Introduction
Having a brood of chicken has become a favorite activity for many house-holds in the especially in a backyard where there is available space to rear chicken. This guarantees you and your family a constant supply of eggs that will help complement your budget as well as keeping you and your family healthy.
The most common and effective way of rearing chicken is by building a chicken coop. Chicken coops can be built to different sizes depending on the number of chicken you intend to keep. It should come with a number of essential features that enable you to raise a healthy brood of chicken with a lot of ease.
The Ideal Size and Make of Your Coop
Chicken coops come in different types and sizes depending on the number of chicken to be reared and the intended location of the coop. the two main differences however are; a movable chicken coop and a stationery chicken coop. Just as the name suggests, the movable coop is one whose location can be frequently changed to enable the chicken to forage on clean ground surfaces.
They are constructed from lightweight and durable materials to make mobility easy and fast. Stationery coops on the other hand are designed to rest on a permanent surface for example, a section of the backyard. They are in the form of a small structure like a house/shed or an enclosed/fenced place where birds can live comfortably. They are also made with durable and lightweight material over a surface/ground where the brood will remain healthy.
Rearing chicken does not necessarily require a large surface area. The size of the intended chicken coop will be dictated by the number of chicken that one intends to rear. It is however recommended that a standard sized chicken is allowed to occupy at least four square feet and two square feet for bantam sized chicken of allowable chicken space.
Flooring
One of the most important considerations to be made is the type and condition of flooring that the chicken will be living in. Cleanliness is a priority to ensure that the chicken are healthy and free from diseases. Some of the best flooring options include a concrete floor or even a surface ground. For either option, you should ensure that the surface is dressed with a soft topping material like wood chips, straw, saw dust or wood shavings. By so doing, the chicken stay in a dry environment which helps to mitigate diseases and also guarantee comfort for the chicken even in extreme weather conditions.
Keeping Your Chicken Coop Clean
Although chicken do not urinate, they release litter filled with ammonia fluids. Overtime, the litter builds up and will require to be cleaned frequently. Although it is safe to add a dressing material like saw-dust to let the litter build up and clean afterwards, it is recommended that all litter is emptied at least once a month.
This is mainly because of the health of your brood of chicken. During cold seasons however, allowing litter to build enables the bedding to slowly decompose, which in turn heats up the coop and keeps chickens warm.
Like many other birds, chicken are prone to a number to deadly respiratory diseases which are mainly caused by the lack of proper ventilation. An ideal chicken coop should have proper ventilation to allow the toxic gases in the chicken feces to escape.
Positioning Your Nest Box
The main reason for rearing chicken is to get eggs. It is hence crucial that a comfortable area chicken nest box is built within the coop. One nest box is ideal for between three to five hens and it should be placed/built a few inches from the floor with minimal light penetration. It should also contain a comfortable bedding material which provides a nesting environment for the hens. The size of a nest box is usually one square feet and they should be covered on the top. There are different types of nest boxes available in the market including plastic cubes which are easy to install and clean.
Feeding and Watering Your Birds
Feeding and watering your chicken will greatly determine the number of eggs that one collects. The best form of food for laying chicken is chicken feed or pellets. You should ensure that the chicken consume a specific amount of food and water every day. The best feeding methods include the use of food dispensers which can be hanged a few inches off the ground to keep the coop clean. Water dispensers should also be evenly distributed across the coop and fresh water provided daily.
With the above features, the chicken coop will enable your chicken to live comfortably thereby guaranteeing you and your family an everyday supply of fresh eggs.