Basic considerations when choosing a Hen-House or Chicken Coop

It is important that you spend a bit of time deciding what size of hen-house or coop you should buy and where you are going to put it, if you want your chickens to be healthy and happy. Here are some essential points to consider when looking at chicken coops: Is there sufficient room for the number of hens you wish to keep? There are national guidelines on the minimum space available per bird. For example DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the UK) has a guideline of 1 sq foot per bird. However that is a minimum and in our opinion not enough, the more space you can give them the happier they will be and the more they will lay. We suggest that you start with a minimum of 2 sq foot per bird, more if you can. Having extra space to start with is a good idea as it also allows you the option of adding another bird later to your initial two or three. Always find out the internal measurements of a coop before you purchase it and allow at least 2 sq ft per bird. This will probably mean that most coops advertised for 8 birds, based on the legal rule of 1 per sq ft, will really only be suitable for 4 birds. The more crowded a coop is the more difficult it will be to keep clean and the more likely you are to have health problems with your chickens. Chickens will also need about 3 feet of head room to jump around and stretch their wings, so the height of the coop is also important. It should be easy to clean and to collect eggs. As you collect eggs nearly every day, it makes sense to choose a chicken coop that offers an easy way to access those eggs, with the minimum disturbance to your hens. Also, Your hen-house will need regular cleaning to keep your chickens clean and healthy, so ease of cleaning is a major consideration. Regular cleaning is essential to avoid the build-up of droppings and reduce the likelihood of pests and diseases. A weekly clean should only take about 15 minutes in a well designed and maintained hen-house. Good ventilation is essential Air inside a chicken coop can soon become toxic due to the high level of ammonia in chicken droppings. Poor ventilation will quickly lead to respiratory problems in your hens, so it is important to keep fresh air circulating. However, chickens cannot cope with drafts, so your hen-house should be designed to give maximum ventilation with minimum drafts. Ventilation holes should be near the top of the coop, allowing for the toxic air to escape without the chickens being in a draft. Is the coop secure from predators such as foxes, day and night? Your chicken coop must be secure against predators including foxes and rats. A housing area that is raised off the ground offers better protection from predators trying to dig their way in. The coop should be weatherproof . Chickens are fairly hardy and can be out in most weather. However, part of their outside area should ideally provide protection from summer sun and shelter from rain and wind. If chickens can spend most of their daylight hours outside they will not be fouling their coop as much, which is better for everyone. If you purchase a wooden coop then you will need to treat it with an animal friendly preservative at least once a year. Your chicken coop should also have an integral run which will provide a small secure area for your hens to scratch around in. You should also try to provide as large a safe predator free outside area for them as you can and ideally they would be able to have the run of your backyard or garden. Does the coop look good? If this is going to be in your backyard, then it is likely that you are going to be looking at it every day, so you want something that will not be an eyesore. Nowadays there are lots of well designed coops at prices to suit all budgets and all tastes, so you should find something that you will be happy to look at all year round.