Maybe you have decided on a bit of henhouse DIY rather than buying a prefabricated chicken coop, to save money. That's a Seriously Good idea, given the astronomical costs for ready-made sheds either online or in the shops. So it makes sense to save yet more cash by getting hold of some free chicken coop plans, doesn't it? You will find plenty of these advertised online but, unfortunately, only a few are any good. Most will simply not give you what you need to build a good chicken house, and here's why.
Proper plans should be to blueprint standard, not just sketches. They should include clear cut-to-size measurements and plenty of detail drawings for the difficult areas. You would expect to see a full list of materials to build the coop, because it is quite difficult to prepare this accurately from drawings. Plan on assembling all the parts needed before you start to build the chicken house - there is nothing so annoying as finding you are short of some vital screw or bracket while you are suspended in midair holding two pieces of wood! And then finding the hardware store is closed for the weekend ...
As you can imagine the preparation of chicken coop plans in a professional manner requires a fair amount of experience with poultry keeping and woodworking, and it takes a lot of time to do.
Then there is the matter of getting the best chicken coop design for your particular requirements. Do you already have it all worked out, or would you like to have a whole range of designs to choose from? The best chicken coop plans will include a good number of designs to meet every need and situation, some of which you might not have considered before. For instance, will your chickens have enough space? Be warm or cool enough? Will the coop be easy to maintain and clean out? Well secured against predators?
The best chicken coops will have good protection from the weather, be warm enough in winter and cool enough in summer, be built to last, have all the necessary ramps and perches, provide for easy egg collection, have water dispensers and food trays – there is a lengthy list of design criteria. Information and guidance on these and other important aspects of chicken shed design are usually conspicuous by their absence in free plans. Perhaps you could do with a few woodworking tips as well - good plans will include a lot of advice here.
Everyone wants to do the best for his or her hens, which includes making the best chicken house and ensuring that all vital design aspects have been included to ensure healthy, safe and happy birds. A trial and error approach will be a complete waste of time, energy and money.
If you are saving perhaps $700 or more on building your own hen house, why skimp on the $40 or so you will spend to get one of the best hen house diy guides and ensure you have the best chicken coop design for your particular needs?
Free plans do not mean the best plans. They will give you poor results compared to good hen house plans drawn up by chicken experts. A small investment in good chicken coop plans will repay itself many times over, and your hens will thank you for it too.
I have written about designing and building chicken coops here as well as much more about keeping hens properly and keeping them laying happily. Why not check it out?
Proper plans should be to blueprint standard, not just sketches. They should include clear cut-to-size measurements and plenty of detail drawings for the difficult areas. You would expect to see a full list of materials to build the coop, because it is quite difficult to prepare this accurately from drawings. Plan on assembling all the parts needed before you start to build the chicken house - there is nothing so annoying as finding you are short of some vital screw or bracket while you are suspended in midair holding two pieces of wood! And then finding the hardware store is closed for the weekend ...
As you can imagine the preparation of chicken coop plans in a professional manner requires a fair amount of experience with poultry keeping and woodworking, and it takes a lot of time to do.
Then there is the matter of getting the best chicken coop design for your particular requirements. Do you already have it all worked out, or would you like to have a whole range of designs to choose from? The best chicken coop plans will include a good number of designs to meet every need and situation, some of which you might not have considered before. For instance, will your chickens have enough space? Be warm or cool enough? Will the coop be easy to maintain and clean out? Well secured against predators?
The best chicken coops will have good protection from the weather, be warm enough in winter and cool enough in summer, be built to last, have all the necessary ramps and perches, provide for easy egg collection, have water dispensers and food trays – there is a lengthy list of design criteria. Information and guidance on these and other important aspects of chicken shed design are usually conspicuous by their absence in free plans. Perhaps you could do with a few woodworking tips as well - good plans will include a lot of advice here.
Everyone wants to do the best for his or her hens, which includes making the best chicken house and ensuring that all vital design aspects have been included to ensure healthy, safe and happy birds. A trial and error approach will be a complete waste of time, energy and money.
If you are saving perhaps $700 or more on building your own hen house, why skimp on the $40 or so you will spend to get one of the best hen house diy guides and ensure you have the best chicken coop design for your particular needs?
Free plans do not mean the best plans. They will give you poor results compared to good hen house plans drawn up by chicken experts. A small investment in good chicken coop plans will repay itself many times over, and your hens will thank you for it too.
I have written about designing and building chicken coops here as well as much more about keeping hens properly and keeping them laying happily. Why not check it out?
