A Chicken Coop, House, or Tractor?

Getting the chickens before the coop - a frequent problem. Housing for your pet chickens is important to consider early on. You know how quickly time flies, and if you get baby chicks, but decide you'll "figure out" where to house them when they're old enough to live outside, you'll be rudely awakened one morning, suddenly realizing that day has come . . . and you're far from ready. Please, don't be tempted.

You'll be all set if you're just keeping a couple of chickens as house pets, though you will still want a pen to keep them in at night or when you're gone.

Whether you call it a chicken coop, house, or shed you'll need safe shelter for your outdoor flock by the time they're about six weeks old. Many people convert a no longer used playhouse, storage shed, or just a portion of their garage or other outbuilding to house their flock of chickens. If you don't have any of those options, a little shopping (or building) will be in order.

Chicken house kits are very popular right now. Some are plain, some are fancy, and most look great. In some cases, shipping costs are a deterrent for this option, as people feel they could put that cost toward a BIY chicken coop. You may find some at your local feed store now that raising chickens has become so popular, though.

Housing your pets is vitally important, so take your time and enjoy shopping around, then choose whatever option you feel is right for you. There are a couple of rules to take into consideration, though. Each chicken should be allowed 1.5 to 2 square feet of living space, up to 4 feet for the larger birds. An attached chicken yard would be great, too. They love scratching around for bugs, seeds, and plants, and they like taking dust baths (it's their natural way to kill lice).

Your hens will need nest boxes, too. It's quite likely you may already have something that satisfies the requirements for them. If not, they are quite easy and inexpensive to build, and can be purchased as well. Keep clean bedding in it, gather the eggs at least once a day, and your hens will be happy and productive. Can't stress enough the need to keep everything clean.

Sometimes there are local people who build sheds and barns, so you could check out the classifieds in your area, too. And, there are a number of books with chicken house plans included in them. Just scroll to the bottom of this page to check them out.

These days you can find a chicken coop that's as fancy or as plain and utilitarian as you want. Since I've already done lots of research, you'll find links below to all the sources I've found so you can conveniently check them all out. I won't include the hatcheries here, as they're already linked to (click on Links to Hatcheries on the left), but don't forget them as a source for chicken coops . . . many of them are now selling them.