How to choose the right hen house

As a hen owner or future hen owner, you're wondering which model is best for you. There are a wide variety of hen houses available on the Internet, and it's hard to know which one is best suited to your needs, especially if you live in a northern region.

Here are some important points to consider when building a henhouse:

Insulation

Insulation is recommended to avoid heat loss in cold weather (winter). However, it's important not to over-insulate, otherwise humidity will remain inside the coop, causing more health problems than the cold. Ideally, there should be an air inlet and outlet. This way, there will be a change of air that will allow humidity to evacuate. It's important to cover the insulation on the walls, as the hens may swallow it. Insulation can be made using polystyrene, rodent-proof wool, straw, hemp, etc.

Interior cladding

It's important to choose the right materials for the floor and walls, because chickens will get them dirty. Feces, blood and table scraps will be everywhere. The ideal solution is to use a washable covering, such as plastic panels, coroplast or linoleum for the walls and floor. This will make cleaning the coop much easier and limit the presence of parasites.

The size

Before building or buying a chicken coop, it's important to know how many hens you want to keep. You need to allow 4 square feet per hen inside and 10 square feet per hen outside. These dimensions are essential to guarantee the hens' well-being. A minimum height of 4 feet is required for perching.

Predator resistance

You've probably heard of the “chicken wire”. Despite its name, this is not a good choice of wire mesh for your pen. It's too soft, and a dog paw or cockfight can easily create a hole. Ideally, you should use a square fence with a maximum diameter of ½ inch. This type of mesh keeps out predators (raccoon, fox, dog, ermine, weasel, mink, fishercat, etc.). It's also very important to use hard-to-open latches or locks on doors, otherwise raccoons will be able to get in. Ideally, the wire mesh should be buried in the ground, or large stones placed around the enclosure to prevent intrusion from the ground (e.g., a fox digging).

Essential components of a chicken coop

• A window equipped with a ½-inch-diameter screen
• Perch (higher than the nesting boxes, otherwise the hens will sleep in and there will be droppings on the eggs)
• Nesting boxes (close to the ground)
• Ventilation hatch
• Feeder and waterer 
• Heating elements for winter (heat bulb and/or heat trough)

Exterior appearance

Let your imagination run wild here. The chickens will be happy as long as their needs are respected!

Adding a flower bed around the outdoor enclosure can be a good idea for growing medicinal herbs for your hens.