How to Build Chicken Coops: Everything You Need to Know, Updated & Revised

by Samantha Johnson, Daniel Johnson

Overview

This revised and expanded edition of How to Build Chicken Coops—one of the best-selling titles in Voyageur’s successful series licensed by Future Farmers of America (FFA)—provides complete and easy-to-follow instructions on building a coop, including 16 pages of new content.

Voyageur’s acclaimed FFA-licensed series has helped countless first-time animal owners confidently care for their new companions. How to Build Chicken Coops provides answers in a one-stop reference so chicken owners don’t have to waste time searching online for advice.

Whether readers are involved in the FFA, interested in starting an urban or suburban flock, or just curious about country living or urban farming, raising chickens is a great way to get started. And, when you build your own coop, you can make customizations to meet your specific needs and save money at the same time!

Beautifully designed and authoritatively written, How to Build Chicken Coops is a trusted guide to new chicken keepers of all ages. Inside, readers will find more than just a collection of plans, but a compendium of the background and insider information for chicken owners. How much space will you need? What is dust bathing? How many nest boxes and windows will your coop need? How much will it cost? What steps do you need to take to keep your chickens safe from predators?

Expanded and redesigned to appeal even more to middle and high school age enthusiasts, How to Build Chicken Coops takes the guesswork out of building a safe and comfortable home that’s just right for your flock of chickens.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760364116
Publisher:	Harvard Common Press
Publication date:	01/08/2019
Series:	FFA Series
Edition description:	2nd Enlarged ed.
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Samantha Johnson (Phelps, Wisconsin) and her brother, Daniel, have collaborated on a number of rural-living guidebooks, including How to Raise Rabbits and Beginner's Guide to Beekeeping. Both are 4-H alumni and live on the family farm, Fox Hill Farm, in far northern Wisconsin. Samantha is a certified horse show judge and raises purebred Welsh Mountain ponies and Dutch, Holland Lop, and Netherland Dwarf rabbits.

Daniel Johnson (Phelps, Wisconsin) and his sister, Samantha, have collaborated on a number of rural-living guidebooks, including How to Raise Rabbits and Beginner’s Guide to Beekeeping. Both are 4-H alumni and live on the family farm, Fox Hill Farm, in far northern Wisconsin. Daniel is a professional photographer whose work can be seen at foxhillphoto.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction 6

1 Why You Need A Coop 14

2 Considerations Before Building 26

3 Designing Your Coop 54

4 Tools And Necessary Skills 84

5 Building The Coop 102

6 Adapting And Converting Coops 160

Resources 183

Index 186

Acknowledgments 190

About The Authors 191

Editorial Reviews

09/15/2015
So you've decided on raising chickens, which means you've got to figure out where to put them. One great place to start is this manual by sibling coauthors Samantha and Daniel Johnson. The duo has a number of introductory farming and animal husbandry books to their credit, some, such as this one, with the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Organization logo. The instruction is friendly, and illustrations show teens doing construction. The weight of the book is focused on planning, materials, tools, and special considerations of weather, predators, etc. For all the instruction, however, there's only one coop design, which provides a great foundation for all the necessary elements for the best coop for your flock. For variety, you'll need to find other sources. VERDICT This book is ideal for high school students or adults who need an introduction on raising chickens and coop building. Pair it with Chris Gleason's Art of the Chicken Coop or Kevin McElroy and Matthew Wolpe's Reinventing the Chicken Coop.

Library Journal