One of the most common mistakes is that people will have too many chickens in a small area.

Each chicken, to be happy and healthy (producing eggs consistently), will need at least 4 square feet of living space. If there are too many in a small area they tend not to lay eggs on a regular basis and also can more easily become ill.

A good first step is to make sure you have enough space to house your chickens comfortably. If your space is limited, you need to start from the square footage available, divide by 4 and then you will have the number of chickens appropriate for your given space.

Does this supply you with the number of eggs that you would like?

The most common breeds for egg laying is the Leghorn (white, chicken with white eggs) and the Rhode Island Read (red chicken with brown eggs), they are standard size and lay approximately two eggs every three days.

Bantam chickens (about half the size of standard chickens), lay about the same quantity of eggs but are smaller and then there are miniature chickens (Seramas being one type) which are only 5″ high full grown and they are mostly decorative chickens usually used for pets.

Understanding exactly what the purpose of your chicken building will help you choose the right chicken building plans for you and your needs.

Another aspect to consider would be the type of chicken building that would suit your situation, lifestyle and particular area. Chicken breeds differ in their temperament, their physical size, as well as, their egg size and also their egg-laying capacity. There are also single (egg-laying only) and dual purpose chickens (egg-laying and good for meat) that should be factored in to your decision as well.

Esthetics matter for people. There are many different styles of chicken buildings to choose from, ranging from standard looking tool sheds to fancy looking children’s play houses with windows and shutters and the like. Choosing a chicken building, that suits your specific area, with the lifestyle that you would like, will be a major factor in whether you will have a positive experience with your new flock.

Finding chicken building plans that contain a variety of different plans, with information on the various breeds, helpful tips on building and step-by-step instructions isn’t as difficult as you might think.

With the increase in people choosing to live green and raise their own chickens, there has been a focus on supplying the average person with the right material and information to construct their own chicken building.

Living green has always been something that made sense to me. Eating healthy foods is just one aspect of that and deciding to learn about chicken buildings and chickens was a good start. If you’ve found this usefull, there are more questions you might want to ask in this chicken building site.