How To Build Good-looking And Well-made Hen Houses

Providing hen houses for your flock of chickens is necessary if you want to successfully raise the healthiest pullets. A chicken coop can be fairly trouble-free to build and can be constructed in a solitary weekend if a good plan is followed. The tools and building supplies required are uncomplicated and inexpensive which means you can expect to save some cash by doing it yourself. And after being completed you will be able to reap the benefits by successfully growing extremely productive poultry that will put healthy and untreated eggs and meat on your dinner table.

The primary question you need to ask yourself is "how many hens do I want to keep?" The more chickens you want, the larger their house needs to be. Raising a large amount of pullets in a confined area can lead to health disorders and cannibalism among the flock. All poultry have a pecking order and when their home becomes overly crowded some poultry can get pecked to death by the dominant chickens. Try to give them a minimum of 3 square feet of space per individual hen while remembering that the more space you provide, the less chance that cannibalism will take place.

In an unpolluted and spacious environment your chickens can remain fit and productive for many years. Conversely, if they feel too crowded they will be more at risk to disease and their production will certainly suffer. Healthy pullets lay more eggs so be sure to offer them a sanitary and spacious hen house.

After coming to a decision with regard to the quantity of pullets you will be growing and how large your coop will be, there are a number of other factors that ought to be mulled over. Your hen house can be built in a permanent spot or it can be movable. Portable hen houses can only hold several birds so if you want to raise a great quantity you ought to build permanent poultry housing.

If you will be growing approximately 4 to 6 birds you will probably want to contemplate manufacturing a movable coop. The big advantage to movable houses is the free food they offer. Your pullets can hunt and peck for much of their own food. This will help keep them in better health because they will be getting some real live food as an alternative to 100% pre-bought. After one area has been cleaned out of insects and plants you can simply drag the house to a different spot packed with insects and succulent new plant life.

If you are short on spare time and want to cut back your manual labor to the smallest amount possible, movable hen houses are best. As an alternative to cleaning your coop on a regular basis you can drag it to a different spot. Additionally, you can move the movable housing into your garden area and obtain free high quality organic fertilizer.

If you decide to build permanent houses you ought to spread material such as hay or wood chips on the floor to contain the droppings. This will make cleanup much less time-consuming. Another labor saver is to build the chicken pen two or three feet higher than the soil and use wire for the floor. This will help keep the interior of the housing clean while making it possible for you to do cleanup as time permits.

No matter how many birds you will be raising, hen houses are vital if you would like to maintain healthy and productive chickens. Offering an unpolluted dry home, suitable ventilation, and a decent amount of space can go a long way to making your hobby a profitable one.