A chicken coop is a raised structure for your chickens providing them a suitable habitat for laying eggs as well as for meat purposes. The better the habitat they get, the better would be your yield. You don't actually have to be a professional carpenter nor hire someone and pay exorbitant fees to build a coop. You can build it for yourself using some of the simple key rules and place it in your garden or open area.

Deciding a Place

First, choose a place where you would want your coop to be placed. This will help you to prepare the design accordingly. Choose a place that won't get congested even after placing the coop and also won't accumulate puddles of water during a rain storm

Preparing Design

Prepare a blue print based for your coop. Also choose your colors. Design a coop that would look good and won't bother anyone else like distracting them and cause problems.

Determine the size and basic Structure

Decide how big you want your coop to be. It would depend on the number of birds as well as your space. You would need anything between 2 square feet to 4 square feet for each chicken depending upon your requirements. Also make sure that the floors are built with a slope towards door. This will help you a lot when cleaning it as water won't accumulate on the floors. Also, purchase any additional materials that you would need for your coop like bricks, cement, wood, nails, colors, other tools etc.

While Construction

The coop should face to the south and slope the roof such as the rain doesn't run off directly over the door. Install sliding windows instead of the ones with doors. Also, the doors should open inwards and not outwards so as to save your space. Keep the coop properly ventilated so that the birds don't feel suffocated and packed. This is really important while raising them. Also make sure they get proper light as and when required. Make available any artificial light sources, if required.

General Advice

The coop should be able to protect your birds from any hazardous materials and insects or animals. Regularly do a pest control in and around that area. You can also put a fence around the coop so as to protect it from pets like cats, dogs etc. Place water and feeder trays at a convenient distance for your birds. All this will cost you at max $300!

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