Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
After the indoor coop is in place and the ramp is created and attached, the next step is
gravel. Spread a layer of gravel down on the bottom of your hole but don't bring it all the
way up to the top of the four inch frame. This is to prevent animals from digging in under-
neath to get at your chickens. Wrap from the side of your door frame all the way around
to the other side of the door frame with chicken wire. Nail it down. Now, you should only
have an open roof and an open doorway. Cover the gravel with sand all the way up to the
top of the wooden frame. You may, at this point, opt to add in your own screen door or pur-
chase a screen door that will fit those specifications and then install it. Now the roof is all
that is left. Take 2x4s and cut them down to about six feet long, that way there's a one foot
overlap on each side, and space them evenly: one on each side and two in the middle. You
may then add the covering of your choice over them, whether you choose to leave it like
that and add in more chicken wire or whether you prefer to have a hard plastic covering
over the top or even a wooden roof; the choice is yours.
Chicken coops can be bigger or smaller than this but always remember: you want to make it
easy for you to be able to get to the eggs, you want to make sure the chickens have enough
room, you want to make sure that the structure is stable, the chickens have a way to get out
of the elements, and the chickens are safe from potential predators that may be in the area.
The food and water may be placed out in a manner of your choosing, whether in bowls
with simply a water bowl and the food scattered for them or any number of different ways.
Some people even create a lever that allows the weight of the chickens to open the lid and
give them access to their food and water bowls. The different possibilities for creativity are
endless. The chicken coops may be as pretty as you would like or simply functional. There
are some people who make their chicken coops look like miniature barns or even miniature
mansions. Remember, you will have to look at it, so you want it to be something you can
live with, but the chickens do not care if their windows have window planters underneath
them.
If you choose to paint your chicken coop, you will need to make sure that the paint, the
stain, or whatever you choose to use is fully dry before allowing the chickens access. It is
important to keep in mind the type of paint that you use as well for chickens will peck at
it, and you want to make sure that there is nothing there that will make them sick. It's not
a bad idea to place the coop near an oak tree, for example. Chickens will happily eat all
the bugs that will wander around making that their home, and this will give your chickens
some shade, so their only two choices are not simply to be inside or out in direct sun.
It's important to remember to keep things like this in mind for these chickens are your in-
vestment. You want to make sure that they are happy and healthy chickens so that you get
the largest possible return on your investment in terms of egg production and sustainability.
