You can be an experienced poultry owner or only considering the idea of introducing your first birds into the family, but the most important choice that you will need to make is which house to choose. A chicken coop is not simply a house, but a safe and healthy, and happy place for your birds.
There are so many different styles, sizes, and features available that you can get; how do you know which ones are quality and which ones are flimsy junk? Here is your simple key to the right choice of a home for your flock.
Size Matters: Give Them Room to Roam
The greatest error that first-time owners commit is to underestimate space requirements. In tight spaces, chickens become irritated and stressed and engage in pecking, fighting and health problems. There is a rough guideline to the sleeping area within the coop that a minimum of 0.3 or 0.4 square metres should be allocated to each bird.
What is more important is the spacing out. To make birds happy and healthy, you need a safe enclosure. That is the reason why it is important to invest in a safe chicken coop and run combination. The run must provide at least 1 square metre per bird, though, of course, larger is preferable.
Safety First: Predators and Pests
We are over-saturated with active predators in Australia, whether these are foxes, dingoes, or even snakes and birds of prey. Your coop should be predator-proof.
Ditch the chicken wire and purchase an excellent, strong galvanised mesh (hardware cloth) that has tiny holes in it to keep out snakes and rats.
Essential Comfort: Laying and Roosting
Every good coop must have two things: roomy places to sleep and roomy places to lay.
- Roosting Perches: Chickens require a safe high perch to rest upon (this is their instinct). Make sure that the roosting bars are strong, rounded and higher than the nesting boxes. Provided there is no least 20cm of perch space per bird.
- Nesting Boxes: These must be dark, quiet and private. One nesting box should be for every 3-4 hens. The boxes are not to be higher than the roosts, as the birds will not sleep or foul in the boxes.
Ease of Maintenance: Save Your Back
The coop will be washed every week, so find something that makes the task less painful. A successful design will have:
- Simple Manipulation: The chicken coop and the run have large and wide doors.
- Removable Trays: An outward-sliding tray of metal or plastic dropping tray significantly reduces cleaning time.
- External Access to Eggs: This is a hinged roof or side door on top of the nesting boxes that allows you to collect eggs without having to step in.
Conclusion
When you browse chicken coops in Australia, you will find that quality materials are everything. Durable, rust-proof metal or pressure-treated timber should last longer and be more resistant to our harsh weather conditions.
Make good choices, and you will have a safe, happy flock and bountiful, delicious eggs.
