Chickens Starting out

So your considering the option of getting chickens?

  One of the main things you should be thinking about before you get chickens is where they are going to live. There are a thousand different types of chicken houses out there some way more fancy than they need to be. But, what are the basic necessities needed to house some pet chickens in your back yard? Well it all depends on the type of environment you live in. Is it Hot or cold? What kind of predators are in your area? Is it really sunny, or is there a fair amount of shade? All of these questions will help you make the right choice for your birds, but just to start out you will need a coop. It can be made out of so many things. 

  The most common material a coop is made from is wood. You have to keep in mind that depending on the type of wood it can warp over time being out in the weather. I personally have a coop made from a repurposed chainlink dog kennel with a lot of modifications. I live in California so the weather is pretty fair all year round. We keep it tightly covered with thick tarp to keep out the wind and rain in the winter and it is used to make shade in the summer. 

The main things you will need to worry about whatever material you use to make a coop is going to be protection, and comfortability.

Do not use anything that has a wire bottom. Preferred flooring would be cement, wood, or dirt. Whatever flooring you use you should also be putting down sand, or wood shavings to absorb moister and keep the area more dry. Dirt is the most comfortable for chicken feet but keep in mind depending on the predatory animals where you live they could possibly dig into your coop.

  You will need to make sure there is plenty of ventilation in the coop as well. Chickens have dander just like any other bird and they can make quite the mess of poop! Making sure they have fresh air to breath is important for their health.

  They should also have fresh water and food available to them all day long especially in the warmer months of the year. One thing I like to use to ensure that the water stays clean is chicken nipple water spouts hung up in the coop so they can not scratch debris into the water. There are also some good chicken feeders that do the same thing.