If you are thinking about raising your own chickens, you might be looking at small chicken coop plans.
Great idea! Having your own chickens in your backyard will certainly save you money in buying eggs and fertilizer and if you build yourself a chicken house to keep them safe and warm, you'll save even more.
In this article, I'm going to look at the 3 mistakes to avoid when choosing small chicken coop plans! No permission Before you go ahead and choose small chicken coop plans, it's a good idea to see whether you are allowed to keep chickens on your property in the first place.
Is there a restriction in the deeds to your land about keeping animals? Check to see if you need to obtain a planning consent for it and have a chat to all your neighbours that overlook the garden about your plans..
Not Counting Your Chickens...
Don't rush out to the hardware store yet! There are a few things you have to think about first.
First of all, how many chickens do you intend to keep? Chickens need at least 4 square foot of space per bird to be happy and healthy.
So even for a small flock of 6 chickens you will need 24 square feet.
It's always a good idea to leave a bit more in case you decide to expand the flock in the future.
Moreover the coop has to be well ventilated and big enough for air to move freely though out the coop but remain insulated in the winter months.
You will also need to leave enough space for feeding, perching and nesting boxes.
Many people ignore these considerations and end up choosing a plan which is totally wrong for their needs and, most importantly, the chickens' needs.
Free Small Chicken Coop Plans As you know, there are many free chicken house plans floating around the net and my advice to you would be to ignore them.
Many of them do not include the above considerations, clear instructions and, if there are any diagrams at all, they resemble chicken scratch.
A good set of small chicken coop plans will be reasonably priced and you can rest assured that you are paying for the expertise of an expert who has built a chicken coop before and knows what to look out for.
The small cost of a good set of blueprints, will repay itself many times over by saving you wasted trips to the hardware store, wasted materials, time, money and frustration!
Great idea! Having your own chickens in your backyard will certainly save you money in buying eggs and fertilizer and if you build yourself a chicken house to keep them safe and warm, you'll save even more.
In this article, I'm going to look at the 3 mistakes to avoid when choosing small chicken coop plans! No permission Before you go ahead and choose small chicken coop plans, it's a good idea to see whether you are allowed to keep chickens on your property in the first place.
Is there a restriction in the deeds to your land about keeping animals? Check to see if you need to obtain a planning consent for it and have a chat to all your neighbours that overlook the garden about your plans..
Not Counting Your Chickens...
Don't rush out to the hardware store yet! There are a few things you have to think about first.
First of all, how many chickens do you intend to keep? Chickens need at least 4 square foot of space per bird to be happy and healthy.
So even for a small flock of 6 chickens you will need 24 square feet.
It's always a good idea to leave a bit more in case you decide to expand the flock in the future.
Moreover the coop has to be well ventilated and big enough for air to move freely though out the coop but remain insulated in the winter months.
You will also need to leave enough space for feeding, perching and nesting boxes.
Many people ignore these considerations and end up choosing a plan which is totally wrong for their needs and, most importantly, the chickens' needs.
Free Small Chicken Coop Plans As you know, there are many free chicken house plans floating around the net and my advice to you would be to ignore them.
Many of them do not include the above considerations, clear instructions and, if there are any diagrams at all, they resemble chicken scratch.
A good set of small chicken coop plans will be reasonably priced and you can rest assured that you are paying for the expertise of an expert who has built a chicken coop before and knows what to look out for.
The small cost of a good set of blueprints, will repay itself many times over by saving you wasted trips to the hardware store, wasted materials, time, money and frustration!
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