If you are struggling to build your very own chicken coop then read on as we outline 3 easy steps to follow to get you going today.

Use these 3 easy to follow steps to build a good chicken coop that is both pleasant looking and safe for your chickens.

1. Build A Safe Haven For Your Chooks

Your chickens need all the protection they can get. They need a shelter from marauding predators and at the same time a place where they can rest and be safe in times of rain, heat and cold weather. First, you must consider location – build a chicken coop in an elevated, well-ventilated area, free from moisture so that the coop dry quicker in the event that it gets wet. Ensure that there is adequate fencing around and even under the coop if there is a risk of burrowing predators like foxes.

2. Ensure it Can be Easily Cleaned and Maintained

You do not want your chickens catching any disease or be plagued with an epidemic by failing to create a chicken coop that’s completely unmanageable. Bear in mind, that you must keep your chicken coop clean as often as possible to do away with harmful bacteria that can spell disaster or worse, death for your chickens.

A useful design is to have the chicken coop floor at a low angled slope facing the main door so that when you hose down the chicken coop, water and disinfectants will naturally drain quickly. Having a sloping rooftop will also ensure that rain water runs off the roof and thus this prevents leaking from the rooftop.

3. Always Maintain A Bright and Warm Chicken Coop

When we talk of a well-built chicken coop, we mean a well-lit and well-ventilated refuge for our chickens. Thus, in the cold winter months, it will definitely keep them warm and safe, therefore avoiding much hassle. Be sure to properly insulate your chicken coop walls for starters. This will trap the heat and do away with the moisture. Allow a reasonable amount of heat from the sun by adding some windows.

So there you have it, 3 important points to consider when planning to build your own chicken coop. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes the first time around and even consider turning it into a family activity. Most importantly plan before starting and remember to have fun.

If you are looking for ready made chicken coops instead, visit Howie Kingsly’s guide on how to find chicken coops for sale and find a cheap chicken coop.

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Chicken that is free of antibiotics and raised in cage-free environments and processing plants that do not litter the good taste of the chicken with additives and preservatives let you know you’ve got a good supplier. Every year vast numbers of chickens are raised and killed internationally – with 488 million slaughtered in Australia alone. The suppliers who work closely with their chicken farming businesses, making requests of exacting standards, are the best suppliers to work with. Chicken meat was expensive when I was young, but today it is one of the ‘cheapest’ meats available – and it is the use of factory farming methods that has led to it being cheap.

In the UK, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says that a free range chicken must have daytime access to open-air runs during at least half of their life. Free range poultry farming consists of poultry permitted to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner. Farmers raise layer chickens in small cages that house five to eight birds each.

Freedom Food birds are not in the same league as free-range or organic (see the Good Broiler Guide), but they are a fraction of the cost. For an extra $1.80 – as opposed to an extra fiver for organic – all of us can at least buy a broiler with some kind of ethical guarantee. Free-range chicken (FRC) farming is an alternative poultry system for egg production. However, FRC systems have been questioned in terms of environment stability.

Chickens are naturally inquisitive and need a stimulating living space, so Freedom Food approved farms provide them with objects to peck at and perch on, such as footballs, hanging CDs and wooden perches. Lighting is also taken into consideration.

Chicken is lower in fat than most other meats and over half of the fat is unsaturated fat, the type that helps lower cholesterol. The white meat is lower in fat than the dark meat of the chicken but the dark meat is higher in iron, an important nutrient for a healthy body.

Click here to learn how to build your own chicken farm.

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