Small Hen Houses
Do you want to build a small hen house in your backyard?
It can be hard to find well designed small hen houses so here are a few suggestions that might help you out.
Firstly you need to make sure that using plans for small hen houses are right for you. Do have a limited amount of space that will only accommodate a small hutch or do you only want to raise a few chickens?
Both are good reasons to want to build small hen houses but you have to make sure that if it’s space that is limiting you, you will not try and cram as many birds as you can into that one tiny house.
Small hen houses are really designed for no more than 5 chickens. If you want to raise any more than this, you will need to look at plans for medium or even a large hen house. Chickens love their space and will actually become sick if they are too crowded.
When people are building small hen houses one of the most common complaints is that the windows and doors are too small. You need to make sure that you are going to be able to easily access the inside of your chicken coop for regular cleaning and maintenance.
No matter what size, when building small hen houses you should also make sure that the external doors and windows are covered in wire or mesh to stop predators from getting inside. You also need to ensure that the door leading to the outside for the chickens can be closed and locked at night time, keeping them safe inside.
Predators are a huge problem for anyone raising chickens and I’ve found that people who build small hen houses are often not as careful at safeguarding their chickens.
Just because there aren’t as many of them, doesn’t mean that the ‘locals’ won’t be interested in stopping in for dinner. So make sure you protect your flock!
This may seem obvious, but small hen houses are basically exactly the same as large chicken coops, just on a smaller scale. So if you are designing your own and you are stuck for ideas, just take a look at the bigger ones and see if you can scale them down to a size that you can manage.
Don’t be afraid of it being too big, there is no such thing, the more space that you can have for your chickens the better!
If you live in an urban area and are concerned about your lack of space I’d strongly suggest you check with your local council to find out what the rules and regulations are on building a structure like a hen house.
Sometimes there are even laws regarding keeping pets like chickens, so it’s great to check out what the rules are before you start. Your local council might also have some great ideas on building small hen houses or be able to point you in the right direction when building structures like this.
Most of all, just keep in mind that the health and safety of the birds is first at all times. Chickens are great pets and when your small hen houses are done properly it’s just as much fun whether you have 2 chickens or 10!
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