The Dos and Don’ts of Building Your Own Chicken Coop
Some quick tips that'll help you design at the drop of a feather.
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Do:
- Research municipal ordinances to make sure it’s legal to raise chickens on your lot.
- Ask your neighbors if they’re okay with hearing the occasional cluck from your hens.
- Remember to share an egg or two with your neighbors if they agree.
- Decide which breed of chicken you’d like to have before designing or purchasing a coop. (Size and space requirements depend on a bird’s type.)
Don’t:
- Buy or design a coop without consulting a resource guide first. We recommend Reinventing the Chicken Coop, by Kevin McElroy and Matthew Wolpe and The Chicken Health Handbook, by Gail Damerow and Jeanne Smith, both from Storey Publishing.
- Get a rooster unless you’re miles away from neighbors.
Diana Budds
A New York-based writer, Diana studied art history and environmental policy at UC Davis.
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