It is important to plan out everything about your chicken coop prior to construction. One serious mistake that you could make when building your chicken coop is skipping the planning stage. even if you have a mental image of the coop you want to build, without proper planning you are likely to experience problems during the building process and after construction is completed. To help you with your chicken coop plans, this article highlights the common features in well built chicken coops in use by real people.

There are many benefits to having a small chicken coop. inasmuch as homesteading is not really about mass production, having a small sized coop is enough to contribute to self sufficiency in homes. in general, small coops can provide shelter to as much as five chickens. The output of each egg laying chicken may vary. But it is a known fact that they lay eggs every twenty five hours. so if you have four chickens you can be sure to have a couple of fresh eggs every morning. ‘A’ framing is commonly used as a design for small sized coops. It is lightweight even though it includes a chicken run simply because it lacks a floor. for this reason, it is very easy to move around.

But if you want a little more than five chickens, you can always opt for bigger chicken coops. Remember to provide at least four square feet for each chicken. You simply have to build a bigger coop for a larger flock. unfortunately, A-framed chicken coops are not really ideal for coops of bigger sizes as the frame itself may not be strong enough to carry the weight of the entire coop. Medium sized coops take the form of a shed, albeit much smaller. And since the foundation is not an issue with smaller chicken coops, you won’t really have to worry about the floor. That being said, many people prefer raised flooring. This way, the coop remains dry all year round.

There are people who want to increase output. And to substantially increase egg production, you have to increase the size of your flock. since a bigger population requires a bigger coop, there is simply no way around it: you have to provide a huge enough coop for the bigger population. You should also be prepared for the expenses and labor. while you may find it easy to obtain recycled materials for small chicken coops, you should avoid using substandard materials for big sized coops. for one, you have to use pressure treated lumber for the foundation. Like any other building, the structural stability of big coops is heavily influenced by the kind of foundation it has.

There is one common mistake that homesteaders make when they decide to go DIY on their chicken coop. they realize much later on that they have positioned the nest so far inside the coop that getting the eggs becomes more of a hassle. if you are raising chickens for the egg, make sure that it will be easy for you to access the nests on a daily basis whatever the size of your chicken coop is. in general, nests should be in a well insulated part of the coop, and preferably afar from the light source so as not to disturb egg laying hens. if it is possible for you to fully customize your chicken coop, try putting it next to an opening with an opaque lid. This way, you can reach to the nest without having to enter the coop, but at the same time, be able to properly seal the lid if need be.