In a previous article, I mentioned that your chicken coop is going to be the house where your chickens will live. They’ll be eating here, sleeping here, laying their eggs both fertile and otherwise here. Heck, chances are you’ll be hatching them here as well.
The chicken coop is the hub of activity for all your backyard chicken endeavors, and let me tell you, you’ll be doing yourself a favor if you spend a decent amount of time coming up with the perfect chicken coop design. It won’t be a party, unless you’re a pretty handy builder, but in the end, when you’re gathering fresh eggs from a happy brood of chickens, you will thank yourself.
But okay, designing a chicken coop is easier said than done, especially if you’re new to this kind of thing. What materials will you be needing? How big a coop should you design? Where should you place your coop, anyhow? And what other things do you have to take into consideration before you can start building your chicken coop?
Okay, let’s focus on the materials you can use.
I’ve said it before, and it bears repetition: majority of the equipment you’ll be using will rely heavily on where you live.
This is because the weather in your area might not agree with the equipment that you use. If you experience a lot of rain in your town, for example, wood might not be the best material to use in your chicken coop design. These wooden beams might warp and / or expand depending on the weather conditions, and you’ll end up having to fix your structure more often than necessary.
Another issue you should consider in the materials to use for your design is the local wildlife. If you have skunks or foxes in your neighborhood, anything that can be easily destroyed by rodents or strong animals will be poor material for your chicken coop.
Do you have an idea of how many chickens you will be raising?
Come up with a definite number, because this will determine how big your coop will be. If you’re just raising a couple of egg-laying hens, a portable coop should be more than enough for you. Twenty hens (not counting roosters) will require a larger, more elaborate chicken coop design, though.
And if you’re aiming on becoming a major hatchery in your area, you’re probably looking at chickens amounting to the hundreds. That being the case, you’re better off buying a large plot of land and building a poultry farm.
But for small to medium-sized backyard chicken coop design, you need to find the perfect spot in your backyard for the construction. Choose a spot that has the least amount of humidity and the most exposure to sunlight – a stuffy environment is bad for your chickens.
Design your coop in such a way that the windows face to the south, in order to ensure that the interior gets plenty of sunlight.
Speaking of the interior, you will want to have a neat layout for your feeding bins and nesting boxes.
Line your boxes all on one side, but make sure that each box provides your chickens with enough personal space so that they don’t end up getting on each others’ nerves, so to speak. Your feeding troughs should be on the side where the windows are located.
Since the chickens will have to go to the troughs for their food, they’ll also get the additional benefit of exposure to the sun. The water troughs should be nearby, although if you don’t have enough ventilation inside your coop, your design should place the water troughs outside the entry to the coop, with an awning to keep your chickens dry in case of rain.
The most important thing to consider in your chicken coop design is how to keep your chickens comfortable without compromising space. Keep this in mind while designing your coop, and you will be able to build the best structure for your birds – and for yourself.
Good luck!
