Article By Andrew Alford

Besides the particular chicken coop plans, finding the best location for your coop will decide whether you and your chickens will be happy with your chicken coop efforts. Building a chicken coop in the right situation and position leads to more happy, more fit chickens and results in them laying more eggs.Find a strongly protected area in your yard. This is dependent on how large your yard is after all. If you have a lot of space, you might need to think about building a coop where you can simply have an eye on it. You can build a portable chicken coop if that is more convenient to you.

Consider what predators there are in your area. That includes domestic predators like your neighbours ‘ pussies or dogs. Wild predators will often include raccoons, foxes, badgers and rats. But don't forget the threats from the air. Hawks can also pose a threat to your poultry. If you know that there are hawks in your area you are going to want to consider building a covered run. If the plans you pick don’t include a covered run you will have to change them to your needs.Additionally, selecting the right fence to go with your handmade coop will be a major asset in protecting your chickens.

If there are a lot of predators that can dig their way underneath, you will have to build your chicken coop far enough into the ground to deter the strongest-willed predator.Another thing to think about when building a chicken coop is that your chickens require a great deal of sunlight. Make certain to position it in order that it faces the sun so long as possible throughout the day. Building a chicken coop in very shadowy areas isn't such a smart idea.

If your chickens do not get a lot of sunlight, you will have to install electric lighting, which isn't really cost effective.While your coop should be well ventilated, it shouldn't be too windy either. So if you live in a very gusty area, consider building the chicken coop close to the house or a grouping of trees that break the wind a bit.

The same is right for awfully stormy climates. If you get lots of rain, position your chicken coop in order that it is just as much protected as practicable. Also you do not need to build the chicken coop so that rain can flow down and flood the chicken coop.It does not take plenty of work to build a chicken coop, but there are a lot of things you'll need to look at. This is especially correct for those only starting out that have no idea of the different dangers to lookout for.

If you're building a chicken coop and would like to know more about the best way to locate it. Andrew Alford has a new blog with some great info all about chicken coops