Keeping chickens as pets has, in the past few years, become very popular. They are practical because they eat insects, useful because they lay eggs, and are lots of fun to watch. Three or four hens scratching about and singing for their supper makes for pleasant contentment. But where do you keep them?
Housing the Chickens
There are many plans, from elaborate to simple, for making portable and permanent chicken coops. One useful website will sell you an ebook of plans for your coop. another site offers ready-made coops ranging in price from $1,600 to $99.00. Whatever avenue you choose it is important to know that chickens need coops for protection from hawks, owls, foxes and raccoons, not to mention the neighbor's dogs and even cats. A wire mesh top is essential for when you let the chickens roam in the run.
The House
One of the easiest and least expensive coop ideas appeared in Mother Earth News, April/May 2007. The author of the article, Cheryl Long, proposed an idea to house from three to four hens and spend less than $100. The pen can be assembled in a matter of hours. The house itself is a barn style doghouse.
Long states: 'To adapt the barn-style doghouse. . .file off the tabs that hold the roof section to the bottom.Then install a 1"x2" board as a roost at the top edge of the bottom section and attach a thin plywood "wall" to a second crosspiece toward the back of the coop. . .with a hole cut in it so the hens can lay their eggs in the "back room". . .Put the top section of the doghouse onto the bottom backwards so you have a large opening in the front and a smaller, higher opening facing the back. This way you can reach into the back opening to gather the eggs.
The Pen
The pen needs to be constructed from a good wire mesh. Don't use wire that is spaced too far apart. The chickens will get out and predators can get in. The wire pen can be supported by two 1"x2" wooden beams across the top. Hog rings make good fasteners when working with wire mesh. Much sure the pen has two doors, one in front and one in back, for ease in pulling out the doghouse to clean it and for gathering the eggs. The front door can be used if you want to let the hens have a little stroll around the yard while you are outside with them.
Make it Portable
When building or buying your coop make sure it can be moved easily so you can always provide fresh grass and turf for the chickens. It will also cut down on the smell if you keep changing the area and let Mother Nature absorb the natural issue.
Nighttime Care
Make sure your chicken house, even the doghouse type, has a door that can be closed at night to protect the chickens from night predators. An appropriately cut piece of plywood attached to the roof and made to swing up and out by a rope will suffice as long as it is secured with a bungee strap or some type of fastener. Chickens frighten very easily and if left in an open coop a raccoon can scare the hens out on the run and try to reach them through the fence. Night hunters also dig under the wire pens and if your chickens are secure with a door they will not be able to get them.
Source:
- Mother Earth News, Ogden Publications, Inc., April/May issue, 2007
