Anyone who has attempted to raise chickens successfully will realize that chickens and coops go hand in hand. After all you cannot let your chickens roam around your garden or backyard without any shelter as they are likely to come to an untimely end.

So what are your options, chickens and coops can both be quite expensive if you do not look into all the options available to you first. It is very easy to pop out and travel to your local garden center store and purchase yourself a ready-made chicken coop but this can prove to be very expensive and basically you are stuck with what you buy here.

Why not build your own chicken coop? I know what you're thinking 'oh oh!', but don't be put off by this idea - it is possible to complete without any necessary qualifications. As I've mentioned chickens and coops can be quite expensive and building your own chicken coop will reduce the cost by up to fifty percent. When you consider that buying a ready made coop will cost you anywhere from $300 - $500 this saving could amount to about $200 and upwards. The materials needed are very cheap and the tools needed are basic. So, chickens and coops use one very important formula when being planned - how many chickens do you want to keep? This is a very important question as the size of the coop will depend upon this.

Rule of thumb - every chicken will need about four square feet upwards to live a very healthy and happy life. This is the bare minimum, don't forget this. Does your garden provide a decent amount of natural sunlight? Chickens are going to need light so that they do not get confused with day and night time. Pick a place in your garden you think receives the most sunlight. You can construct a coop that is mobile ( if you have the right design plans ) and this will allow you to move the coop around the garden following the sun on a daily basis.

If you have hedgerows in your garden then it may be an idea to keep your chicken coops away from these areas. There are many natural predators for chickens and these hedged areas make excellent cover for them to hide. Chickens and coops are a very enjoyable project as long as you get yourself some reliable designs and stick to them. Chickens are great pets and they are brilliant for producing natural, organic eggs. Build your own chicken coop for the most out of the project.