When you own the putz and cloth and have the know - how , build your own customchicken coopcan be one of the most rewarding aspects of keeping volaille . But what hap if you do n’t have so much as a screwdriver and have no carpentry skills of which to talk ? When my married man and I left New York City for his hometown in North Carolina , we were very much those hoi polloi .
Our carpentry skills have n’t improved too much in the years since , but our knowledge and experience of crybaby and their special needs has . Shopping for a coop that suits both your pauperism and theirs can be passably of an art , so keep these thought in mind as you do your research .
1. Is the Coop Chicken-Friendly?
You might be surprised to learn how many chicken cage are constructed with only the chicken steward in judgement . Some henhouse are design for aesthetic purposes , while others are made for ease of cleaning . However , the dear coops have it all : what volaille ask , what keepers involve , and an eye - catching design — sooner in that order .
So what does a wimp - friendly henhouse look like ? For starters , it needs to provide security from the element : It should be good , dry and have adequate ventilation . It should have at least 10 inches of roost infinite for each shuttlecock it houses and at least onenest boxfor every four to five boo in your flock . sooner , the nest box would be lower than the roost and low-down to the terra firma . The chicken coop should have a popular door and a wild leek that permit the birds to get in and out with simplicity .
2. Is the Coop Chicken Keeper-Friendly?
A cage that ’s accessible to you , your home and anyone else caring for the volaille is a cage you ’ll revel using and will care for diligently . Chicken keeper - friendly chicken coop are , first and first of all , loose to clean . If the cage is large enough to maltreat inside , the door should be easy to get in and out of and have a simple-minded yet secure lock system . Any main door to the coop — not counting the soda water door , which is rather modest — should appropriate easy access to the entire coop . Cleaning a coopis not pretty business , but the gentle it is to clean , the more often you will do it and the healthier your fowl will be .
Another considerateness of keeper - friendly coop is the ease of collecting eggs . While cleaning may be done monthly , quarterly or even annually , you ’ll collect nut daily . Make certain you’re able to easily reach nest box — fillip points if they ’re depleted enough for young unity to facilitate .
Finally , if you opt for a movable hencoop , such as a tractor or ark , it should have wheels enceinte enough to accommodate its size of it and they should move swimmingly . move your portable hencoop should be a chore you look forward to , not dread . Make certain you try out these coops by lifting and move them before you buy . If the cage can be moved by only one soul , even better !
3. Is It Quality-Made?
This summit is rather self - explanatory : Coops made with mellow - tone materials will last longer and have got their resale value . Also keep in brain that salvaged or found materials can execute the gamut of lineament — there ’s a big difference between untreated wooden pallets and true cedar planks . Always ask questions of your builder or the coop ’s manufacturing business before making the purchase . I tend to favour chicken coop made with locally or sustainably milled baseball bat . If this is important to you , too , search for hencoop made with Forest Stewardship Council certify lumber .
4. Will It Keep Out Predators?
In accession to offering protection from the constituent , a coop must protect your flock from piranha . In North America , you ’ll regularly see racoon , foxes , raptors , mustelids ( members of the weasel family ) and particularly domestic dogs as threats to a chicken flock .
You ’ll want to examine how accessible the coop is to each of these potential predators . What makes this knavish is that each has its own particular set of skills : Some climb , some dig , some approach from above , and some can even open rudimentary locks . A good coop must account for all of these .
A dependable chicken coop has a self-coloured bottom , is raised up off the dry land or has another deterrent from digging predators , such as a dame of conducting wire around the perimeter . Admittedly , a chicken coop can sport all three of these feature , and I still would n’t consider it overkill — no pun mean .
A dependable cage also has dependable locks that require an apposable ovolo to operate . Raccoons have very nimble hands and can well beat simple-minded lock chamber . A safe chicken coop uses sturdy material — no composition board or slender materials that can be easily manducate by determined predators . All gap larger than 1 column inch in size , including windows , should be compensate with heavy - duty mesh conducting wire , such as hardware cloth . wimp wire , despite its name , is too unconvincing and has first step too turgid to be a desirable predator deterrent .
5. Can It Grow With Your Flock?
It ’s no arcanum that the hobby of keeping chickens is addict . Many sage keepers will tell fledgling to buy henhouse much large than they think they ’ll need or utilise . While I have incur this to be relatively true , most backyard passel top out between nine and 12 hens , with the ordinary size wad being between six and eight hen . If you begin with a micro flock of three hens , buy a henhouse big enough to accommodate at least six to give you some wiggle elbow room to grow . If nothing else , your three hens will appreciate the supernumerary space .
6. Do You Like the Look?
Arguably the least important aspect of any good coop , aesthetic still play a role in the man of backyard Gallus gallus , particularly if you live somewhere that neighbors are faithful by or you have frequent visitant to your backyard .
This is about more than vanity : As chicken keeping gain momentum across the country , more and more cities are legitimize backyard chicken , and anyone who embark on this rocking horse is an ambassador to the world of agriculture . Keeping chickens offer chance for education about our food , our food system and animal husbandry . At the end of the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , a endearing coop is one that you ’ll love call in and caring for .
