The economy is starting to affect more and more people and therefore people are looking for different ways to save money. This can be done by a lot of different ways but two popular ones are growing your own food and getting animals to produce food. For example, many people are getting chickens to produce eggs.
While this is something minor, it is also a healthier option and more organic. It can also become a fun hobby and way to make a little extra money. I have a friend who brings his extra eggs into work and has no problem selling them. One tip here, he has people bring him the egg containers so he can reuse them. Another way to go green and save some money.
Since raising chickens to produce eggs is becoming more popular, so are plans chicken coop. There are several ways to build one without going broke and soemthing else you should consider is a cost effective way to install and run the outdoor lighitng.
Chicken Coop Designs
You can find a variety of designs online to build your own chicken coop. Or you can choose to create your own. If creating your own design I recommend you do some research on existing plans or built coops to understand what is a good design. There are several resources online that can help you find the designs you like. You can find some free plans and some detailed plans that you will need to pay a few dollars for.
The design you have to choose is all going to depend on a few different factors. You need to consider the size of your flock to determine the size plans chicken coop you are going to need. You can find portable coops for smaller flocks as well and these ones usually don’t have floors to them. They can be relocated if you have to move or if you choose to move them to a different part of the yard or barn. Additionally, dropping from chickens are a great source of fertilizer for your yard.
Lighting Your Chicken Coop
When you have designed your chicken coop, you may be thinking about lighting around it or even inside it as well as what to make it from. Many people who have larger coops like to have a small amount of light inside the coops. This is where low voltage outdoor lighting can help you out. You can find small bulbs or small lights that are low voltage to light your coops. This helps the chickens to walk around if they need to or to get outside.
You can also opt for utilizing low voltage outdoor lighting to surround the coop. This means you can always see what is going on and a better way to keep an eye on your flock in the evening hours. This is helpful if there are any predators in the area like coyotes. If you have an outside feeder for your chickens, outdoor lighting that is not too bright can help with seeing in the evening if they decide they want to eat.
Another option for lighting your coop is solar powered lighting. The battery on the solar lighting will charge during the day and then come on when it’s dark. This is a great way to save money on your electric bill. They also don’t have to be turned on and off, and some people tend to forget to flip a switch.
The lighting you choose should be installed properly and the cable should be buried or in a location that the chickens can’t peck at it. This is another advantage to solar powered lighting because there are no wires. For low voltage lighting you can run the wires up high or dig it deep enough that the chickens can’t get to it.
Overall, you can find plans for chicken coop online and another great resource is your local library. When it comes to lighting you should look at your local garden or hardware store. There are also great lighting options available online.
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