Chicken coop plans or chicken coop blueprints range in scope and purpose. Now that you have made a decision to look for coop plans it is apparent that you have probably set your mind to building your own coop. As you well know building your coop is one way of doing it, others even choose to buy a pre-built coop. There are many places with chicken coops for sale.
Now that there are so many places online that you can purchase chicken coop blueprints it is more important than ever to know what a good plan looks like. Many people with well meaning intentions have made costly mistakes by assuming that advertised chicken coop blueprints offer what they are looking for. To the contrary it’s important to ask certain questions before you buy a plan. For example, are you looking to build a fixed coop or a portable coop?
It is possible to buy a chicken coop blueprint and give it to a professional woodworker to build it for you or to buy and build yourself. In both cases the interest of your chickens remain paramount. This means a coop should ensure that your chickens are not only safe but also comfortable. Regardless of your reason of rearing chickens i.e. for eggs or poultry when chickens are comfortable they will also be extremely productive. Why your coop plan should offer safety first is because chickens are vulnerable to all manner of predators.
The issue of portable and fixed coops also brings an important consideration that you must make before looking at or investing in chicken coop plans. This same issue applies even to storage shed plans - zoning. Remember that local regulations may prohibit fixed design chicken coops and even portable design coops altogether. You therefore need to check with your local office. Moreover also consider your neighbor. Chickens make noise and release foul smell sometimes. This may upset your neighbor if you do not have their prior nod to put up a chicken house.
Depending on where you live, these predators range from foxes, coyotes, snakes, cats and even hawks. You can probably imagine how much your chickens will be vulnerable in a badly designed backyard chicken coop. This means building a great chicken house must be based on a great blueprint. In as much as we like free things, I personally would not recommend many of the free chicken coop plans floated all across the internet. They are usually not good quality and meant to entice unsuspecting individuals into getting something that is not really useful. If you are looking for something to purchase I recommend building a chicken coop. Bill Keene has many different chicken coop blueprints to pick from over and above the fact that he is a well respected woodworker.
Free Chicken Coop Plans Vs Paid Chicken Coop Blueprints
Should you decide to go with free chicken coop blueprints you have the responsibility to check if the chicken coop shown on the plan offers solid protection to your chickens. A good hen house plan must take care of the possibility of predators digging through the ground to reach your chickens or their eggs. This means the plan should include a solid floor made from concrete which goes some level into the ground. This should be the basic standard of any fixed design chicken coop unless you are opting for a portable coop.
Here are some considerations about free coop plans in the light of paid professionally designed chicken coop blueprints;
- Free plans often lack important constructional detail
- Free plans are generally useful to pros who have built before and are experienced
- Free plans almost always require further research thereby defeating the whole purpose of saving time and money
- Free plans will often lack a walk-by-the-hand step by step approach which anyone fairly new to this field desperately requires.
The following is what I would say are hallmarks of good chicken coop plans. You may use this checklist to help you identify the best plans on the market;
- Plans must be coop safety compliant both for chickens and you
- A good coop blueprint has a complete list of required materials
- A good coop plan will also show the tools you will likely need
- A good plan will show you how to protect your chickens from predators
- A good chicken coop plan will include issues of climate control and ventilation
- A good chicken coop plan will show you how to extend your coop with a free range enclosure
All the best in your chicken coop building plans. Please feel free to drop me an email containing your experience.