the treatments as recommended by the doctor. Surprisingly, not a lot of owners raising chickens do this. However it is slowly becoming more and more common throughout the U.S. for owners to take one of their hens in to see the veterinarian for care. In fact, just recently I got report from a reader describing how her chicken's beak had grown irregularly, and so she took the hen in to the doctor for treatment. That was one of a only a handful of reported visits to the doctor for a chicken, that I've heard of.

3. The final big problem with raising your own flock is... cleanliness.

In this case, cleanliness is a vitally important part of keeping a healthy brood. From clean food and water dishes, to fresh bedding and laying material in the nest box, as the owner you get all the smelly benefits of making sure your chickens (and your food supply) stay clean.

The following cleaning and disinfecting suggestions come from an interview with Dr. Larrison:

Chicks need better sanitation than older chickens. Replace their floor covering every week, and do a top scraping every day until 10 weeks of age. Adults need floor covering changes every 2-4 week (depending on conditions), and a 1-2 time weekly top scraping. 4 time a year complete clean with quaternary ammonia or other viracidal compound.

So there you have the 3 biggest problems owners have with raising chickens. Hopefully it helps as useful warning for you, if you decide to keep your own flock, with the things that are going to be the most worrisome, and take up the biggest part of your time.