| Building a house to keep your hens safe and | | | | information on the types of materials that you will |
| comfortable is important if you plan to keep hens, so | | | | need to build your chicken house. The wall can be |
| you should start out with a good set of hen house | | | | made out of any type of material but wood is the |
| plans. Your hens are going to provide you with a | | | | most common, whether you use sheets of wood |
| fresh supply of eggs and for them to do this they | | | | such as plywood or particle board the result is the |
| need a house that meets certain criteria. Oh course | | | | same. The roof need to be fairly strong and resistant |
| one of the first things you should look into is your | | | | to the weather, a layer of plywood set on rafters |
| local laws as to whether you can have a poultry | | | | makes a good start. Follow this with shingles much |
| house and where you can locate it one your | | | | like the ones you use on your house for maximum |
| property. | | | | weatherproofing. |
| Your hen house plans should provide you with | | | | A good set of hen house plans will also tell you that |
| detailed instructions for the construction of the basic | | | | you should take the time to insulate the inside of |
| structure as well as the dimensions. You will need a | | | | your chicken house. While hens are relatively resistant |
| hen house that allows 1.5 to 2 square feet of space | | | | to the cold a little insulation goes a long way to |
| for each hen that you are planning to keep. Inside | | | | helping them stay warmer in the winter. An electric |
| your hen house you will need to construct a series of | | | | light is essential especially in the winter months it |
| nesting boxes for the hens to lay their eggs in. | | | | provides the extra light they need on short winter |
| Usually you need to have one nesting box for every | | | | days and helps provide a little heat on colder days. |
| 4 to 5 hens. | | | | Warm hens are more likely to keep you well supplied |
| Included in your hen house plans should be | | | | with eggs throughout the year. |