It should be apparent that an effective chicken house will help to keep chickens flourishing and healthy. But what people often don't know is what exactly it is that creates a remarkable chicken house. And while there is no exact formula, there are some guidelines that you should incorporate in any chicken house plans that you may use.

Sizing Prerequisites for the Chicken Coop

One of the most important design questions that people often consider is how large they should construct the chicken coop. Much like humans, chickens are happier and heartier the more space that they receive. Depending on the breed and sizing of the chicken their living requirements can change, but at a minimum every chicken should have at least 2 square feet of living space. It's possible to make do with a little less space, but their productivity may also drop-off. Also, inadequate space can cause abnormal stress on the chickens, which in turn may reduce their resistance to disease.

Keep in Mind the Size of the Chicken Run

Unless you've got a large secure area that's impervious to predators, you'll want to furnish your chickens with a protected chicken run. The chicken run is a place for chickens to move about and scrounge for food. It provides them withroom to excercise and wander about. Space requirements for a chicken run average out to about eight to ten square feet for a traditional design, but may be a lot less for chicken tractor or chicken ark patterns.

The larger the Coop, the Happier your Chickens will be

Before you start constructing, you probably have an accurate estimate of just how much space you can commit to your chickens. If you don't, you will need to come up with a reasonable number of square feet that you intend to use. Since every chicken requires ten to twelve sq ft of absolute room, the upper limit number of chickens that you can bring up in your assigned space is simple to determine. Keep in mind that it's less problematic and cheaper in the long run to construct your chicken coop larger the first time than it is to reconstruct it or build on to it. This has some clear advantages. The first is that it will allow for you to increase your brood afterwards if you so desire. Raising chickens is habit-forming, and there is a good chance that once you start rearing chickens you'll want bring up more. The second benefit of a bigger chicken coop is that your chickens will be happier and healthier. Chickens that are overcrowded frequently pick at each other and in extreme instances can resort to cannibalism. A larger coop will minimize this.  Proper Planning and the correct chicken coop plans are key to producing healthy and happy chickens