Having a hen house allows your chickens to have a place to stay at night and during bad weather as well as have nesting boxes for their eggs. Depending on what type of house you want to build, you have plenty of ideas available in building a hen house. The first consideration is the number of hens that you have since your goal is to prevent overcrowding, which if not averted can result to fights and reduced egg production. You should as well build a nesting box for every five hens so that they have plenty of spaces to lay their precious eggs. As to perching areas, you should provide six to 10 inches of space for your birds.
It is important to choose the right material when building a house for hen. If you do not have plenty of time, wood is an ideal choice because it is very easy to cut and assemble. With wood, you can simply set aside two weekends and you can already complete this task. Make sure that before you start the project to build hen house, you already know the size and style of coops that you want to build. Choose as well the right place to put it up.
Whether you require a big or small coop, or have a limited budget, or are looking to set up a premium, large, and two-story hen house, plenty of resources are available to help you get started. It is very important to look for plans for chicken coop, which will give you basic ideas on how you can start creating houses for you chickens. As mentioned, location is a key factor when building coops for a poor location might result to unhealthy or unproductive poultry. Check out if the location has soil drainage, air circulation, and accessible to water. You need to have a good drainage system to avoid muddy areas, which could cause filth and diseases. Meanwhile, if the coops do not have good ventilation, it can cause unpleasant odors, which can be harmful for human health. Meanwhile, the nearby water source will allow you to conveniently replenish the daily needs of your poultry. If a nearby water source is available, you can install and automatic watering system, which will make the process of water replenishment very convenient and easy. Lastly, keep the coops clean as often as possible so that your chickens live in a healthy environment, which will yield to top quality eggs for everyone to enjoy.