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How Much Does a Chicken Coop Cost to Build?

Chicken Coops Today administrator — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:45:19 +0000

How Much Does a Chicken Coop Cost to Build?

People often wonder how much it’s going to cost them to build their own chicken coop in their backyard. There are a plethora of both free and pay chicken coop plans available on the internet and a startling variance among projected material costs. With a bit of research you’ll find that it’s actually not as costly an investment as you might think.

For a coop that will comfortably house half a dozen chickens you will be aiming for approximately 5 sq ft of space per chicken and around 10″ of perch space per chicken. You want to make sure you have a small storage area, excellent ventilation and good natural light. Of course a door that allows you easy access to the coop is also essential.

A top quality, solidly constructed coop can easily be built for around 0. Some people like to install more high tech parts like an automatic watering system and automatic food dispensers but this will obviously raise your initial investment up by a considerable amount. It’s best to keep it simple to start and you can eventually make improvements once you’ve had your coop up and running for a while.

Your core materials are going to be two by fours and chicken wire. Some people choose to pour a concrete foundation while others simply lay concrete blocks and a good quality wooden floor. This will naturally depend on your budget which route you go. I’ve seen several coops built on blocks that were very stable and did a good job keeping critters out.

Ultimately, you need to do your homework and decide what your requirements are. The more time and effort you put into planning your chicken coop in the early days is going to pay dividends in the end.

If you don’t have a lot of experience with chicken coop construction, I would highly recommend finding some good plans online. The free ones are often quite good but I’d also recommend checking out urbanchickencoop for more information.

I’m just a guy obsessed with all things related to chicken coops.

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How To Build A Chicken Pen

Chicken Coops Today administrator — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:43:48 +0000

by HA! Designs – Artbyheather

How To Build A Chicken Pen

Chickens need healthy outdoor exercise just as much as any other living creature. They need the vitamins from the sun just like we do. They get minerals by pecking around in the soil and grass is a healthy supplement to their usual diet. Chickens were created to be active and outdoors. Caging them permanently isn’t natural and can make them act peculiar like pecking one another to the point of cannibalism.

The Run - The outside run is contained by standard poultry netting strung from the hen house walls out around two stout posts sunk a good 18 inches into the ground. Dig the post holes at least a foot across and fill the space around the posts with rocks wedged in tight. Mix some Portland cement, sand and enough water so that the mixture flows around the rocks. This mixture will create a solid anchor around the rocks and posts and the wooden posts will last longer if surrounded by concrete. Most any hard wood will do for the posts, especially if the sub-ground level portion has been soaked in a bucket of creosote for a week or more, though red cedar, cypress and redwood all have natural anti-rot protection built in.

Chicken netting can’t be stretched like wire fencing, so it must be framed in and should be five feet in height. Secure the top of the netting to the posts. Along the bottom of the run, bury six-inch boards. Staple the bottom of the netting to the boards. This anchors the netting and prevents any creature from digging under to get into the pen for a free meal.

For more information on eggs, raising chickens and building your own chicken shed, please visit the author’s blog.

Find More Chicken Pens Articles

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Why You Should Build Your Own Poultry House And Chicken Run

Chicken Coops Today administrator — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:42:54 +0000

by cybertoad

Why You Should Build Your Own Poultry House And Chicken Run

You have a space in your backyard that needs something in it but you are not sure what. Ever considered keeping chickens? It is so easy to build your own poultry house and run and what could be better than eating eggs laid by your own poultry?

Why build your own poultry house and run when you could buy one I hear you ask? Well one of the biggest expenses in keeping chickens is buying safe, secure accommodation for them to live in. To buy a readymade poultry house can be very expensive and will, in all probability come in a flat pack formation, so you are in effect going to be building it anyway.

So, consider this, you can go to your local DIY store and buy the materials at a fraction of the cost and tailor make your poultry house and run to suit your own needs, taking into consideration the number of chickens you will be keeping and the size of your backyard for starters.

When keeping animals of any sort their comfort and safety is of paramount importance and with chickens it should be no different. If your chickens are happy and healthy, then you will be rewarded with lots of lovely free range eggs.

So, it makes sense that whatever type of accommodation you decide to build for your new feathered friends that you are able to make it warm, dry and very importantly predator proof, not just for the safety of your chickens but also for your own peace of mind and having built it yourself you will have no doubt about that what so ever.

Imagine the satisfaction you will get when you build your own poultry house and run with your own fair hands and the sense of pride when your chickens have quickly settled in and you can have that first free range egg for your breakfast. It will surely be the best you have ever tasted and all because you chose to build your own poultry house and run.

Building a poultry house can be easy when you are given the correct information. They are practical, easy to assemble and can save you a fortune. There are dozens of websites that claim to offer poultry house plans, but very few offer you more than a single design. The best poultry house designs website online has been endorsed by thousands of chicken breeders and owners so far and is well worth you reviewing.

Clive Anderson started using the Internet in 2005 as a means of gaining knowledge on various subjects in order to gain a better understanding that would enable him to express and demonstrate more clearly information that could help others as well as be of some substance.

Having had no previous Internet knowledge and a very limited computer ability meant improving online skills was paramount. This also meant achieving the goals that he had set himself was going to be a very real challenge, but one that was accepted as a necessity if the objective was to be conquered.

Like so many others he has faced many trials and tribulations both on and offline in order to reach the point that he is at today.

Writing has become a bit of a two pronged sword to coin a phrase. At one end is the reward that comes from being able to offer beneficial assistance, information, expertise, discoveries, and experiences through the expression of writing.

Added to that the overall enjoyment, fulfilment and sense of achievement that can be found in writing the articles.

One thing that has become crystal clear is the fact that you can only achieve good things in life by first helping others overcome their own restrictions, obstacles, and hurdles.

Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; so we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.

Have You Ever Thought What You Would Attempt if You Knew That No Matter What You Attempted You Could Not Fail? Why not give it a try? You might be pleasently surprised.

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Build A Chicken Pen

Chicken Coops Today administrator — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 01:41:47 +0000

by Laurie Pink

Build A Chicken Pen

Almost anyone can learn how to build a chicken pen if they follow a good plan that outlines the process step by step. If you’re looking to build a chicken coop, you probably already discovered the high cost of buying a new structure. Building your own chicken house is a cheaper alternative and isn’t very difficult.

Determine the Size of Your Coop

This decision is largely influenced by the number of chickens you plan to raise and the space in your yard. If you are just raising a few chickens, a small chicken coop should be sufficient. You also need to think if you want to build a chicken pen that will occupy a large portion of your yard.

Find the Plan That Fits

Once you determined the size and design of your coop, you need to find a blueprint that fits your needs. You don’t want to spend time building your chicken coop only to discover you need windows that face the south on order to allow maximum sunlight. A good blue print will also account for proper ventilation and climate control.

Gather Your Materials

Your plan should outline the materials you need. Before you begin to build a chicken pen, you need to get these materials from your local hardware store. Getting your material precut and labeled can make your project more efficient. You might want to have some extra material on hand in case you make a mistake.

After these 3 steps, the only thing left to do is to build your structure. This project can seem overwhelming if you never done anything like this before. A good set of plans will make this process a lot easier. Once you realize your cost savings, you’ll be glad you learned how to build a chicken pen.

How would you like to spend 0-00 for your backyard hen houses? The good news is that you can build your very own for a fraction of that price. You can visit Easy Chicken Pen Plans for step by step instructions to build your own backyard hen houses. These plans only require common tools you may already have at your house and materials that can be obtained at your local hardware store. If you enjoyed this article, please read Prefab Chicken Coops.

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Easy Build Dog House Plans.

Chicken Coops Today administrator — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:53:14 +0000

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Build your own Backyard Chicken Coop

Chicken Coops Today administrator — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:39:24 +0000

by *clairity*

Build your own Backyard Chicken Coop

Backyard Chicken keeping is becoming rather popular these days; that seems obvious since keeping chicken in your backyard has so many benefits to offer such as eggs, meat, keeping grass clean of weed to name a few. Plus Chickens are just so beautiful! So many people proudly display their pets on poultry shows. Keeping chicken is also an engaging and rewarding hobby.

Deciding on what kind of a coop to make for your self

Essentially there are 3 kinds of chicken or hen houses that you can make for yourself. A Chicken ark which is typically meant for 5-6 chicken; a medium sized chicken coop for about 8 or 10 chicken; and finally a large sized or premium chicken coop for anywhere between 10 to 15 chicken.

Another consideration that you must make take into account is how much space that you have to offer. If your back yard is not big enough to accommodate a big – sized coop, then you might want to go in for a smaller one.

Finally you will want to weigh your pockets before you can decide your investments. A good premium sized coop will cost at least 0. However if you decide to build a smaller one then the investment will be minimal.

Materials needed:

This will depend on the kind of construction you will want to make. Going by your requirements you can go in for a Chicken Ark (the smallest), a medium sized coop, or a large sized one with a chicken run. Generally speaking all you should require, some lumber, plywood, chicken wire, nails, hammer, straw, poultry feeders, and yes a measuring tape.

Making a coop can be a fun thing to do. Apart from making a home for your birds, you get to engage yourself in something which is constructive and definitely worthwhile. Building a coop is not only fun it is also lighter on your pockets. Readymade coops can be really expensive often costing more than 500 dollars per piece. Even when you do buy a readymade coop you still have to assemble the whole thing anyways.

Did you like this article? Are you interested in knowing more about how to keep and raise chicken? Visit my page where I have discussed in great detail how you can make a good cheap chicken coop and also a few important things you should know about keeping and raising chicken.