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Keeping chickens is becoming a more widespread practice, whether in a rural setting or as part of urban farming. A chicken coop keeps chickens safe and offers them a place to nest and roost safely. Here are all the features you need when ordering a tiny shed for your animals.

Essential Features Your Chickens Need

1. External Structure

Regardless of how stylish a coop you choose, context dictates its walls, ceiling, and entryway. If there is a danger of foxes or raccoons, for example, the walls should be solid wood rather than wire. Check city regulations for urban or suburban coops. A solid, latching door is necessary to prevent predators from getting in. Chickens that have access to pasture need 2 or 3 square feet per bird, at minimum. Those that spend winter indoors or don’t have ample outdoor space need 10 square feet per chicken. A movable “chicken tractor” requires about 5 square feet per bird. If necessary, you can repurpose a garden shed, child’s playhouse, or dog house into a chicken coop, but it’s wisest to purchase a new, dedicated structure.

2. Nesting Boxes

Laying hens require a communal place to nest and lay eggs, at about 1 square foot in size per stall. The boxes should be about 2 feet off the ground and can be made of milk crates or other appropriately sized plastic tubs or wood. Fill them with straw and prepare to gather eggs.

shed3. Roosts

Laying hens need roosts inside the coop, as well. In general, have 6 to 10 inches of space per bird. Like the nesting boxes, roosts should be 2 feet off the ground and can be branches, small boards, or even a ladder attached at an angle to the wall.

4. Dust Bath

Include an area of dry soil inside the coop to allow the hens to bathe in dust, a natural practice that controls parasites. If the floor of the shed or coop is not dirt, provide a box of sand or loose soil in a corner. Even those hens with access to outdoor pasture and runs prefer a dust bath inside during winter.

 

Keeping chickens is a fun and practical activity for the whole family. Contact The Wooden Branch in Wilmington, OH, for customizable, aesthetically pleasing, ready-built coops. They also serve Dayton and Central Ohio with Amish-style sheds, barns, and other outbuildings. Call (937) 382-7337 to plan your henhouse, or visit the website to see a gallery of offerings.

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