Inject a Tree

  Why is it necessary to build a chicken yard and hen house? One of the biggest mistakes that people often make is thinking that they can just let their chickens run free. This doesn’t work out for several reasons. Free range chickens will ruin gardens, lawns, and flower beds with their endless scratching, and will eat anything tender, green or tasty. They will leave sticky droppings to be tracked inside and they will hide their eggs in any dark places they can find. Free range chickens are a target for predators and a temptation for dogs. 
   A chicken yard with a hen house of some type is needed and it needs to be large enough for the flock. Chickens will set up a pecking order with less dominant birds being pecked on by all the others in the flock. If the pen or yard is not large enough these “low on the pecking order” birds will be killed because they won’t be able to get away from all the pecking. My chicken yard measures 100 ft. by 75 ft. but it is divided in two, giving pens half that size for my flock of some 40 birds. I divided it to be able to rotate the flock and plant a food crop for them on the unused side. During the winter I plant turnips and oats and for the summer its millet, beans, and sunflowers. Low growing bushes and shrubs are not a good idea in the yard because the birds will roost in them, use them to get over fences, and hide nests under them. Trees are a good thing as they will give shade, protect against hawks, and if fruiting varieties such as mulberry or pear, they will be a food source for the flock. Check out my website, Growitveg.com, to find out about vegetables to grow and other useful gardening tips.
   My hen house sits at the middle of one of the side fences, inside the fenced area, with two small pop doors one of which opens on either side of the dividing fence. I just open the pop door on which ever side I want the hens to be able to enter. The area for a pen should drain well but not be too steeply sloped so the ground won’t wash away. It should not be  too close to the main house due to the noise, smell, and flys, but needs to be reachable with a hose to provide water and for washing purposes. The hen house needs to be big enough to hold the whole flock without crowding for extended periods of time, especially in colder climates. My house is 12 ft. by 12 ft., but I live down near Florida so my birds can get out into the open all winter. In colder climates the house needs to be draft free and may need a source of heat. Be aware that chickens attract rodents due to waste feed and broken eggs. Hollow walls and raised floors are a haven for rats and mice. My house has a concrete footer under the perimeter walls so rats and predators can not dig under. It has a dirt floor but a poured concrete floor is nice and easy to clean.
Draw out a detailed plan for the hen house including doors, windows, roosts, and nest boxes, to add up all the supplies to buy. There are many good books available with detailed plans for hen houses and chicken coops. It is necessary to be able to clean out the house at least once a year so make the door large enough for a wheelbarrow to get through. Check out used lumber stores such as Habitat for Humanity stores for recycleable items to build the house and pen. Some junk yards have old chain link fencing, that will last much longer than standard chicken wire. It should be at least 6 foot high and don’t forget gates and poles. Old vinyl siding is great for the walls of hen houses. Check with vinyl installers because often they have to remove old siding and dispose of it. Don’t scimp on the roof, it can’t leak as wet chicken manure will give off deadly ammonia gas. PVC pipe is a great building material for gates and for the framing of nest boxes and roosting poles. The less wood you used for building the better because it will rot and being porous is a hiding place for mites and lice. Use treated wood for all members that will touch the ground. Any windows only need to be screened openings in warm climates, to keep out vermin, with top hinged coverings to keep out the rain, or they can be old recycled fixed windows to simply let light in.
  Many people don’t think about all the chicken supplies that will be needed. A dry, insect and rat tight place to store chicken feed is a must. There should be at least two nest boxes for every five laying hens and a foot of roosting space for each bird. The roosts should be about a foot high and will need to be cleaned under each year so have them movable. It is best to make nest boxes out of vinyl or plastic so they are easily cleaned and can be kept disinfected. Old plastic crates and vinyl floor covering make good nest box materials. My nest boxes are made from PVC framing with vinyl siding screwed to the pipe for sides, floors, and tops. They sit on the outside of, and are attached to the hen house with sliding vinyl doors on the outside for egg removal. Inside the house there are small 6 by 8 inch openings with landing boards for the hens to use to enter the boxes which are some 2 to 4 ft. off the ground. The landing boards are hinged to close up the openings at night so the birds won’t roost in the nests and fill them with droppings. Nest boxes will need to be washed at times so plan on a way to open them up for cleaning. The ouside walls of mine come off easily by removing a few screws that hold the vinyl siding on. I can then go inside the house with a hose and squirt them out, with the water and dirt going away for the hen house.
Once the hen house and yard are all planned and the materials needed are gathered, building can start. Get the fence up using either metal or wood poles and be sure to plan for enough gates. It is important to have good strong, well braced corners and gate posts as these give the fence its most support. For metal posts, the corner and gate ones need to be set in concrete if using heavy chain link fencing. Don’t raise the fencing off the ground, put it tight to the soil or the chickens will go under it. Use old rotten posts or tree limbs to lay along the fence bottom to stop up holes and washes. Lay out where the house will go and get the corners squared up. Be sure of where all water, gas, and electrical lines are before doing any digging. Put in what type of footing or foundation will be used and then start framing up the walls with openings for windows and doors laid out. Cover the sides with materials such as, tin, vinyl, lapboard, etc. and then tackle the roof.
Now that the poultry yard and hen house are built, get ready for the flock. Check out some of my other articles on the home chicken flock.

Chicken varieties and deciding on a breed to raise

Raising and Hatching out Baby Chicks

Building an Automatic waterer for you Chickens

Chicken feeding and buying chicken feeds