Hens can be kept in portable chicken arks, stationary (permanent) hen houses, or allowed to reside outdoors without any shelter at all. Every type of living arrangement has distinctive advantages, but previous to choosing which type is best for you it is wise to mull over a few things first. It is essential to make a good choice or you can end up with diseased chickens that produce very few eggs.

The easiest method is obviously to build no hen house at all. Allowing your pullets to run free in the backyard will usually save you a great deal of cash due to the fact that they will be able to acquire all of their own food which will do away with your feed bill completely. Moreover, you won't have to go to the expense or trouble to build a coop for them. If this all appears too easy, it is. There are a few issues with letting your hens run wild.

First of all, if your birds are allowed to scavenge for all of their own meals they will eat too many available grasses instead of needed protein. Not enough protein in their diet will result in poor egg production, which means you will end up with very few eggs. They also require a generous amount of calcium to create strong egg shells, but they will not get it eating plants and grasses. The answer to this dilemma is to supply them with an additional supplemental feed that contains generous amounts of calcium and protein.

A second prospective dilemma with letting your pullets free range is the risk of wild predators. Neighborhood pets and wild animals are eternally searching for something good to munch on and your birds will look mighty appetizing to them. Because of this threat it's critical to provide your pullets some variety of refuge where they can remain protected from wild predators. This is where movable chicken arks or stationary hen houses are needed.

If you plan on keeping just a small number of hens you can make a small portable chicken ark, also identified as a chicken tractor. These transportable arks will support up to 5 or 6 chickens, but no more. If you wish to successfully raise more poultry than this you can make a larger hen house to protect your birds.

Hen houses, also identified as chicken coops, have several advantages over movable chicken arks, the most evident being that you are able to raise more poultry. Each and every hen must be provided about 3 square feet. This means that a 50 square foot poultry coop (5 feet by 10 feet) can sufficiently house about 16 birds. With commercially hatched white leghorns you will be collecting approximately 14 eggs every day. This should be more than enough for a small chicken grower.

Another advantage of a hen house is their size. Your poultry will have more space which is crucial. Exceedingly crowded birds have a tendency to peck each other. This is known as cannibalism among the flock, which can in time lead to death. Offering your pullets some extra space can prevent this problem.

The best chicken sheds will have two separate areas; a framed wood house and an out-of-doors caged area. The inside area is where the feeders, water fountains, and nest boxes will be located. Providing water for your pullets in a stationary (permanent) hen house can be automatically controlled because the water fountains can receive their water from a normal faucet. This eliminates the chore of having to change the water each day as you would with a movable ark or tractor.