Tips For Designing a Good Hen House

Chickens make great pets, they also will supply you with eggs which makes great breakfast. Chickens like any other farm pet animal needs somewhere to lay its feathery head at nights, they need what is called a chicken coop. So who says that chicken don't like fashion and style when building a nice chicken coop? Chickens have surpassed just the regular shed and tar paper insulation with shackled up doors and windows. If you want to give your chickens a wonderful little place to call home and a design and color which even matches your home itself, you can do so and build or even have one built that is Solid and well function-able.

Tips For Building a Solid and Vermin Safe Chicken Coop

Ensure that the coop has a solid foundation

• You don't want to create a coop that has a foundation made of simply ground and the coop is able to rock to and forth with the slightest movement or predator digging their way in through holes in the ground. It is best to use blocks with concrete slabs or even bricks. Also ensure that the coop is at least 6 inches off the ground to avoid any form of flooding if you live in a rainy area. Many people also use thick treated wood to create a good and sturdy foundation.

Ensure that the lumber to be used is treated lumber to avoid termites and other insects eating away at the coop

• This is not an option, if you want a strong and long lasting coop, you have to do this simple investment. Don't just go out and buy their grade scrap wood to build your coop. This will draw termites and pretty soon holes all over your chicken coop. Those holes then become easy access for predators. Treated lumber prevents termites from eating away your chicken coop.

Ensure that the coop is built with good lighting

• If you are in the business of raising good quality chickens, then good light and heating is a must. The light serves many purposes in a chicken coop, one of which is to clearly see what is going on in the coop and the other is to provide warmth for the animal. Lighting in a coop does not necessarily mean electrical. Your must provide adequate natural lighting without compromising the chickens safety from predators.

Proper Ventilation

• Who wants to get up in the morning and have to be burying chickens. That is what you may have to do if your chickens have improper ventilation. Just like you, your chicken needs to breath too. It also needs air to keep it cool especially if the coop is not large and houses many chickens.

Large Space

• Which animal doesn't like large spaces to roam. Well the chicken does. Large space allows the chicken to be more relaxed and not feeling cramped and with good design, allows you to have proper coop ventilation.

Weather Tight Construction
What you need to do is analyze your environment's weather condition and make you coop according to your weather environment. The worst thing you can do is build a coop that as the rain falls your chicken begins to soak or freeze to death. Ensure that the coop as enough accessories to even block even rain blowing in.

See Also: 10 Reasons to Check Your Chicken Yard + Checklist