Below are the 2 most recent journal entries recorded in a44viereck42's InsaneJournal:

Saturday, December 11th, 2010
1:57 am	DIY Chicken Coop Plans Search In case you are a farmer or you life in the countryside there is a big chance that you keep chickens. Chickens lay eggs that you can cook for dinner or sell in the market. Most likely these are the reasons why you are keeping them. However, it is not just enough for you to have your chickens roaming your farm. You very likely have considered building a chicken coop yourself, but so far you had no idea on how to get started. Fortunately, there are a lot of chicken coop blueprints available for you. Here are some places where you can find one. These days the best place to start looking is of course the internet. Plans are eas to locate by using your favorite search engine and in a lot of cases you can even download them free of charge There are lots of websites offering information on how to build a chicken coop and they also provide blueprints. The good thing about getting them from the internet is the online community. They can provide you with support and advise when you encounter problems building your own chicken coop. The next place to look for chicken coop blueprints is in feed stores. They are normally given out by lumber companies as information packets. These blueprints are very detailed in the design, instruction and maintenance. The downside is that in case you experience problems, there is no community where you can ask for help and get instant feedback. Another alternative place to look for plans are livestock magazines. There are many free livestock magazines where you can find free plans. Lot of times, however, you will have to send a Business Reply Mail or even call a phone number. So whether you get them online, from feed stores or inside magazines, there are many available blueprints when building your own chicken coop. You should be ware that mistakes happen easily and this is why you should not start building a coop without a good blueprint. Often these mistakes will not become obvious until you have completed the hen house, and by then it could be too late to sort out any problems. It is certainly worth investing a few dollars to get professional advice and tips along the way (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
7:03 am	DIY Chicken Coop Raising chickens can either be done as a hobby or for profit. To get the most out of your chickens, you will have to look after them carefully so they stay healthy and lay a lot of eggs. So how do you take care of them in the best way? Chicken coop building plans should come first on your to-do list. These chicken coop plans give the coop better quality. Of course you may still improvise and let your creativity flow. You just need a couple of points and reminders to build an effective and homely coop. In difference to buying a pre-built coop, making a chicken coop yourself will not be expensive at all. One of the main things you can do to keep costs as low as possible is to pick some used materials. Used materials give you the chance to use your creativity in designing your chickens coop. You will need ot get some lumber or wood, tarps, pipes, and other materials. Most of this can be found at local garage sales, or in DIY shops. A chicken coop consists of the following parts: chicken nest boxes, chicken roosts, chicken feeders and water containers. Nesting boxes are needed ot your hens have a place to lay eggs. You'll need some straw for this or other padding to protect the eggs from cracking when they lay. You should also have padding attached to them, because hens tend to scratch on the bottom of the nest. Additionally make sure that you have enough nesting boxes for your hens. The roosts are made higher or close to four feet. It is a good idea to place them close to the doorway, because droppings are laid just below them. The feeders and containers may consist only of a bucket, complete with the lid, with holes drilled below and a basin. You may look it up on the internet to see the exact procedure, which may take only 20-30 min to make. Incorporate in your chicken coop building plans other elements as well. Make sure that there is a light source for the chickens. You also have to make sure that your chickens are protected from predators. Enough ventilation should be present. And last but not least: make sure there is a lot of love. This will help your chickens to stay happy and healthy. (Comment on this)