Chicken Pens

Chicken Pens aka Chicken Coops

So you have decided that this might be something for you – building your own chicken pens. Great! But before you move forward  it is important  that you consider what you're letting yourself in for before you start.

There are tons of free blueprints available for chicken pens, each giving rough sketches that may or may not help.They will, however, give you ideas and that's a good start.

The fundamentals before you start building chicken pens

A big mistake that many people do is they build the chicken pens and then start thinking about how to raise chickens for eggs. That's kind of putting the cart before the horse. You want to make sure you have a very clear and concise knowledge of not only chicken pens but the chickens themselves.

You need to learn about raising chickens and get the knowledge about how to care for them. By doing this you'll have a far better idea about the design of the pen and what it needs in terms of shelter, nesting boxes, feeders etc.

To help you get started, here are some quick fire tips to get you going…

Aesthetics –

One thing you do want in your backyard is something that attracts and does not detract from the rest of the yard. Waking up in the morning to see that early daylight illuminating an ugly eyesore will quickly put you off the idea of a chicken pen. It needs to look good, be constructed well and blend with the yard. A well constructed chicken pen that is painted in bright and happy colors can look fantastic and become part of your yard decor.

Security –

Chickens have plenty of predators in the wild and suburbia also does present clear and present danger from the dogs you may have to cats from the neighborhood. They are easy pickings and will be attacked if not well protected. Obviously weather is an important consideration, the chickens need to be protected from the elements of extreme heat and cold and have a dry place to shelter form the rain.
Make sure that the windows are protected with fine mesh so smaller vermin and other predators have no way of accessing the pen.

Ventilation-

The chicken coop has to have good ventilation but also be designed to keep those cold drafts out during the winter time. During the summer months the air circulation is even more vital as there would not only be the accumulated heat but also the carbon dioxide and strong odors to worry about.

Maintenance-

Remember, the chicken pen will definitely need some maintenance and has to be kept hygienic. Disease and unhealthy chickens is not what any one wants. So, when designing the coop, bear in mind that you have to clean it and therefore have easy access. Best to check this access when building and BEFORE getting the chickens. The chicken pen floor needs to be absolutely even and cannot have dips in it. The reason for this is when hosing the floor down it must not have areas where puddles can accumulate.You must make sure that the chicken pen floor is dry for the chickens.  Therefore the drainage should also be considered very carefully in your design.

Location

Very important – locate the chicken pens in an area that is not too low where it can collect run-off rain water.

It needs to be in a place that gets adequate sunlight for warmth

It will require relative shelter but not so much as to not allow for breeze

You must have access to a nearby electricity point so that you can have a light bulb on for warmth and the encouragement of nesting and laying eggs

The light bulb will assist in keeping the warmth in the coop and act as a heater during the winter

Building a Chicken Coop

With all the books, courses and hype about how to build chicken coops or pens that you now find on the market, it is exceptionally difficult to find one that actually is worth the money and does what it is supposed to doWhat's so great about this book and what makes it different to all the other books on chicken pens and coops out there? It's not just about building a chicken coop – you get the inside scoop before you spend a dime on any materials.

Building a Chicken Coop covers the info that you really need and without the fluff..

You will learn the fundamentals first – what species of chicken would be suited for your yard, what they should eat, how they should be kept, a list of tasks that ensure you know what to do weekly, monthly, every 6 months and yearly. It is comprehensive and deals totally with getting you up to speed.
The diagrams and instructions are first rate and easy to follow diagrams that will help you to fully understand what to do next. If you have very basic DIY skills and tools then this project will be a cinch – as long as you follow the guidelines to the letter. However, for the more adventurous and experienced, the real positive is that the guide can be used as just that – a Guide. Which means you can add your own personality and know-how to the designs whilst still maintaining the basic instruction.

What is really refreshing in this eBook is the recognition of being Green – i.,e. making sure that you use recycled goods and materials if you can when constructing the chicken coop.  

With a very good grounding as to the basic chicken farmer 101 rules regarding what chickens to get, what you need to do to raise healthy chickens, the fundamentals are covered. You are also well advised on where the location of the chicken coop should be and get to understand the value of good ventilation and light for keeping chickens.

Also, using the by-product of chicken waste matter, you are taught how you can identify, not only the state of the health of your chickens, but have fantastic fertilizer for the rest of the the garden. The contents of the book are comprehensive enough for you to understand what chicken farming is all about, what to expect, how to do it and, of course, how to get building your own chicken coop.

This book comes highly recommended and falls short of a 100% rating simply because nothing can be perfect and perhaps there may be some aspect that you feel is missing – but frankly, we would not where that is. It is a take your hand and guide you through the process type of book and with no specialist tools, limited DYI experience and with easy instruction, you will very soon be staring proudly at your brand new, self-built chicken coop!

It's definitely worth having a look at this and will save time, frustration and money..

Get Building A Chicken Coop now by Bill Keene

The Chicken Pens Conclusion

There is nothing worse then having to make quick fixes on an already constructed chicken pen and attempting to adjust to needs you had no idea the chickens would require. It is common the the newbie chicken farmer makes his/her first mistakes in the construction of chicken pens with poor plans or worse, poor planning.

Having a solid instruction manual is essential to help keep you on track and remind you of the things that you need to consider. It can be an incredibly frustrating time if you are building chicken pens without some help from a step by step guide. 

You have two choices – you can build the chicken pens by yourself or you can by  pre-assembled kits that are easy to put together. We give you both options here and while a pre-built chicken pens may be a bit more expensive, it does take the headache of building your own away and offers that instant gratification factor.

If you are still thinking about building your own  then congratulations for starting in urban farming and enjoying the amazing benefits of keeping chickens and having fresh, healthy organic eggs.

Get your copy of Building A Chicken Coop today and you will quickly find that it is incredibly rewarding owning your own chicken pens.

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