If you haven’t kept chickens before, it may seem to be a daunting prospect when you see all the chicken coops that are available for sale.

Here are some points you may wish to consider to help you purchase the correct chicken house for you.

Consider how many hens you intend to keep and look for a coop that will be large enough to house the type abd number you have chosen. Ideas-4-pets have chicken coops that will house from 3 - 20 hens.

Do you intend to keep your hens in a run or will they have full access to your garden or to spare land? If you intend to keep your garden as a garden, then you should purchase a run for your hens.

You can purchase some chicken coops that are tanalised. This means that you do not have to treat them with preservative as they have been pressure treated with Tanalith so that they will last you for up to 20 years maintenance free. These are always more expensive but are a good purchase if you do not have the time to maintain your chicken coop.

Alternatively, if you do not mind treating your coop annually then there are plenty of chicken houses on the market to choose from. There are those which have a coop and run attached in the one building or there are chicken coops which are single items but you can purchase the chicken runs to go with them.

Some coops are supplied with nesting boxes and some are not, but it is quite easy to make your own from a smallish box with the front and back taken off or lowered to give your hens access and also for you to take the eggs out.

Some hen houses are supplied with perches but some are not. This is becuase the diameter of the perch can vary dependant upon the size of the birds you choose to keep. Hen keepers have reported that they have made their own perches from dowelling, tree branches or even broom handles !!

It is worth remembering that chickens do scratch at the ground and you may wish to move the chicken coop around in order to allow the grass to re-grow. If this is the case then a chicken run with carrying handles would be a better option for you.

If you have foxes in the area then safety for your hens is paramount. It is worth investing in a scratch mat for underneath the run or alternatively put your own wire mesh underneath to stop the foxes from digging underneath the run to get at the hens. If the mesh is big enough this shouldn’t stop your hens from scratching the ground.

Whatever type of chicken coop you choose for your hens, think before buying, take the points mentioned into consideration and enjoy many years of chicken keeping !!