It is easy to get carried away with the thought of building your coop and some issues only become apparent when you have lived with the reality of it for a little while. So here are a few things you might want to take into consideration before going too far down the road of your own build :
Build A Movable Chicken Coop If you have decided to build a moveable coop then it needs to actually be moveable – this may seem obvious but it is surprising how many ‘portable’ coops end up staying in the place they were first built. This can be due to using too heavy materials, never ending additions, or not considering the practicalities of where you might actually move it to.
Cleaning The Coop A definite downside to owning chickens is having to clean their coop out regularly. If you don’t it will become unhygienic and could lead diseases and parasites spreading amongst your flock. So when designing your coop think about how you are going to clean it out. Easy access will be one of your main concerns – it is no fun to be stooped over double in a confined space or crawling through chicken poo.
Nesting Boxes Your hens will lay their eggs anywhere they can find (under hedges, in the middle of the coop floor etc. etc. ) so if you want to be able to collect the eggs easily (and have them less likely to be broken) you will need to build comfortable nest boxes for your girls and make them accessible for yourself to collect the eggs.
Make Your Coop Fit With Your Surroundings This is especially important if you have neighbours. Any complaints could jeopardise the longevity of your chicken keeping adventure – and certainly make life harder for you and reduce your enjoyment. Be sure to observe any legal requirements there might be in your area (such as if there is a specific minimum distance they have to be from neighbours land, maximum numbers of chickens, and whether or not roosters are allowed etc.) to protect yourself from having to give your chickens up if a complaint is made.