Friday, November 11, 2011

How to Maintain the Chicken Coop?

By now we have discussed great deal of information about the chicken coop building, hence it is time to discuss about the maintenance of the coop. You must have put in your best efforts to construct the chicken coop and must have positioned it also as per the guide lines discussed already. The chicken coop will disintegrate sooner than latter if proper maintenance was not done. The maintenance and the repair work of the chicken coop are not all that difficult if proper care is taken on regular basis.

Pay attention to the door

The door of the chicken coop should be cared the most as it is the only part in the coop that will be moving too often. This is because you will be going inside the coop for feeding, watering, taking the eggs etc. Hence the door of the coop should be watched carefully. In case the latch is lose, repair it immediately and if required replace it completely. If the door is giving problems to you often, then there is no harm in replacing the door with new one. Let the door be designed according to the usage of the farmer in order to minimize the wear and tear of the door by unwanted usage.

Checking the fence

The structure of the fence should be watched regularly next to the door. The fence should be completely checked at least once in a month. In case the chicken coop area is full of predators, the sturdiness of the fence should be assessed more often. The fences are more prone for walking and hence more around the fence and check each and every part with care. If there is any gap or weak part, just correct the same without wasting anytime. The predator may gain entry through that weak spots and play havoc.

Check the feeders

The feeders placed in side the chicken coop should be checked on regular basis. As these feeders are going to be in use every day, more care is definite requirement, is it not? In some coop the feeders placed may be bent or tilted which is a warning signal and hence the feeder should be immediately replaced. The feeders are more likely to be damaged as there will be a constant fight among the chickens for the food. The height of the chicken feeder also needs to be monitored regularly. The chicken will be growing regularly and the feeder height should be adjusted according to the height of the chicken. The chicken should feed comfortably which will result in good yield of eggs. Right height of the chicken will prevent the feed wastage also. Just adjusting the feeder height to one inch or two will result in extraordinary results.

One should never neglect the maintenance of the chicken coop. the maintenance of mobile chicken coop is much easier compared to the maintenance of the fixed chicken coop. In case of fixed chicken coop, all one has to do is regular maintenance check, nothing else.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Protecting your Chicken within Chicken Coop


By now I am of the firm opinion that you should be having sufficient knowledge on the chicken coop, building material, building process etc. you should also know how to protect the chickens housed inside. If this knowledge is lacking the very purpose of the chicken coop idea will go awry. The chickens housed should be comfortable and must have sufficient light and ventilation. The chickens should be protected from the predators.

One must be wondering what he or she should do to protect the chickens housed in the chicken coop. here are few information on that. If the chickens are not protected, the predators will come at them sooner than latter. For this one should have clear idea about the potential predators of the chicken at that area. The predators are the creatures like foxes, larger dogs, coyotes, rodents etc. these predators may try to enter the chicken coop by digging the ground around the fence there by getting entry. In case you are at a new place and are not aware of the predators roaming around in those area, just have a discussion with the person living nearby and request his experience with the predator. The knowledge of the predator will help you to design the plan to thwart the attempt of the predator, is it not?

Location

It is very essential to select the best location for planning a chicken coop. we have already discussed about the landscape required for the chicken coop, but not have discussed about the location proximity to the house of the owner. The chicken coop placed closer to the house of the owner is the best. If the chicken coop is within the eye range, the owner or the attendant could reach the coop faster to chase away the predator. Portable chicken coops are very useful here as they can be moved inside the house at night there by preventing the predator attack to bare minimum.

Type of fence

The type of fence is vital in protecting the chicken from the predators. For this one should be aware of the predator living nearby. Depending on the type of predator the chicken coop fence needs to be planned. In case the predators are digging animals then, design the chicken coop at ground level so that the digging predator can not perform his act effectively to reach to the chickens. In case you are anticipating larger animals attack, the fence of the chicken coop should be sturdy enough to withstand the force of the predator.

That is why we are of the opinion that the person who is planning to have chicken coop should follow proper guide lines so that he or she can construct a chicken coop which attractive and at the same type good enough to protect the chickens from the predators.

So the best advise we want to give to those want to have chicken coop is that they should be always keep in mind the protection of the chickens. Building very attractive looking chicken coop will not suffice. If the predator damages the coop and take away the chicken the entire plan will go waste. The money spent on will be an absolute waste. Hence plan a chicken coop properly.