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Poultry Plans for Successful Indoor Chicken Raising
Most people raising chickens think they need a large outdoor area to do so, but in reality it can be done in a small area of the garage. But whether you raise chickens for eggs or for meat and whether you keep your birds indoors or out, your overall poultry plans will determine your success.
Before beginning construction on your chicken coop or buying your birds you will need to come up with an overall plan. Your chicken coop will need to be large enough to house your birds so deciding how many birds you are going to raise should be your first objective.
Raising a large number will require you to build a large permanent structure while raising just a few will allow you to build a simpler, cheaper portable coop. With a small number of birds you can even build indoor housing. A permanent outdoor coop will be larger and more expensive to build because it will house an increased number of chickens.
A portable outside hen house will save you money and keep your birds healthier. Indoor housing can also be fairly inexpensive, but a few extra precautions will need to be taken. You will need to decide if you are raising your birds to provide you with meat, eggs, or both because different breeds will be required for each.
Once you have decided what type and how many you will be raising it's time to build their housing. If it's going to be in a permanent outdoor location it should be in an area that drains well, has good air circulation, is free from loud noises, and is not too close to your home due to possible odors. It should be in an area where it is easily accessible so collecting eggs, feeding, watering, and cleanup are as efficient as possible.
Building a portable outdoor poultry coop will be similar to a permanent one, but it will be smaller and movable. It will not have a cement or wooden floor, but will use the ground as a floor. This will allow the birds to forage for some of their own food, saving you a little money on your feed bills while keeping your chickens happy and healthy.
Indoor chicken coops are ideal for a small family without a large yard or with neighbors that will complain about chickens being so close to their home. Two cages that are each about three or four feet square will house about three or four laying hens. One nest will serve nicely for all of these birds. In a small space cannibalism may occur so it would be wise to have your chicks de-beaked at about 8 to 10 days of age.
With indoor coops it's important to have wire bottoms with pull-out trays so that cleanup will be efficient and easy. A small wattage light bulb should be attached to each indoor coop to provide both light and heat. Ideally you will have a feeder that will be accessible from the outside of the cage. This will allow you to add feed without the need to open the cage door and disturb the chickens.
Raising meat birds can also be done indoors. The easiest method is to buy day-old meat breeds and stick them in a three or four foot square cage. They will be butchered at about 8 weeks of age and will require about 1 square foot per bird.
If you want to raise large roasters inside they will not be butchered until as late as 20 weeks of age. These larger birds will each need about 2 to 3 square feet of space as they grow bigger so plan accordingly. Start them all together in one cage and then separate them into additional cages as they grow larger.
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