Are you preparing yourself to build chicken coop and raise a flock of chickens? Chicken coops are becoming more and more popular at an alarming rate and are even popping up in urban households and gardens. Raising chickens will provide you with organic eggs and also chicken meat ( if required ).

There are common mistakes to be made when building your own housing for your chickens but this post/article will help you avoid them. First point, be careful when choosing the chicken coop plans you intend to use. Picking the wrong plans will only lead to a large waste of time and money.

If you build the incorrect coop for the chickens you have, their well being and general health will be greatly effected. In fact, they won't last - you will find that the birds life-span is dramatically reduced. Location is another factor that needs to be addressed when it comes to maintaining the health of the birds. A lot of people push the chicken den into a bad part of the garden or squash it into some dire area of the backyard.

Chickens have a 24 hour cycle much like you and I and sunlight plays a large part in their body clocks and general health. What would be the point in sticking the coop in a damp, dark section of the garden? What creature would want to live there? If you do not have a suitable system of water drainage you will also find yourself in a bit of a mess. Again, location can aid this greatly.

Can you imagine the amount of mess that will build up with say, 5-8 chickens kept in one coop. This mess will effect the general health of all your birds. The size of the coop you choose should center around the amount of chickens you plan to keep. Chickens will need an set amount of space to live fruitful and healthy lives. As a general rule of thumb each bird will need about four square feet of space to live a healthy life - base your chicken coop design around this principal. The materials for building your own chicken coop do not have to be expensive but try not to use damp, old bits of wood found in your neighbors garden - this will only cost you more in the long run and buying new materials to build the coop with do not have to cost to much. You don't have to be a carpenter to succeed so plan it out from the start and go for it! Good luck.