Chicken Coop Plans – Vital for a Successful Project

A chicken coop is an essential structure to house your chickens in comfort and provide protection from predators. Here are some key things to keep in mind and how good chicken coop plans provide for them.

The size of the chicken coop is an essential consideration. You want it to be large enough to provide adequate space for each chicken. If they get too crowded the chickens will tend to become overstressed, which is good for them at all. At the same time, the structure should be sized properly so that the warmth from the chickens can help them to stay warm during colder weather.

The design needs to make it easier to keep the coop clean. You need to have good access to it. In addition the design should make it easy to collect the eggs laid by the hens.

It is important for the structure to have adequate ventilation and provide for proper natural lighting. The ventilation and lighting should not be direct through an open window since it can be drafty or increase the risk of a predator entering the coop in this way.

The ventilation should be done through vents higher up in the structure. A well designed chicken coop should also have an adequate amount of outside exercise areas which also need to be well protected with fencing. This prevents the chickens from escaping and keeps predators at bay.

A well designed chicken coop is structurally sound including a foundation if necessary and roof which can withstand the additional weight of snow (if appropriate) or resistance to wind. It is important to incorporate this kind of good design to help ensure good long term results.

Well designed chicken coop plans make building the chicken coop much easier. It can save you money but avoiding purchasing extra lumber you don’t need or causing you to make extra trips to the lumber yard or hardware store to purchase items you didn’t realize you needed until you got into it.

Many of the better chicken coop plans list exactly what materials are required down to the number of nails, screws, or hardware. In this way you can purchase exactly what you need and know that you have all the items necessary to complete the structure exactly the way it was designed.

In addition a good set of chicken coop plans incorporates all the good design parameters mentioned earlier so that you can provide your chickens with a comfortable and well protected home.