If you have been trying to find a good chicken coop Australia has a lot of choice to offer, that’s for sure.
However, there is also some value to be obtained from building your own coop or having one built according to your own specifications.
You have to be careful with your planning though before you even start. You don’t want to waste your materials, or get a chicken coop that does not accurately reflect your requirements.
While planning is important, you also need to remember that there is no one right way of building a chicken coop.
READ MORE: Raising Chickens for Meat and Eggs
How to Build a Chicken Coop in Australia
From choosing the materials to constructing the chicken coop itself, you can be creative, plan and execute your sketches the way you want them, provided that your purpose is ultimately achieved: to provide your chickens with a nice, healthy and safe place to live in.
How do you ensure that you are building a great chicken coop? You need to consider certain factors.
Foremost of these are the materials, which should be strong and sturdy enough to keep your chickens safe from adverse weather conditions and natural predators.
It is also important to make sure that the chicken admits enough light and allows ample air circulation.
Install the doors in such a way that they open inwards instead of outwards so the chickens don’t roost on them. What about managing the waste?
It is advisable to construct the floor in such a way that it is sloping slightly. This will facilitate cleaning and hosing down of chicken waste, and keep you safe from puddling issues.
Choosing Chicken Coops fotr Sale: A simple Guide
Space is one of the most important considerations when looking for chicken coops for sale.
There are two space considerations, however: first, the space where you want to put your chicken coops in; and, second, the space that you need for the number of chickens that you want to house.
Based on these factors, you can then decide if what you need is a chicken coop that you can move around as you redesign your plot, or one that is pegged on the ground.
Another important consideration is the level of security that your poultry will require. Chicken coops are normally built to withstand adverse weather conditions and keep your chickens protected in such cases.
However, if your area is exposed to natural predators like dogs and rodents, then check out those chicken coops for sale that are sturdy enough to keep your poultry protected against them.
Finally, you also need to make sure that the chicken coops that you will buy are able to keep your chickens healthy and happy.
You want to see to it that there are enough windows and openings for available light to come in and for air to circulate.
There should also be enough number of air vents to promote circulation of oxygen and air. Additionally, the wire used on windows and openings should be made of heavier materials to better protect your chickens against predators.
The ventilation holes should likewise be covered with a stronger wire mesh.
Air circulation is not only the secret to keeping your chickens lively, it also prevents ammonia from setting in the coop.
Ammonia, coupled with dampness, can cause your chickens to get sick and the coop itself to deteriorate.
Buying Chicken Coops: Things to Look Out For
Buying chicken coops is not as simple as you might think. Aside from the various kinds of coops available in the market, there are also many factors that you should remember to look for before making your purchase.
The first thing that you need to look into is your requirement specifications.
Do you need a bigger, more secure chicken coop, or would a simple box with a roof and no floor suffice for your purpose? Or do you need help deciding on which model fits your purpose?
If you plan to set up your chicken coop in a rural area where there is no actual danger to chickens that are roaming free, then you are probably better off buying chicken coops of the simple box model.
The box is usually made of wood, and the walls are made of chicken wire secured on the wooden frame.
On the other hand, if the site of your chicken farm is your own backyard on an urban or suburban area, then you might want to consider the design and security factors.
You don’t want your chickens escaping from your coop to roam in your next-door neighbour’s garden, right? At the same time, your coops should also look good enough to blend with your entire property.
When it comes to the space allocation, consider allotting four to five nest boxes for every laying hen, and six to ten inches of space per hens for them to roost on.
Raise the roosts and nests not less than two feet from the ground.
The nest boxes themselves should be at least 1 foot square. As for the community or open nests, allot at least nine to 12 inches for the opening for every 20 square feet of nest area.
We hope you found our guide on how to build a chicken coop in Australia useful.