Have you been dreaming of joining the backyard chicken coop movement? If you live in the city, don’t give up just yet. While there are some cities that don’t allow any type of farm animal, many cities do and you’re allowed to have chickens in a lot! However, some of these cities that allow chickens to be kept do not allow roosters due to the crowing and complaints from neighbors. You’ll want to check with your city to make sure you’re not breaking any animal nuisance laws/city ordinances. I tell you what, I’d rather hear a rooster crowing all night than hear dogs barking! Also, sometimes the ordinances will have a limit on the number of hens you can keep as well. I don’t think they quite understand how chicken math works.
The reasons for keeping chickens vary. Some people simply want a better egg to eat. One that is fresh and natural! Some people enjoy the pet aspect of it and some just want to pull a little bit of old fashioned country into their city backyard. Many neighbors are joining up with each other to create chicken projects. They’re splitting costs of the materials to build the backyard chicken coops as well as the cost of the feed and supplies.
Chicken coops are not that difficult to build, you can even design your own plans to make the coop look like a little house or barn if you like. All it takes is a little planning before you get started.
You’ll need to make sure you plan enough space for each chicken as over crowded conditions can lead to sickness among the chickens. The general rule of thumb for space is to have approximately four square feet of space for each chicken though it never hurts to have more. As you’re building the chicken coop take into consideration the area where you live.
If you live in a northern state where snow and ice are a regular part of the weather, you’re going to need a coop that’s adequately insulated to keep the chickens warm. If you happen to live in an area where the winters are not as harsh, but the summers are scorchers, you’ll have to make sure the coop is built to provide maximum cooling. We happen to have our chicken coops built into our open face barn. This obviously isn’t an option for city coops. In the winter we do the deep litter method to keep a nice warm coop for the chickens.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money buying brand new materials. You can build it from recycled materials, such as wood left over from a home project – even hinges salvaged from old kitchen or bathroom makeovers can be put to use as hinges for a chicken coop door. My first coop is built from materials that I gathered by tearing down someones old chicken coop when they were moving. My first coop cost me nothing more than time and effort (and free child labor).
Whatever materials you use to build your backyard chicken coops, make sure you’ve provided good ventilation in the cozy new home for your chickens otherwise you can get an ammonia build up that’s not good for you or the chickens. Have fun!
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Apr 18, 2013 … I think having backyard chickens and a coop is a great idea for anyone with a small yard. We live in a pretty standard sized sub division and …
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2736 chicken coop design submissions by the BackYard Chickens … will post the plans for the nesting boxes and interior once I finish creating them in sketchup.
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