What is the number one concern about chicken coops?

[norristhechickenman]

hi i need someone's help right now... i am starting my own chicken business and needs to know the basics... thanks in advance

 

[dkvart1]

Greetings and

I would start on the home page by reading everything in the Learning Center, then if you have specific questions on something you can post and get recommendations and insight from others. The Learning Center covers the basics.

But briefly in answer to your questions. I'm not sure theres ONE major concern with coops. That it is as secure and predator proof as possible is one major concern.

That there is ample room for the number of chickens you plan to keep is also a major concern. Too little room you will not only have an unhappy flock, but pecking and cannabilism can even occur. And if you live in an area of the country that has inclement weather where they may have to remain in the coop for an extended period of time you should allow extra space per chicken.

There are many things to consider as you design and build the coop, but those I think are the top two concerns for chicken health and saftey . After that it becomes what's important to you such as how easy it will be to access and clean....

I'm preparing for chickens of my own soon... and that's just what I have picked up from reading through the Learning Center and the posts in general.

Good luck

 

[BuffaloWings]

Agree with above post about the Learning Page, but If I had to pinpoint the most important considerations for chickens I would say:

1. Predator protection
2. Adequate space
3. Ventilation, but not drafts
4. Clean, dry feed
5. Clean fresh water

If you can provide those things, you are on your way. Good luck with your new chicken business!

 

[norristhechickenman]

thanks for the welcome...

thank you very much for the generous reply... i will read through the learning center and ill try to follow your tips.... thanks again...

 

[7L Farm]

WOW! You can find all your answers here at BYC. Just start reading the different threads regarding coops, feeding, behaviours, etc. You can do a search for certain questions you may have. If you can't find the answer post your question & someone will help you. I'd say the number one concern about a chicken coop is to make it predator proof. You need to build a safe place for your chickens to live in. Make your coop big & strong. The first thing I thought before I built my coop was the weather. I live in Texas so it gets super hot here. Chickens do not like hot weather because they wear a down jacket 24/7. So, I built my coop under a big tree. I could go on & on The best advice again is start reading here & you will learn quick.Last thing don't use chicken wire use hard ware cloth. Good Luck!!!

 

[elmo]

Design it so that it's easy to keep clean for sanitation/health.

 

[StupidBird]

what will the neighbors think also is in our top ten, as we are in subdivision land. However! The "mom you are really overdoing it with this coop" was completely justified now, #1 - every family member shows it off to every visitor and #2 - there is a visiting coyote, the neighbor told me it has no fear - it crapped in the garden not a dozen yards from the coop. We are not in a good lay out for shooting it.

 

[patandchickens]

What kind of 'chicken business'. Different things would have different requirements/concerns/priorities/etc.

I guess my biggest single piece of advice, given that you are clearly new to chickens, is START SMALL. Very small. Smaller than you think. Doin' stuff with livestock quite often does not go 'by the book', especially til you have learned to spot trouble coming and head it off before it happens. If you have big problems with disease or parasites or cannibalism, you want that to happen with like 6 or 10 chickens, not with 60 or 100. Not only is it a lot easier to learn to solve problems when you have jsut a few chickens, it is also less of a financial hit if you do not fully solve the problem in time.

And I guess my second piece of advice would be, if this is going to be ANY sort of a business, make sure you have thought through what you will do with chickens as they get older, not just their general fate but the exact logistics/economics of it and of replacing them.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[suzeqf]

Quote:
ditto and

 

[ChooksChick]

I would echo others' statements. If you're working to build coops for folks to buy for backyard flocks, there's a design I made up for my neighbor that I think is my favorite build yet- and I'll go take pics of it so you can look at the features.

Is that the type of business you mean?