Raising Chickens/shelter
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 (Discussion) |
Starting Up:
Building a shelter 
| Building a pen 
Choosing a breed 
| Pen Maintenance 
Finding a Hatchery | Local Regulations
Taking care of your Chickens:
Chicks 
| Feeding | Watering | Winters
Dealing with death | Butchering Chickens
Keeping your chickens happy
Other:
One of the most important components to your pen (other than the fence) is the chicken house. A chicken house can be an old building or built from scratch. It is especially important that it is well ventilated, yet does not provide easy access for predatory animals such as dogs, foxes and wolves. Another thing to keep in mind is the climate in your area. In colder climates you would probably want to build a shelter that will hold in heat more. While in warmer climate the opposite effect is more desired. The primary goal is to reach a comfortable temperature.
Your coop should have some chicken wire under the floor if it is on the ground. If it is off the ground make sure it is high enough so that rodents don't nest under it. Also, make sure the ground absorbs moisture quick enough. To test this, dig a hole in the ground and pour a little water into it.
Public domain instructions for constructing a small chicken house are available from the Institute for Appropriate Technology.
