Location, Location, Protection
Aside from deciding on a coop design, size and the materials you will use to build housing for your chickens, you’ll also need to ensure your chickens are protected. Protected from the weather as well as predators.
First you’ll need to determine which predators are potential trouble in your region. This might be a pack of or lone coyotes, foxes, hawks, tame or feral dogs, and rodents that dig underneath or chew through fencing and get into the coop. Different measures for the various predators will be required.
Coop Location
As previously discussed, location is partially determined by land forms, but having the coop within a close distance (eye’s range is even better) to the house will help you keep a close eye on your chickens at a glanc to ensure their safety. Here is one of the joys of having a mobile chicken coop – you can easily transport it around the house.
Climate, Temperatures and Solar Gain
Another factor that needs to be considered with the location of your chicken coop is the climate. Do you live in a very hot area? Or do you get a lot of rain regularly? If you get rain frequently, you may consider building the chicken coop in an area that is more protected by nearby trees, helping to reduce the amount of direct rain that hits the house and keep the yard on the opposite side of where water typically runs to. Wind is another factor to consider – especially in cold climates – build the chicken coop in an area that’s near a decent amount of trees or other buildings to help shield the chickens from cold winds. While you do want ventilation in the coop, you don’t want gusts of wind during the winter months.
Finally, since your chickens are going to really require a good amount of natural sunlight in order to lay eggs effectively, try and build your chicken coop in an area that’s well lit and faces the sun. You want to maximize this or be prepared to run electrical light to the chicken coop – a costly venture over time.
Yard Fence
Considering the type of predator the different types of fences that are available make the best fit. For example, in high weasel populations you’ll need different fencing then you would if you only had to worry about a few coyotes once or twice per year.
As mentioned above, if you’re going to encounter digging animals, it will be most important that you build the house low enough into the ground that it’s difficult for them to burrow underneath it.
If you are looking at the possibility of larger predatory animals, then you’re going to need a fence that’s incredibly sturdy in order to keep them out effectively. This is why I strongly suggest having a good book or resource to explain all the possibilities of fencing, location, building and design to follow. It is vital that you pair your needs with the variety of fence and building materials. If you don’t, you may think you’re protecting your chickens, but you really haven’t done much but added a bit of decoration to the chicken coop. You could build the most perfect chicken coop ever, but if another animal decides to venture in, that perfect chicken coop and the animals within could be gone overnight. (See the chicken coop design links at right for more information and a few free designs to consider.)
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Chicken Coop Plans
