Keeping a few chickens is becoming a very popular choice. As more people get worried about things like the economy and the quality of their food, they are choosing to have a few hens in the backyard to supply fresh eggs. A backyard flock can provide eggs that are higher in vitamins and minerals, as well as increased levels of omega 3s and other nutrients. This is because a backyard flock has access to grass, bugs and other goodies as well as their feed.You'll need a secure coop for these chickens. You can find some excellent chicken coop designs online for a variety of small attractive houses for your birds. You can make the coop as fancy as you like. You can also choose to keep it as simple as you want. Chickens don't care what their house looks like as long as they are secure and fed.
You'll want to take into consideration things like how hot it gets in the summer and how cold it gets in the winter. Your coop will need to deal with both extremes. You will also want to make sure that predators cannot get to your hens.
Many chicken coop designs allow you to use recycled materials. This will help save you some money when building your henhouse. Be sure and find one that you find attractive and that your neighbors won't mind seeing. A henhouse should include nest boxes for laying eggs, and room for perches. Chickens like to roost up high at night, though they will stay on the ground if they need to. There should also be room for a feeder and waterer in the coop with the hens.
If your hens get to range outdoors in a large pen or freely in your yard, the coop itself does not need to be too large. About 2 square feet per bird will be adequate. If your birds are confined in the coop, they will need more room per bird.
You can find chicken coop designs for stationary coops or some that can be moved about your yard as needed to provide new forage for your hens. Both varieties can be attractive and useful.
You'll have plenty of time to build your coop while the chicks grow up. If you get chicks from a hatchery or your local feed store, they need time to feather out before they can go into a coop. You can easily set them up in a plastic bin with some pine shavings, food, water and a light to provide heat. New chicks need a temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit for their first week of life. The temperature can be lowered by 5 degrees each week until they are completely feathered out. It takes about six weeks for all their feathers to come in.
Once they are fully feathered, they can move out to their new chicken coop. It is up to you whether you want to put in a light for them. Some people prefer to add one when it is cold outside, others set a light on a timer to go on so the hens get enough hours of light in the winter to keep laying eggs.
