So you fancy the idea of fresh, great-tasting eggs in the morning and the sound of chickens scrabbling away in your back yard as you sit on the porch? One of the hottest trends in the pursuit of sustainable living, many people are rolling up their sleeves, buying a Build a Chicken Coop kit online and getting busy in their backyards.

It is certainly something the whole family can participate in. It will teach your kids at an early age the value of responsibility along with a keen understanding of food sources. Adults will relish the challenge of first building the coop and then managing the day-to-day operation and ensuring the health and well being of their chickens.

There are many great sources of information online about building a chicken coop and raising chickens. It pays to do your research early to avoid unnecessary mistakes and to make it as enjoyable an experience as possible. It is possible to get all the materials you will require for around $300 so it can also be quite cost effective.

Chickens are easy and quite cheap to maintain and are a natural source of pest control. Many people don't realize just how much personality little chickens can have and how they make both a productive and educational pet. There are many different breeds of chicken available and there are even distributors online that will arrange to have your chicken(s) sent to you.

Do your research and then jump in head first. The rewards will last you a lifetime.

It is absolutely critical to do some forward planning before you embark on building your chicken coop. Do your homework on the internet, buy some books or ask friends. The last thing you want to find when heading out to greet your chickens in the morning is evidence of an attack. Raccoons, coyotes, owls, even dogs... there are plenty of creatures out there that would love to find a way to get at your precious chickens.

It is absolutely critical to ensure that nothing can get inside during the night. A strong door with a lock is ideal as you also need to consider theft as being a threat. There should be nowhere on your coop that a potential predator could slip in. A good way to protect the windows is to simply install some wire that's strong enough to withstand efforts to pry it off. It doesn't take a large gap for a raccoon to squeeze his way in.

Some people go as far as pouring a concrete floor to be sure that no predators can dig under the coop and wreak havoc within. Although this is by no means a critical step in building a chicken coop, it is definitely worth thinking about as it will also provide a better foundation.

Chickens naturally head into their coop in the evening so it is a simple matter of knowing their schedule and locking them in for the night once they're all "in bed".

Simply buying some chicken coop plans and cracking out your hammer isn't enough. It helps to look at the big picture to ensure your investment (both chickens and coop) is well protected.

If you're doing your homework and haven't built a chicken coop yet, I'd recommend visiting urbanchickencoop for some great tips and links.

One of the most common questions that gets asked when the subject of building a chicken coop is raised is invariably how much it costs. Some people will tell you that it's dirt cheap (excuse the pun) and some will say it can be on the expensive side. Let's look at 3 ways to make sure you keep your construction costs low.

1. Do It Yourself

The most important factor is rolling up your sleeves and building your chicken coop yourself. Paying someone to build and install even the simplest, smallest coop is going to end up costing you. If you're reasonably handy and find a good set of chicken coop plans online, you'll ultimately save a lot of money on labour.

2. Buy your own materials

Avoid any pre-made chicken coop kits. It is ultimately way more cost efficient to source your own building materials than to pay for someone else to do it. All the materials necessary to build your coop should easily come in around the $300-$400 range and with some clever shopping this number could be even lower.

3. Buy a quality set of plans

Buy a quality set of chicken coop plans online. It's all well and fine to have all your lumber and chicken wire but if you've got a crappy, hard to read set of plans, you're setting yourself up for trouble. It is possible to download free plans off the internet but I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for" and advocate spending a few bucks to get a good set.