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Housing and equipment ALL works, which appear on these pages, are the sole property of myself and may only be reproduced with proper acknowledgement to the artist. © All rights reserved. |
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The above picture is of my gable end shed. It is 12’ x 12’ and is more than adequate for a few chickens. Actually the slanted roof chicken houses are better because they stay warmer in cold climates. Most experts figure 4 square feet per bird for full grown laying hens. The House The very basic requirement for a chicken house is that it be watertight and hopefully as close to draft free as possible. I feel confident that you won't find any source that doesn't tell you that chickens and water don't get along well. I know it is basically with small chicks but even the older birds will catch colds. The way a chicken is able to retain its body warmth is by fluffing up it's feathers and trapping a layer of air between the outer feathers and their bodies. If you have a drafty chicken house this warm air will be blown out and the chickens will not have that protective layer of warm air next to their bodies. I personally put these two features above cleanliness, ventilation, or anything else. There are enough professional sites and books around so that I won't go into what design you might desire. I believe that generally about 4 sq. ft. of floor space is needed per bird. Probably a little more would be nice if they are going to be in their house most of the time. Overcrowding will create many problems. A fenced in area outside where the chickens can exercise and get some fresh air is nice. This somewhat depends on how much room you have. I like my area as big as possible.
The Feeder A feeder should in my mind be shaped like a trapezoid \_/ and not like a "V". Generally the "V" is a straight 90 degrees which I can't make with a keyboard but the trapezoid will have steeper sides and will permit less feed to be hooked over the edges of the feeder. It is also wise to put a small lip on top to further increase the difficulty of just dragging the feed out. Chickens are notorious feed wasters. Supports should be put on the end and a wire or a pole parallel with the lip of the trough. This should be placed a few inches above the trough, high enough to allow the chickens easy access but not high enough to allow them to get into the trough and turn it into a latrine. If a rounded pole is used it should be designed to spin or turn if a chicken tries to sit on it. Feeders can be bought at most farm stores where feed and supplies are sold. I make mine from scrap lumber to save the money. I have never made a profit with a small flock of chickens. It just won't pay for labor and housing. To have enough chickens to do this is not close to what I consider a small flock. There are more styles around. I just don't feel that the troughs can be beat and don't want to pay the money for one. That is your decision when you look in the feed stores and in catalogs.
The Waterer I don't even try to make my waterer. This I just buy at the feed store and aside from the building or maybe some fencing will probably be the most expensive item in the chicken house. I use the vacuum type that let water into the rim at the bottom as the chicken's drink. It maintains a level of maybe up to a half inch. I like this as in the winter the chickens can't stick their beaks way down into water and get it all over their wattles and combs. This helps to reduce the frostbite in these areas. The open pans with the wire guards are fine but I find that my birds get much more water on them and receive much more frost damage. I just get the more expensive type. You will see other types that are available in the feed stores and catalogs
Lighting In the chicken house at the top I put two porcelain light bulb sockets on the ridgepole on the inside of the building. This is for me as I sometimes go in during darkness. Even then I will normally use a flashlight, as it is less disruptive to the flock. I also wired in an outlet low, near where I keep the waterer, so I can plug in a small electric heater to keep the water from freezing in the winter. This is something of a luxury but I very strongly recommend some type of heater for the water. They are usually set at around 50- 60 degrees, which is fine. It keeps the water from freezing and the chickens don't mind. If you wish to have automatic lighting to make a longer day I would consider purchasing one of the small appliance timers that plug into the outlet and the appliance is then plugged into that. It can be set a few hours early or go off late. I always felt that if the light came on early, then the chickens would have less of a problem getting back on the roost at night. If a light is turned on during the night some of the chickens will get off the roost. When the light is turned off and it is an overcast night they seem to have a hard time getting back on the nest.
Nests and Roosts I use a "Massachusetts Dark Nest" which was designed obviously in Massachusetts. It is 4' x 2' and is about 1' high in the front and maybe 30" high in the back. Slanted to keep the chickens from roosting on it. I have used it for many years and don't remember the exact dimensions. I do know it is good for up to about 40 hens. I also know that it helps me with egg eating and vent pecking while in the nest. Little space is lost for nesting as it is 2 feet or so up off the litter and the chickens can walk under it. The front 2/3 of the top lift up so eggs can be easily gathered. The roosts I made are about 1 1/2 " apart and are strips of 2" x 2" with rounded corners. I placed them close as it still allows room for the droppings to pass through, ample room for the chicken's feet, and it normally will not allow an egg to drop through. This way they don't end up in the manure under the roost. I would allow 10" or so per bird of linear length for roosting area. The chickens tend to snuggle up at night to keep warm so minimal is needed but the roosts are usually high enough so the chickens can walk under them unless you fence them out from under. Some people do this as the bulk of the droppings will be under the roost and it is best to seal this area off and remove a board to clean out occasionally. It helps keep the litter in the rest of the house cleaner longer. Again, in both these areas please read what the pros say. There are so many ways to design this equipment I just tried to give some basic ideas. Mostly just that it is things that are needed and not much on how to do it. I will keep adding more if I get requests. I would also send information on anything that I say on my site if requested by e-mail. |
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Nothing fancy is needed to house chickens in the warmer climates I do know that some problems exist in warmer climates that we don't have here in Maine but anything I say here would apply to Maine as it is based on my personal experiences.
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