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How To Build A Chicken Coop

Raising Chickens
Many farmers who have invested thousands of dollars in fine stock barns and convenient feed lots have neglected to give the rooster raisers a square deal by providing convenient houses and yards for the farm poultry. Keeping poultry in misfit houses and with few modern conveniences for making the work easy is likely to prove such a discouraging task that the hens will not be given the attention which is necessary in order to have them give a good account of themselves.

Backyard Chicken Coop
First of all locate the houses within easy distance of the kitchen door and not back of the barns and feed lots where the chicken coop tender will have to travel thru mud and manure and open and close several big gates every time they go out to feed the hens or gather the eggs.

Building A Chicken Coop
The house should be high enough so that the attendant can stand upright when working in it, with a door wide enough so that the litter can be removed without difficulty, with windows that work easily and with nests, roosts and feed hoppers that can be removed, cleaned and disinfected with but little effort. In no other way can the house be kept free from lice, and mites, well ventilated, clean and sanitary.

Such a house need not be high enough in all parts to permit a tall person to stand upright. If a shed roof type of house is built, seven and one-half feet in front will be sufficient and it may drop to five and one-half feet in the rear. Too high a house will be cold and one too low will be extremely annoying for those who work inside. Whether the house has concrete, board or natural ground floors it is always better to fill in the floors with several inches of earth in order to make the inside surface higher than the outside level and prevent dampness from accumulating underneath the building.

How To Make A Chicken Coop
Dry feeding in hoppers has greatly simplified the feeding problem. There are many styles of hoppers on the market, most of them so arranged that they may be hung on the walls. Many of these hoppers will hold enough ground grain for a week or more. The nest boxes may be made so that they may be taken down at any time and thoroughly cleaned. An orange crate makes a good double nest for the small breeds.

Build A Chicken Coop
By providing convenient houses and yards in close proximity to the house and giving the chicken coop attendant a willing hand for a few hours once a month much of the drudgery connected with caring for the poultry may be avoided and the increased income will more than pay for the expense of the buildings and yards.