HOUSING CHICKENS | How to make the best chicken coop
Very nice that you have chosen chickens and want to keep some chickens at home. Chickens are fairly easy to care for, but you will have to arrange a few things for them. In addition to taking care of them throughout their lives, there are also a few practical things to keep in mind. In this blog we will discuss housing for chickens. What requirements should a chicken coop meet? We are happy to tell you.
Food and water
Of course, the most important thing is that you provide your chickens with food, fresh water, stomach grit and possibly chicken grit. This is the basis. Water and food speak for themselves. Chickens need stomach grit to grind up the food and chicken grit provides extra calcium that makes the eggshell strong.
Contents of a chicken coop
Space is important for a chicken coop. A chicken must have enough space to live a healthy and happy life. Do you only have an indoor coop? Then you have to keep about 1 square meter per chicken. Do you have an indoor coop with a free range? Then you can keep 1 square meter per three chickens. Furthermore, the coop must have a perch and good nestbox.
The opening of the coop must be adapted to the size of the chicken going in and out. Good ventilation is also crucial, as is good cover of the ground. A good bedding is a bedding that stays dry, gives little dust and is good for the chickens to scratch the ground.
Poultry run or free range
If you choose a run or free range, you have to take several factors into account. For example, it is important to have shelter. Think of low plants and shelters for the chickens. With a free range, a net can be useful to keep out birds of prey. It is also important that the chickens have the opportunity to take a dust bath. You can provide for this by choosing a sand base. In addition, here too the ground cover should not be forgotten. It is very important that the chickens can freely scratch around in it. And last but not least – space is also very important here. Calculate about 18 square meters per 6 chickens.
Do you have any questions about your chicken coop of run? Or are you curious which type of chicken coop suits you best? Ask your local pet store about it or ask Mariska your question via advies@garvo.nl.
