One thing you may not be aware of, is how to reap the benefits of building your own chicken coop.
In fact, the benefits are quite numerous.
But before you can realize any of the benefits, you have to know how to actually build it.
You need an exact plan and to know what all the considerations are for your coop.
One of the first things you want to keep in mind while building your coop, is keeping out predators.
This is a top priority, the safety of your chickens.
One way to achieve this is to attach an enclosed gate.
This will be a little added security for the chickens.
To prevent predators from digging under your cage, the wiring should extend down under the ground, about 15-20 inches or so.
Then you can add some insulation as well.
This is especially needed in areas that experience a lot of rainfall and snow.
Consider how many chickens you are going to have in your coop, and allow them plenty of free roaming space.
This lets them take in the fresh air, get some exercise, and shake off insects that try to attach themselves to the chickens.
It's a proven fact that chickens with more room to roam free produce a higher quality of eggs.
Lighting is another important consideration, as well as good ventilation.
A well ventilated coop can cut down on the smell, and some sicknesses.
Sometimes people feed their food scraps to their chickens.
Others keep them on a 'veggie' diet to increase the healthiness of the eggs.
The manure you get from the chickens makes a pretty good fertilizer too, although for some things it may be too hot.
But this can be another important benefit, along with the money you can save on fertilizer.
Of course one of the benefits we were referring to, is having good fresh farm eggs for you and your family.
The average hen lays approximately 260 eggs in the course of a year.
So just think if you have five or six birds.
That can mean a lot of eggs.
In fact, the benefits are quite numerous.
But before you can realize any of the benefits, you have to know how to actually build it.
You need an exact plan and to know what all the considerations are for your coop.
One of the first things you want to keep in mind while building your coop, is keeping out predators.
This is a top priority, the safety of your chickens.
One way to achieve this is to attach an enclosed gate.
This will be a little added security for the chickens.
To prevent predators from digging under your cage, the wiring should extend down under the ground, about 15-20 inches or so.
Then you can add some insulation as well.
This is especially needed in areas that experience a lot of rainfall and snow.
Consider how many chickens you are going to have in your coop, and allow them plenty of free roaming space.
This lets them take in the fresh air, get some exercise, and shake off insects that try to attach themselves to the chickens.
It's a proven fact that chickens with more room to roam free produce a higher quality of eggs.
Lighting is another important consideration, as well as good ventilation.
A well ventilated coop can cut down on the smell, and some sicknesses.
Sometimes people feed their food scraps to their chickens.
Others keep them on a 'veggie' diet to increase the healthiness of the eggs.
The manure you get from the chickens makes a pretty good fertilizer too, although for some things it may be too hot.
But this can be another important benefit, along with the money you can save on fertilizer.
Of course one of the benefits we were referring to, is having good fresh farm eggs for you and your family.
The average hen lays approximately 260 eggs in the course of a year.
So just think if you have five or six birds.
That can mean a lot of eggs.
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