A chicken coop can be made of wood – or you can construct a hen house from steel. A chicken coop with a foot print of 2m x 2m can hold 4 hens easily – which will give you 15 to 20 eggs per month. If you do not allow them into a larger space they cannot be called free range or organic. You will need a drinker and a feeder – these are plastic tubes which dispense food and water. It is best is to put your hen house on a concrete slab – or at least a plastic sheet.
Steel Hen Houses
Layer hens
Steel hen houses should be painted – and the steel sheet covering them should be of galvanised steel. They should be shaded or have some form of insulation in the roof. They need to be on a flat concrete slab about half a meter bigger all the way around. There should be a tap or water source near by – and electricity. If you are in a very cold place you will need heaters and in a hot place, fans. Most times it is better to have both. If you plan to raise broilers you will need to clean and sanitise your chicken house every 7 weeks – or after every cycle. If you are growing for eggs – the house will have a major clean up every 2 years or so.
Depending on the size of chicken coop or poultry house you will need a winching system for your chicken house curtains – smaller chicken houses do not need a winching system – the poultry curtains can be rolled by hand -but if you have the budget I would suggest a winch – it is a whole bunch easier. You can choose to grow free range eggs or organic eggs in a hen house – but you will need quite a bit more space and you will have to grow some food if you want to call your eggs organic. Free range just means that they have space – organic means they have space and that they eat organic food.