It's time to start planning your new chicken cage
design. There are a number of layouts and floor
plans to choose from, which can seem overwhelming.
We'll look at the different types of chicken pens
plus their purposes.
Considering a few things
beforehand can help determine what coop is best for
your purpose. For instance: number of chickens,
available space for construction, the need for
portability. These are all important things to
consider. For example if you want to move your coop
around your yard for easy care and you only want a
few chickens, a portable coop may best fit your
needs.
Small Chicken Coops
Small coops work best with a minimum number of hens.
Small chicken cages hold around two to six chickens.
These small coops are used for keeping chickens as
pets. Small coops are commonly constructed like
little playhouses or sheds with fencing all around.
This prevents the hens for escaping into your
neighbor's yard.
Mid-Sized Chicken Coops
Medium
chicken coop designs are about the same as
the small chicken coop designs except they hold more
chickens. Mid-sized chicken houses can hold twice as
many hens as small coops, but are still not large
enough to raise chickens for profit. Whether from
the chickens themselves or their eggs, the number of
chickens you can raise in a small or medium pen will
not produce enough of either to be profitable.
Small and medium sized cages are best if you plan
to make them portable. If you choose to house
numerous of hens but want a portable coop, build
several mid-size rather than one large coop.
Large Chicken Coops
Finally the large chicken pen designs. The sky is
the limit for the large coop. The building is
planned to fit the number of chickens you wish to
raise. The standard for the run is 6 sq ft per hen,
but enthusiasts suggest 10 sq ft. That means that
you would allow 200 sq ft of space for the run if
you want to give shelter to twenty hens.
For urban dwellers a closed in moveable chicken
cage is a respectable option. Closing in the
henhouse area will prevent your chickens from
becoming your neighbor's pests, as well as decrease
the chances of them getting loose and getting hit by
passing cars or neighborhood pets such as dogs or
cats. However, if you have your home in the country
this is not as big of an issue.
