One key element to going off grid and being self-sufficient is being able to produce enough food to keep yourself and your family fed. One of the most popular ways to contribute to food production is to raise chickens for meat and eggs. A well cared for flock of birds can produce can keep breakfast on the table for a long time, or even produce an abundance of eggs, which could be used to barter for other items. But what really goes into housing chickens? Here is some information I found that might be useful as you are designing your off grid haven.
What types of chicken coops are there? Some popular chicken coop designs include raised coops, stationary, mobile (tractors/arks), walk-in, and converted spaces such as a portion of a garage or an old shed. Each design type has its own practicality, but you will need to decide what best fits your needs.
Planning out your chicken rearing may seem a bit daunting, but with a little knowledge on the basics, it really isn’t that bad. Some new chick owners make the coop buying/building choices based on yard appeal, but that’s not necessarily the best the best gauge on what you need, or can afford.
Types of Chicken Coops
Raised chicken coops are usually a few feet off the ground, with a ramp leading into the nesting area, and often a caged in run underneath for the chickens to move around outdoors. The space underneath the coop also provides the chickens a shady spot to rest on warmer days. This also provides a larger area for the chickens to roam in, without increasing the overall footprint of the enclosure. Having the coop off the ground also ads an extra benefit for wooden coops, as they are able to dry out quicker after wet conditions, making them less vulnerable to rotting.
Stationary coops tend to be larger to accommodate a much bigger flock, and are usually in the form of a building or specialized fencing. This type of coop is not typically used for a casual backyard or homestead, however if you are looking to produce a high yield of eggs for sale or barter, this might be an option for you.
Various types of mobile chicken coops (sometimes referred to as tractors or arks) are what is most common in backyards and small homesteads. Mobile coops typically include a raise building, with a small built in caged run, with wheels on one or both sides, which makes it relatively easily around the yard. This can be useful by occasionally giving the birds a fresh plot of soil to peck at grass and bugs.
Walk-in coops are larger designs, usually centered on ease of access for the keepers. These coops have human sized doors that allow for the caretaker to walk into the coop or run for ease of cleaning and maintenance.
Maybe you already have a space that isn’t being completely utilized, that’s where a conversion coop could come in handy. Have an empty horse stall in the barn, some wasted garage space, and old tool shed that is not longer being used? All of these spaces could be converted with a little creativity and ingenuity. You maybe able to take this route, and save a little time and money!
Chicken Coop Sizes
One common question about coops is how large of a space is required for the chickens, especially if you plan to build one on your own. One important aspect to this is whether or not your build/purchase will include a run.
A chicken run is an area where the chicken can run around outside, but in an enclosed fenced in area, protected from predators. These are sometimes referred to loosely as “free range”, since the have room to move about. Some folks take the term “free range” quite literally, and don’t have a caged in area at all, but only make sure they are secure in the coop at night. In larger scale coops with dozens or more birds, this caged in free range space may not be feasible.
Chances are pretty good that if you’ve somehow landed on this page, you are looking to have a small coop with 6-12 birds, with a caged enclosure, primarily to provide eggs for your family. In this case, 3-4 square foot space in the coop per bird is adequate.
For larger operations, such as if you are considering selling eggs as well as providing for your family, it may not be practical to provide enough running space for all the birds.
Your chickens need room to spread their wings (literally, actually), and have adequate roosting space. For that reason, with a limited or no run, the recommended space is 7-8 square feet per bird.
Elements of a Chicken Coop
There are a lot of possibilities for features when considering buying/designing/building a coop. Some feature are absolute necessity, others are some what of luxury items, even features that are designed to make life easier on the caretaker, but first, lets get the basics.
Anyone who has ever lost a few chickens to predators can tell you that security is a major issue. It is absolutely heart breaking to wake up one day to find dead or missing birds. If the coop is built a few inches off the ground, that can prevent predators from chewing into the coop from below, which is another major benefit to a raised coop. A solid door that can be closed and securely latched at night can keep other critters from getting in and causing problems. You also need to consider your caging. Half inch hardware cloth is more secure than chicken wire alone in some situations.
Ventilation is also another must have in any design. Not only will a properly ventilated coop keep your chickens cool on a warm summer day, but it also vents off ammonia fumes with can be toxic to the birds if it builds up in the coop. You can do this through fans, or ridge vents, or even well placed screened in windows.
Whether you a looking to collect eggs or chicks, nesting boxes are a must have. Nesting boxes are typically around 12” x 12” x 12” (inches). Since hens can get along in small spaces, and huddle together, especially in cold weather, one nesting box of this size can accommodate as many as 4 hens. Good to know, huh?
Another critical element of a good coop is a perch/roost bar. This is basically a rail, tree branch, or even a 2×4 piece of lumber. Chickens tend to sleep in a roosting position, which simulates them sleeping in trees. Perches should be placed at the highest possible position in the coop.
Those are the bare basics of a chicken coop, but what can you do if you go the extra mile? Well, you’re in luck; I have some ideas for convenience items that will make raising chicks easier on you!
Don’t want to wake up everyday to feed and water the birds? No problem! You can still maintain your freedom while properly keeping your flock watered, fed, and secured.
There are very simple gravity fed feeding and watering solutions that will keep you from having to unnecessarily stress over your flock. They can be easily constructed out of cheap PVC pipe. Multiple designs exist online, and several people have video demonstrations on youtube.
Similarly, if you decide on a stationary coop, you can run electricity to it, with lights and fans, and other heat sources for winter. The addition of lighting can increase a hens eggs production, electric fans can aid in ventilation, and the addition of an electric oil heater can keep larger coops from freezing in the worst winters.
Some people have even automated their coop doors. By attaching a small motor on the door, hooked up to a timer, you can have the doors open every morning, and close every night without having to go outside, or risk forgetting.
Chicken Coop Building Materials
Probably the most popular building material of all chicken coops is wood. It is the cheapest to buy and allows for the most customization to build. You will have to take some precautions to prevent rotting, and ensure the longest life from your coop. Having a pitched roof that is covered with roofing shingles, metal, or other non-porous material will help keep the water from gathering on and around the coop. You may also consider using pressure treated lumber, or using a coating of paint or wood sealer.
One of the downsides about wood construction however, is they also can be a nice home to red mites. Red mites are parasites that have an appetite for chicken blood. An infestation of these critters could lead to poor health, low egg production, weight loss, and even death. There are various products and home remedies to rid your coop of these pest should you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, but it may take several weeks to finally be completely rid of this nuisance.
Some coop builders use a different material, which they market as being easier to clean, and easier to rid of mites: plastic. A non-traditional housing for chickens, plastic coops can be disassembled easily, and pressure washed to like new condition. They are far more resilient to weathering, since there is no wood to rot, and plastic tends to last a very long time.
The downside to plastic coops, is they tend to be very expensive, as much as 3-4 times that of a well manufactured wooden coop of the same size. This maybe cost prohibitive for a lot of people, and especially might be more than a beginner to chicken rearing would be willing to spend. I would say start with a smaller wood coop, and work your way up, and decide on something more expensive later on, when you are a little more familiar with raising birds.
Earlier in the article, we talked about security of your coop from predators. When caging in a chick run or pin, many people may assume that the octagonal chicken wire that many people are familiar with is the material to use. Chicken wire will keep chickens in, but it may not keep various predators out.
Half inch, or one inch chicken wire can be useful in containing chicks, especially younger chicks, or smaller varieties. This type of wire is easy to cut, generally on the cheaper side, and easy to find.
The downside to chicken wire though, is that it is pretty thin wire and can be pulled apart by predators. If you live close to bears, aggressive dogs, or raccoons, you may want to consider some heavier fencing. Another downside is that younger chicks could become tangled and injured in this wire.
Many experienced chicken owners prefer to use ½ inch and ¼ inch hardware cloth instead. Hardware cloth is thicker, sturdier, and will not stretch out of shape like chicken wire can. Because of this, its much more unlikely that any potential predators will gain access to your chickens. Many people think hardware cloth even looks better than chicken wire. The main downside to this form of caging is that it is a bit more expensive, but maybe spending the extra money here is more beneficial than potentially having to replace your entire flock!
Related Questions
Can chickens survive in cold weather? Yes, chickens generate a lot of body heat, and huddle together in cold weather. You shouldn’t have to worry about cold weather unless it regularly gets into the single digits or sub zero where you live.
What do chickens eat? Chickens are omnivores, and generally enjoy eating fruits, vegetables, grains, insects, earthworms, and even table scraps. Of course there is always store bought pellets.
How to get rid of red mites? A thorough cleaning of the coop is required, followed by weekly treatments with a product such as Poultry Shield or Diatom.
