Forget Ready Made - Build Your Own Chicken Coop

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By Charlie Finch

Saving money is important, whether you're just getting started or getting more chickens, so building a chicken coop yourself is a great solution. Good ready built coops are expensive - and you will still have to assemble the pieces themselves, so find some well-produced plans and get going.

Building a chicken coop is an ideal family project. Children can follow the instructions and tell you what to do next, they can assemble sections and may be able to build the whole coop themselves.

So, what kind of chicken coop will work best for you? For a small flock of three hens, try a chicken ark.

If you want your chickens to free range, you can let them out, but a chicken ark is designed to be moved around so the chickens get to range as you move it. The simple design includes a roosting area one end and run the other.

A larger hen house with a run is more like a weekends work, but still based on simple shapes, so easy to build. This is your answer if you have five to seven hens. You could even build both a hen house and an ark, so you have the chicken ark to move the hens around and to use if any of them are poorly.

You could build a chicken ark as well, so you have a moveable as well as a fixed hen house.

If you buy plans that include all three types of chicken coop, then you will really save.

About the Author:

Before you start building a chicken coop, take a look at these excellent chicken coop plans, which have complete diagrams and instructions for three designs of chicken coop plus all the information you need on looking after chickens.

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Places to Find Birds For Birdwatching

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By Todd Hammerstein

Catch bird watching fever, and you will become a birdwatcher for life. Your hobby will quickly become a lifestyle as you find yourself always searching for new bird viewing sites. Here is a little help for new birdwatchers on where to find good watching spots.

Whether you are in your neighborhood or traveling somewhere far from home you can find premium bird watching spots by following a few general rules. One thing to remember is that birds are fairly predictable. They show up in certain places at certain times just like clockwork. This gives you a little insight as to when and where you should choose to try and view birds.

As urban sprawl eats up wooded areas it is often difficult to find a place to bird watch, especially in the city. You may, however, find that there are city and neighborhood parks with enough woods to attract birds. These could be good spotting sites, as could the fringes of any wooded areas that still remain near your home.

If you live near the beach, you are probably already aware of a variety of beach and ocean birds that live near you. The best time to spot these birds is early in the morning, although herons and egrets may be spotted in bogs and marshes in the cool of the afternoon. Depending on where you live, including the climate and coastal habitat you may see sandpipers, plovers, and a variety of other shorebirds.

Marshes and flooded areas may make you think more of mosquitoes than birds. The truth is, mosquitoes make good food for birds, and these are usually good bird spotting areas. Where there are bugs you will find birds. Look for species such as bitterns, blackbirds, wrens, sparrows, flycatchers and warblers.

An extra tidbit to know is that non-migrating birds often live near man-made structures like dams. The flowing water seems to attract birds. The best way to begin spotting birds is to get outside and look. If you can't find any in the areas given here, find your own spot. You'll soon get a sense of where the birds are in your area.

About the Author:

Learn more about learn bird watching for beginners. Visit birdwatchingforbeginners.info and get your fun and easy guide. For another hobby, consider learn woodworking for beginners.

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All Cooped Up! How To Build A Chicken Coop

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by Sandra Stammberger

Chickens are fun to watch and they can provide you eggs and meat. Often times people buy chickens and let them live outside and to find whatever shelter they can provide for themselves. There are two problems with raising chickens in that manner, the first are the many predators that are hunting your chickens, there are numerous stray dogs that will wipe out a flock of chickens not to mention skunks and other animals. The second problem is that they do not lay eggs well when they are raised that way and when they do lay eggs it is difficult to find them. In this article I am going to give you two different ideas about how to make a chicken coop.

Free Organic Eggs! Building a coop is far easier than many people believe. Chickens are low maintenance pets. Building a chicken Coop Supports Sustainable Living. The chickens provide hours and hours of entertainment. Chickens get along with other pets. Chickens do not smell. Your eggs will not be weeks old before you even buy them at the grocery store. You can get the freshest eggs. You prevent your chicken from dying of a disease in a small cage. You do not have to have a big backyard to enjoy chickens and their eggs. Chickens are loyal pets. Eggs may prevent breast cancer. In one study, women who consumed at least 6 eggs per week lowered their of breast cancer by 44%. Chickens are very clean animals. IT IS FUN!

Often times when we ask how to make a chicken coop or anything else for that matter we try to rack our heads to come up with ideas for the perfect plan. If you are good at this type of planning thats great or if you are just a weekend project type of person then you might like my second idea. Rather than pull your hair out coming up with elaborate plans for making your chicken coop, you can go to your local hardware store and buy a set of plans for a small or large wood shed for about $5.00 and even less. The size of the shed depends on how many chickens that you have. It is important to remember that you will have to build a roost and laying boxes if you decide too go this rout. A roost can simply be made out of two 2x4x8s and three or four 2x2x8s. Nail your 2x4s about 7 feet apart at about a 45 degree angle, space the 2x2s crossways and now you have a roost. Your egg boxes can be made our of ply wood and 2x2s, make sure to put dividers in them due to the fact that chickens like a certain amount of privacy when they lay eggs.

No matter which idea you pick make sure that you build a chicken yard off of the coop. it is also a good idea to put chicken wire over the top of the chicken yard or run due to flying predators like hawks and crows.

Once you have your foundations set up, put the flooring in, again, about four feet from the ground. You can corner nail the flooring in if you wish, but it is a better idea to place small 2x4 braces under the flooring where they will connect to the foundations. This will give a little extra support and a good spot to put your nails in.

On a final note, be sure and put a decent amount of hay inside each doorway so that the chickens can use it for nesting. Enjoy your farm fresh eggs, fresh chicken meat, and the cash you make from selling those eggs!

Now, simply measure between the walls and floor for height and from foundation to foundation for the back and side walls. Use good thick plywood for this, at least inch. Do the exact same for the front wall, but cut out several doorways from the plywood so that the chickens can enter and exit. With that, the coop itself is almost finished. Now all you need to do is take some 1x5 boards and run them into the doorways angled to the ground so your chickens can enter and exit easily. A quick wire mesh fence around it all later and you have your completed chicken coop. At the very most, you might have $40.00 invested. Many people even use second-hand lumber to save even more cash.

Be aure to put hay inside the doorways. This is to make sure that your chicken can use it for nesting. And in some days it is time to enjoy your fresh farm eggs... you can even sell your eggs and make some additional money!

About the Author:
Do not waste another minute make sure you check this excellent website on building a chicken coop. Free Chicken Coop Blueprints

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