When making a chicken house (or coop) in your backyard it is imperative that you take as much into consideration that you can before you actually go about making the coop. A chicken house is basically a stationary construction that requires some planning. When you are getting started it will be best if you prioritized your approach based on a few critical factors. Read on to know what they are...

These are a few of the things that you must be aware of before you get started:

a. The poultry size: This is paramount. The size of your poultry will determine the size and type of your coop. As a rule of thumb it is recommended that at least 4 square feet of space be provided per bird so that they may move freely in their house. The smallest you can acquire is a chicken tractor measuring at about 20 square feet while the larger ones go above 40 square feet.

b. Predators: The most nagging problem that poultry farmers face. Your chicken house needs to ensure that no predators whether land based or aerial can make its way into the coop.

c. The Backyard: If your backyard is incapable of supporting your poultry or is too small for a large sized coop then it will be best to shorten your poultry size (of course you can also move into a bigger place!).

d. The Chicken house interiors: You need to carefully and tactfully plan out the interiors of the coop as it must ensure the maximum comfort for the chicken. A feeder and a waterer must be available filled at all times. There should be a place for the chicken to nest. Also make sure that the windows provide for cross air ventilation. A good idea is to cover the chicken house’s floor with sand or saw dust as chicken love taking sand baths.

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a. Your Poultry Size: First things first, how many birds do you have? Chicken houses basically come in 3 formats: Chicken tractors, Medium sized Chicken houses and Large Sized Chicken Houses. Chicken tractors or arks are ideally suited for 2 to 4 chicken while medium sized constructions are best for around 8 birds. If your poultry exceeds 10 birds then you should consider getting a Large coop offering more than 35 square feet of space.

b. Your Backyard: Just how big is it? Can it accommodate a Chicken house of more than 40 square feet? Furthermore what do you intend to use the chicken for? Is your intention to get meat and eggs or do you want to have your backyard cleaned of weeds and pests in a controlled manner? Your coop must fulfill a critical function for you. Decide this first then decide what kind of a coop you will need.

c. Your locality: A very often overlooked factor. You will definitely not want to get a chicken house designed so that it reflects badly on your backyard if you were living in the city. The design here will have to be aesthetically appealing and functional at the same time.

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While you go about making the chicken house, you must make an effort to keep clear of the following errors as you can really end up regretting later on:

a. Not considering the size before making the Coop: The standard area requirement per chicken is 4 square feet minimum. Thus if you have 4 chickens your coop/ark should have at least 16 square feet for the chicken to roam about. Also you will want to consider the space of your backyard and the amount of space you have to offer before you make the coop. Not doing this may make the coop ill-suited to both your requirement and the place.

b. Inadequate preventive measures against predators: Smart predators such as the weasel or a raccoon are infamous for their skill in bypassing raised defenses to catch unsuspecting prey from inside a chicken coop/ark or a chicken run. If you have a chicken run then do dig the wire about 4 feet into the ground to discourage any attempts at infiltration. Also cover the run with a wire grille or something familiar on the top so that aerial predators such as hawks or owls may not get your birds.

c. Gaps in fencing/wiring: This is one of the most neglected aspects but contributes to astonishing number of poultry deaths. Often scared chicken in their efforts to escape from a predator or anything similar stick their heads into a wire opening only to have their head or limb ripped right of. So make sure such gaps are not present so that such unfortunate incidents may be avoided.

d. Installing the coop in the wrong place: An often overlooked part is the place where the coop should be installed. Although the place should be aesthetically suited, you should ask important questions such as “will this disturb my neighbors?” “Is this place safe from predators?” “will the weather be an issue for the birds if I put the coop here?” etc.

e. Buying expensive ready made coops when cheaper alternatives are present: Many people do not realize that even ready made coops need to be assembled. Thus what you pay for is just the un-assembled material and the accompanying plans; both of which are readily available at cheaper rates.

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