If you are just starting out with chicken housing, and you want to own only 2 to 3 chickens, it is a great idea to build a small chicken house. Such coop plan is perfect for people who want eggs only for themselves. Because of the little size, small chicken house does not call for much material, and it is very easy to put together. This is probably the main reason why small chicken houses enjoy such a popularity. But, don't be fooled by the straightforwardness of this kind of plans, they still require some knowledge and experience to meet the expectations of your flock. The exact size
The name implies that this kind of construction should be small, but what does small actually mean? It is one of these cases where everyone understands what is going on, but when asked about accurate meaning, can't explain it.
The advice that is given to the majority of beginners is to give about 3 to 5 square feet per chicken inside the coop and 10 in the chicken run. These tried and tested numbers should insure your chickens fell well.
Give your chickens some sun
The second factor that is of utmost importance are windows. They are crucial for health and productivity of your flock. Fail to supply your chickens with about 14 hours of sunlight every day, and you can say bye to your eggs every morning. Make sure you take this advice into consideration in your %LINK1%.
Windows in your chicken house should be facing the direction at which sun rises. This will supply your chickens with a lot of free sunlight. Another purpose of windows is ventilation. Place windows in your small chicken coop right and they will create natural air movement which, will help to dissolve bad smells and bring fresh air into the coop.
Increase the protection
You understand %LINK2%, but, are you certain your flock is safe in your chicken house? Small chicken coops are usually much more vulnerable to attacks of predators as they look like easier to force. That is why you have to protect your chickens from dangerous animals even more intensively.
One of the easiest and the most effective way to protect your chickens is to surround your chicken coop with a solid fence that is dug about a foot into the ground. This simple tweak in your construction will help to insure safety of your chickens. The next thing you should do is raise your chicken house around 2 feet above the ground. This will help with smaller predators.
Something I tell to every person that wants to increase the safety of their chicken house is, to find out every predator that lives in their region. Knowing what is the favourite way such an animal may attack, you are able to increase the security of your chicken house accordingly.
As you may have expected, there are some disadvantages to having a small chicken house. However, if you want to house chickens just to get eggs for yourself and your family, it is a perfect solution. So don't get discouraged by these small problems you will face along the way.
If you are passionate about housing chickens and would like to discover some additional information about chicken house plans visit my site. I will show you step by step what a good chicken coop plan consist of. I will also share with you other tips like chicken ark plans, how to plan a chicken hutch and many more.
