Chicken Pens – A Chicken Haven
A chicken pen is an enclosed space specifically for the breeding of chickens. It is also known as a chicken house or chicken coop. Chicken pens can house or accommodate from as little as one chicken to as many as 1000 chickens or more. It can be made on both small scale and large scale, depending on the number of chickens it intends to hold.
There are a number of different ways to build a chicken pen. The differences can be found in the materials used to erect the pens depending on how many the chickens are and for which purposes they are being kept. Different material needs may be needed for each of these. Fenced pens are the most common type of pens. Usually a gauze wire is used. Chicken gauze wire. Other common materials are bricks and wood plank.
Space is important for chickens to mature nicely and healthily. They require room to move close to. The region within the chicken pen ought to not be too restrictive. Egg laying chickens particularly require room to move close to and lay their eggs when they desire. Fresh air and a whole lot of direct sunlight are also important for the growth of these chickens. Ensuring chickens have sufficient room also prevent high mortality as instances of stamping and squashing are reduced.
Environmental factors are necessary to consider when building or buying a chicken pen such as temperature and humidity. It is important to understand and gather knowledge on the type of weather conditions in your area to know what type of chicken pen best suits the environment. It is very important to overcome environmental factors and using the right materials to suit you location. Fitting in heaters or fans in the pens may be an example of trying to overcome the weather element.
Chicken pens also keep chickens away from hungry predators. There are a lot of animals that may find the small chickens as prey this makes the chickens vulnerable. Dogs, cats, snakes and other animals may find chickens as an easily target and therefore a meal.
There are certain features which are universal to almost all type of pens. These are water holes or water containers, feeding stations and egg laying nests. Egg laying nests however may only be found in chicken pens were egg layers are kept. Feeding structures should always be kept clean, and checked if there is still an adequate amount of food since chickens feed throughout the day. Adequate amounts of food stations should also be there so that all the chickens will have a turn to feed. With the same importance is water. The same type of care must be taken with the water. Water stations must also be checked regularly. Chicken nests are important as chickens need a safe place to lay their eggs.
Chickens need to be in a clear spacious environment to grow healthily. The pens should always be kept clean. It is important that the chicken pen design allows accessibility for cleaning chicken droppings, changing water containers and also cleaning and filling up food stations. Some chicken pens are elevated and have wire mesh floors which make cleaning easier as the droppings pass through the mesh to the ground.
No matter what kind or style or problems set inside a chicken pen, at the end of the day what truly matters is that regardless of whether sufficient is becoming done to maintain chickens secure, wholesome and ultimately profitable.
