Consider the basic aspects of a chicken coop to raise your own chickens for food and money : laying chickens

 It is undeniable that raising chicken for eggs and meat are truly beneficial to sustain your family’s health and wealth. If you have an adequate space for a small farm where you can raise laying hens, might as well consider installing a chicken coop in your yard. While chickens can withstand cold temperatures they are, however, quite vulnerable to drafts. Therefore, when you are planning to buy a hen house it is important that you consider proper ventilation in a way that it also minimizes drafts.  Besides ventilation, chicken coops must also possess safety features, adequate light source, convenient chicken feeders, visibility, portability, as well as appearance and design.

 

Before discussing any other features of a chicken coop, we need to foremost consider the size of the hen house. Chickens, like humans, need proper ventilation. That is, you need to consider the amount of space your chickens need inside the coop wherein a general guideline for each chicken is a two square foot of shelter and a three square foot of run area. An overly crowded coop can trigger health issues for your chickens hence you have to take note of the space you have in your yard when eyeing for pre-assembled chicken coops on the market. Also, a chicken house that invites proper ventilation and adequate source of direct light will help remove dampness and ammonia build up inside the coop.

 

In addition, you have to ensure that the coop can protect your chickens from predators that have the potential to dig underneath it.  Install the hen house tight with no room for ravenous predators, raccoons, skunks, dogs, cats, snakes, etc.

Moreover, when you are looking for chicken coops on the market, make sure that they are made of safe and non-toxic materials. Keep in mind that a hen house is where your chickens spend most of their time, day and night. Hence, you have to secure them from any hungry predators, theft, injury, and any other harmful outdoor elements.

 

Aside from ensuring a safe structure to house your chickens, you also need to make sure that they are well fed and well watered. This is why feeders and water sources must be placed in the appropriate height where chickens can easily peck them on anytime they go hungry and thirsty. If you are looking for a ready-built chicken coop, see to it that there is enough space where you can hang your feeder and water container.

 

Rain isn’t a good thing for chickens, so when you are on the market for chicken coops, select one that has a waterproof roof to shield them from rain. Again, you have to prioritize the overall health of your chicken to consequently get fresh and healthy eggs from them. If you cannot find a chicken coop with a waterproof roof, you may need to consider buying a portable hen house. Besides, it is easy to clean a mobile coop where you can effortlessly place them from one corner to another. Furthermore, you can also benefit from your chicken’s wastes that you can use as fertilizer.