Nowadays, it is a common practice to maintain a small poultry coop at home. However, proper knowledge, time and aptitude to build a chicken housing at home are very essential. Many people even if they have required skills to construct a suitable enclosure for chicken, they may not be able to devote the time required to build the housing at home.

As more and more people are turning towards running a small poultry farm attached to their homes, the demand for pre-fabricated structures to house chickens has increased considerably and along with it the market for pre-fabricated structures has also grown.

While some of the pre-fabricated structures are of high quality, with a lot of attention paid to make the housing comfortable for the chickens and also facilitate the caretaker to clean the cages and maintain the chicken housing properly. Others are very small restricting the movement of even ten hens inside the structure.

Some of the other pre-fabricated housing available in the market are so clumsily built that it is not only difficult to wash but also quite tough for the caretaker to catch the chicken inside the housing. Some of the pre-fabricated pieces sold in the market are very substandard. The wire mesh is so thin and delicate that any intruder can force an entry into the chicken enclosure effortlessly.

It is perhaps better to look for cages or small "shelter-and-run" joint items. The other alternative is to buy a shed or a shelter allowing chickens to move about inside freely. If the intention is to have hen layers, it is better to go in for constructed nest boxes and have an enclosure to place these boxes from where they can be easily taken out.

It is common knowledge that chickens are fond of a perch or roost so that they can settle down off the floor. Some pre-fabricated structures have slide-in doors under the roost. This is necessary as the droppings in the shed accumulate under the roost area.

If the pre-fabricated housing is not provided with a door, a pit or a flat board can be kept under the roost area to make it easier for cleaning. The pit or board can be removed any time and discarded.

The following aspects need to be looked into before buying a pre-fabricated structure for chicken:

1) Location of the door - There should be a door close to the nest boxes to enable the caretaker to feed and water the chickens and also pick up the eggs easily when the hens lay eggs.

The door near the feed and water containers should also be sufficiently broad to place in and take out the dishes.

2) Flooring - It is advisable to have a flexible chicken shelter without any flooring rather than flooring fixed to the shelter so that it can be shifted from place to place, either keep it on the lawn or set it on cement flooring or arrange a flat wooden board for flooring. This will also help moving the housing for washing.

Pre-fabricated chicken shelter with a wire mesh as floor with trays under them to collect droppings is another useful alternative. If the housing has fixed flooring, cleaning, especially small shelters would be difficult. Even if the floors are detachable, they should be maintained properly.

If the floor is made of wire, they should be smooth and should not have wide gaps in between so that the feet of the chickens do not get stuck in the gaps in the wire mesh and do not slip and suffer injuries. The floors should be strong so that they do not wilt under the weight of the chickens. Sagging floors are always uncomfortable for chickens.

The housing should be sufficiently durable and should be able to prevent attacks from dogs and other large animals. The wire mesh on chicken coop should be strong and not made of plastic. Similarly, doors should have good latches.

3) Waterproof top - The chicken shed should have not only leak proof ceiling, especially in cold weather, but also have solid walls, preferably padded and sliding out floors.

Besides these aspects, they are a few other points that should be kept in mind. The pre-fabricated shelter selected should be attractive and neat. It should not be a cause for any complaints from the neighbors. People living in the city or have neighbors nearby at times, face such situations.

Finally, one should carefully examine the chicken shelter; try to open the doors, sliding-out floors and other features before formally buying the piece. A catalog or a picture on the website may not reveal complete information to facilitate decision making.

It is also essential to read the description indicating the weight, the dimensions and the materials used in fabricating the structures. If necessary, additional information can always be obtained by contacting the vendors.

If you are good with hand tools, you can save some money by building the chicken coop on your own. What you will need is some lumber, chicken wire and a good chicken housing blueprint.

About the Author:
If you are looking for a good chicken coop design plan, check out John Metz's Woodworking4Home package. Metz has prepared chicken house plans ranging from small to large coop. For more information, visit the Woodworking4Home download page and see what Metz has to offer.