Chicken Coop Info

When you start looking for plans for a chicken coop, you will find that there are many experts on the subject and they don’t all agree. Some think that you need to keep your chickens shut up tight all winter while others believe it’s important for the chickens to have outdoor access all year round. You can compromise between the two and find plans for a chicken coop that provide fresh air as well as a retreat where chickens will be safe from harsh weather and predators.

You don’t have to choose strictly between those designs that keep chickens inside or turn them loose all day. Instead, keep the important features in mind that will help you raise healthy, happy chickens in a safe environment.

One style of raising chickens is known as “free-range” where chickens were traditionally kept in an area that had no fence or in a field that was large enough so that fencing wasn’t needed. The term free-range has been replaced with the term “pastured poultry” which refers to birds that are in pens that are moved daily to allow access to growing plants.

Please click here for more information about plans for a chicken coop!

If you search for plans for a chicken coop, you will find those that can be moved for pastured poultry if that is the style of farming you decide to use for your poultry. While small coops that are made to accommodate only a small number of chickens can be moved by hand, there are also large transportable coops that must be moved with a tractor.

Depending on your climate, you may, or may not have appropriate weather to keep chickens outside. You don’t want to expose them to harsh winter weather or extremely hot summers. Since the idea behind raising pastured poultry is to give them fresh air, green grass, and new opportunities to find bugs, putting them outdoors in extreme weather will only defeat your purpose and put chickens at risk.

Plans for a chicken coop that is used for pastured poultry operations should include directions for wind proofing the coop. Portable houses are prone to blow over in high wind and this can lead to catastrophic results. Since heavier houses tend to be more windproof than lighter ones, either add enough features (for example, nesting boxes) to provide enough weight to your chicken house or consider using stakes to hold securely in place.

When choosing from plans for a chicken coop that is free-range, you will have to keep some things in mind that may not be mentioned with the plan design. Chickens that are free-range are at more risk from predators than those in confinement. You will need to create an area for them to have protection from the threat of both daytime and nighttime predators. You should have doors and windows to access the inside with heavy screen coverings that can’t easily be broken.

Other considerations you should make when considering plans for a chicken coop are the exposure the chickens will have to both heat and cold. Heat is even more dangerous than cold, especially after the brooding period. You will need to provide chickens with shady areas and fresh air and also make sure they have plenty of water containers that are always filled with clean water.

Plans for a chicken coop can be found to build a free-range coop that will provide you with everything your chickens need as long as you keep all the needed features in mind to ensure you have what it takes to provide your poultry with a safe, comfortable environment!

Please click here for more information about plans for a chicken coop!

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