Would you like the opportunity to go out into your garden each morning and collect some fresh eggs that your chickens have laid? If you would but are a complete novice then beginning with a small flock made up of 2 or 4 hens should be considered. If you are going to be keeping only a small flock of chickens then buying a good quality portable chicken coop would be your best option.

As you will soon discover there are certain advantages to be gained from getting this kind of coop for your garden no matter what size it is. Below we take a look at some of the reasons why you should consider getting a portable chicken coop when considering owning some hens.

Reason 1 – These coops are going to cause far less damage to your garden than one that is permanently fixed in a location. The reason for this is that you will be able to move it around to prevent the chickens from tearing up the garden too much when they search the ground for things to eat.

Want your hens happy, healthy and productive? Like to build your own coop but not sure if you have the skills or tools? What features of a hen house design are essential and how big should it be? How about nest boxes and ventilation? All these questions and more are answered right here.

Feel encouraged! – Provided you’re willing to make a little effort, you can almost certainly build your own chicken coop at home. Despite no wood working experience prior to building our first coop, it’s still in use many years on. The keys to your success are clear and detailed coop construction plans along with giving yourself time.

Regarding tools, most plans for a chicken coop will only require basic equipment. Your tools do not need to be electrical – although you’ll be finished faster if they are. You will need a drill with bits, a wood saw and a screw driver. A junior hacksaw or jig saw would make cutting curves easier and needless to say you also need a pencil and tape measure.

If you’re a budding architect and wish to design your own coop, or if you’re thinking of buying plans for a chicken coop, make sure certain essential basic features are incorporated:

Saving money is important, whether you’re just getting started or getting more chickens, so building a chicken coop yourself is a great solution. Good ready built coops are expensive – and you will still have to assemble the pieces themselves, so find some well-produced plans and get going.

Its a great family project too. Depending on the ages of your children, they will be able to help building the chicken coop by doing something: fetching and organising the materials, telling you what to do next, assembling some of the pieces or even building the entire chicken coop.

So, what kind of chicken coop will work best for you? For a small flock of three hens, try a chicken ark.

Chicken arks are designed to be moved around the plot to give the chickens new ground each day. They are a triangular shape with a covered nest box and roosting space at one end attached to an open run at the other. A chicken ark should take you no more than a day to build.