Optimal Positioning for a Backyard Chicken Coop

The topic of this article is crucial when it comes to raising chickens in your backyard. Where you choose to position your chicken coop has a direct effect on the number of eggs your chickens will lay, and of course, you'll want to collect as many eggs as possible for maximum results.

When you are getting ready to get your chicken coop set up, make sure to take the time to carefully consider its placement. Picking the perfect place in your yard is critical to your chicken coop's success. Consider a backyard chicken coop a long term investment. By doing this, you'll see just how important it is to get things started off right, so that you can enjoy your investment many years into the future.

You should consider the following factors:

Protection

First up you should think about predatory animals. Basically, the general idea is that the closer you can place your chicken coop to where you are going to be, the easier it will be to keep an eye on the chicken coop.

Also, if you happen to have a very large farm, you may only have certain areas of your yard that encounter animals, so choosing to place the coop as far away from that would be a very smart move.

Climate

Another thing to pay attention to when positioning your chicken coop is the weather. Does is rain a lot where you live? Or is it hot much of the time? If so, considering positioning the chicken coop beneath a dense trees that can provide much needed shade in hot weather, and will also protect the coop from being rained upon directly.

If your area tends to get a lot of rain, you should also make sure to construct the coop away from areas where water tends to pool. Otherwise, you may be dealing with a flooded chicken coop.

If your area is prone to strong winds, it's best to build a chicken coop near trees or buildings that can shield the coop. Remember that the chicken coop needs to be well ventilated, but it should not be routinely exposed to strong gusts of wind.

Sunlight

Finally, it's important that your chickens have access to natural sunlight on a regular basis in order to lay eggs consistently. Building your coop in an area that receives natural sunlight will eliminate the need to run an electrical light in the coop. Having to run a light in the coop is not only a hassle but may be costly in the long run.

So, keep these considerations in mind as you think about precisely where you'll put your chicken coop. Planning properly ahead of time will ensure that you'll be pleased with your coop in the long run, and will increase the number of fresh eggs you can collect from your chickens.