The first question you must ask yourself is, how many chickens do I want to keep? This answer however is likely to be determined by how much space you have available. The other factor is how many eggs you are looking to have laid each week.

Planning A Chicken Coop And Run

The chicken coop and run itself will take up most of the space so you must be certain that you have a large enough area for the chickens to run around in and to be safe from all predators.

The position of the run is your next consideration. It must be near enough to the house so you can keep an eye out for predators, and at the same time it is necessary for it to receive the early morning sun as this will help dry out any dew and give the chickens the maximum daylight hours.

The chicken coop will benefit greatly by being slightly elevated thus safeguarding against extremes of weather and providing a safe haven for your chickens.

The best type of fencing is critical both for around the chicken run itself and along the top, as this will provide the safety necessary from ground predators such as foxes, cats, raccoons etc., and also from the sky i.e., buzzards, hawks etc.

It's also useful to bury the fencing at least twelve to fourteen inches below the ground surface as foxes and rodents will often attempt to dig under the wire itself in order to gain access.

Cleaning Your Chicken Coop and Run

Chicken waste builds up quickly and so maintenance is an important issue. One method, if you have enough space, is to have two separate runs so you can alternate between them giving you time to clean without disturbing the chickens and allowing the ground to recuperate.

If you don't have the available space then layering straw in the run will reduce the cleaning out times and each time you need to clean out remember you can utilise the straw and waste by making a compost for the garden. The main point about cleaning your coop is to do it regularly. It will not be such a mammoth task then each time you do it.

A well designed, well built chicken coop and run will mean productive chickens which, after all, is the objective.