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Surely you have all heard the excitement surrounding building chicken coops and raising your own chickens right in your backyard, and you are interested in learning more about his new fad. Well you have come to the right place.

Surely you have all heard the excitement surrounding building chicken coops and raising your own chickens right in your backyard, and you are interested in learning more about his new fad. Well you have come to the right place. There is nothing like having, pet, your own farm fresh eggs right outside your back door, but when it comes to building chicken coops there are a few things you should understand and never do because even if you are familiar with building other things in the past, you may not realize what goes into a chicken coop.

Without proper planning, you may simply be raising chickens for the fun of it, rather than reaping the benefits that come along with these feathery little friends.

Do NOT forget to Plan

Draw a plan, purchase a plan or consult someone that has already built a chicken coop. Do not skip this step! Plan out everything from what materials you will be using to how you will be cleaning your coop. Imagine yourself with chickens already, know how many you will be raising, and imagine yourself cleaning the coop, feeding the chickens, and collecting the eggs.

How will all these things work out? How will the doors open, where are the windows located for the longest amount of sunlight? How will keep your chickens warm, or cool depending on the climate? Where will the chicken roost? What kind of materials will you use for flooring? Without a proper plan you can be in for a big disappointment.

Do NOT forget about Protection

What kind of predators are in your area? How will you protect your precious new egg laying pets from these predators? Always make certain that critters, such as raccoons, cannot get in.

Also, remember part of protecting your pets is protecting them from themselves. Can they get out of the coop?

Do NOT forget about Feeding

Clearly you are going to feed your pets, but how? Can the chickens easily access the feed and water? Is the water and food in such a place where the chickens will not walk in it or scratch at it? Chickens are known to be messy little critters if given the chance, so having a good plan for placement of food and water is important, more so for your sake then theirs.

If you set it up correctly, your life will be easier in the long run.

Do NOT forget about Lighting

The longer your chickens can receive natural sunlight the better, which is why placement of the windows is important. Since most climates go through periods of shorter days throughout the year, a lighting source is important. Lighting sources are helpful for the obvious reasons but also they provide warmth for the chickens. If the chickens are not receiving the proper amount of light, they also will not produce as many eggs.

Do NOT forget about the Elements

Make sure your coop is protected from all kinds of weather, snow, floods, wind and rain. You just can not begin to guess what the weather will be like, so always keep the elements in mind when building chicken coops. One bad day can be a disaster for your pets.

Building chicken coops is not a scary project and is not hard to do if you properly plan ahead. Do not be afraid of it, you can do it! If you are looking for more information before jumping in visit Chicken Coops for more helpful advice.

Author: Beth Homes | Source: ezinearticles.com