Whether you have just a few chickens or many, what should be inside your chicken coop for happy hens is a question that all beginners have. The inside of a chicken coop needs to be properly equipped to house those feathery friends, because without the prop setup, your chickens won’t thrive.
Of course, it’s not just about the chickens themselves being healthy and happy, but also about ensuring that you can maximize egg production. That’s right, what you have inside a chicken coop and what the quality of the chicken coop interior is like has a direct impact on egg productivity.
Today, we’re going to teach you everything you need to know about what to put in a chicken coop, how big a chicken coop should be, tips about decorating a chicken coop, and everything in between.
Table of contents
Chicken Coop Layout: A Comprehensive Overview
When it comes to the inside of a chicken coop, the overall layout is very important to consider. First and foremost, every chicken needs around 3 square feet of floor space, to have enough room to maneuver and to feel comfortable laying eggs.
You’ll then also want to integrate a variety of essential components for your chickens, including chicken coop nesting boxes, feeding areas, and perches.
A perch is quite important, because this elevated bar or plank allows chickens to sleep comfortably at night.
Remember, a chicken’s survival instincts tell it to seek high ground when sleeping to avoid predators, so it is absolutely necessary to have it on the inside of a chicken coop.
Make sure to put litter trays underneath the perches, because chickens defecate while they sleep, another mess you don’t want to deal with when it comes to the chicken coop interior.
A separate feeding area from both the nesting boxes and the perches is also vital to have, as this allows you to keep your chickens well fed with nutritious food, while cutting down on mess and cleanup time. You don’t want the chicken coop nesting boxes or other such areas to be full of chicken feed and residue!
On that note, keeping your chickens well-fed with a nutritionally balanced diet is also very important to egg production and chicken health! Another aspect to consider here is insulation, especially if you live in an area where it can get quite cold.
Cold chickens are unhappy chickens, and unhappy chickens don’t like laying eggs. If you’re wondering, “Should I Insulate my chicken coop?” the answer is yes, because they can get cold quite easily.
Furthermore, chickens also prefer fairly bright lighting inside the chicken coop, something else to keep in mind. The lights don’t have to be anything overly special or state-of-the-art, but they do need to provide optimal lighting for inside the chicken house.
Ensuring Optimal Ventilation
An important aspect of building a chicken coop is ventilation. Chicken coop ventilation is vital to the overall health of the chickens, as well as to their ability to produce eggs. As we mentioned above, chickens poop while they sleep, and poop releases ammonia into the air.
If too much ammonia builds up in the chicken coop interior, it can be detrimental to their health. High levels of ammonia are essentially poisonous and may also lead to other health concerns. Therefore, ensuring that your chicken coop has proper ventilation is paramount.
A great way to do this is by taking a page out of VEVOR’s playbook, a brand that among other things specializes in chicken coops and chicken coop setups. For instance, VEVOR features a really nice metal chicken coop (which also comes in a larger version, as well as in a domed-roof version as well). These are simple yet effective metal mesh chicken coops.
Thanks to being made out of mesh instead of having solid walls, ventilation is made an issue of the past. They all come with waterproof covers too, so you don’t have to worry about your chickens getting wet and cold when it rains!
When it comes to a small chicken coop interior layout, chicken coop vents are another option to consider for ventilation, particularly if you want the coop itself to have solid walls.
Remember, a mesh cage chicken coop is fine for warmer environments, but you’ll need something with better insulation and heat retention for colder areas. In this case, a solid-walled chicken coop with chicken coop vents, such as the VEVOR shutter exhaust fan, would be perfectly fine.
Cozy Nesting Boxes: A Hen’s Haven
In terms of what should be inside a chicken coop, chicken coop nesting boxes are very important to have, and not just any old nesting boxes either. If you expect egg laying hens to be productive, they need to have the right environment.
They need to be in a small and enclosed space, as this helps make them feel safe and secure. However, that small space should also have plenty of ventilation and air flow for proper temperature control (and to allow ammonia fumes to dissipate).
At the same time, having a chicken coop that is built out of solid materials so it lasts for a long time, while also having features to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the chickens, are essential considerations as well.
Remember that good chicken coop nesting boxes should also have integrated perches and steps for easy access. In many cases, they may also have an open backside to make egg retrieval breeze.
If you’re wondering how to find a chicken coop nesting box that meets these needs, you may once again want to turn to VEVOR, specifically this Galvanized Steel 10-Hole Chicken Nesting Box. It’s a really solid model, and doesn’t cost a fortune either. It actually meets every single one of the requirements of a good chicken coop nesting box that we just mentioned.
Essential Supplies for a Well-Stocked Chicken Coop
If you’re wondering what to put in a chicken coop, there are a few specific things that you’ll need to keep the chickens happy and to maximize their egg production. The following are the essential supplies for a chicken coop:
- The chicken coop itself
- Chicken coop nesting boxes
- Chicken coop ventilation fans or exhausts
- Chicken perches
- Litter trays for waste collection
- A chicken food feeder for the feeding area (with chicken feed)
- Straw, hay, or pine shavings for bedding
- A reliable waterer for hydration
- Covers for the feeders and waterers
- A lighting system for illumination
- Heat lights or heating elements may be needed for colder climates
- An automatic door opening system for the chicken coop
- Egg collection baskets
Calcium and grit supplements
Once again, VEVOR is a great brand to consider for all of your supplies for a chicken coop, with items such as this Galvanized Poultry Feeder that holds 50 lbs of chicken feed or this Chicken Waterer both being at the forefront of their selection. They’re made out of solid materials, are hassle-free, and easy to clean as well.
Speaking of automatic chicken door openers, this model from VEVOR this model from VEVOR is a prime option to keep in mind. It’s a great way to ensure that your chickens can make their way in and out of the coop as they please, while also ensuring that predators are kept out and warmth is kept in.
Tips for DIY Enthusiasts
While buying a chicken coop is always a possibility, building your own is another option. If you want to make a DIY chicken coop, then you can build it and outfit it any way you see fit, which is of course a great benefit to have. Let’s take a quick look at some tips for building and decorating a chicken coop.
- If building your own chicken coop from scratch, always plan ahead and sketch out a design first, including what the inside of your chicken coop will look like. Creating an ideal small chicken coop interior layout is essential to the success of this project.
- Always choose a good location for the chicken coop, somewhere with plenty of sunlight and ground that drains well.
- Making sure to use high-quality materials when building a chicken coop is another essential. Depending on the climate you live in, having weather-resistant materials may be required.
- Another valuable tip to keep in mind is that your chicken coop should be built to ensure that it is easy to clean. Maintaining a clean coop is important as far as chicken health and egg production are concerned.
Optimal Design for VEVOR Chicken Coop
The VEVOR Chicken Coops that we linked to above are all great options to consider, especially because they are so durable. Being made out of solid metal mesh, like a large fence or cage, means that predators can never get inside, thus keeping your chickens safe from harm.
Not only is metal caging nearly indestructible, but it also allows for adequate ventilation and airflow. That said, it does also come with special waterproof tarps and covers to keep your chickens dry, which also helps in terms of warmth and insulation as well. Let’s not forget that they come in various sizes as well!
Conclusion
If you plan on having healthy chickens that lay plenty of eggs, a good chicken coop is important, especially in terms of what should be inside a chicken coop. Inside a chicken coop should contain feeders and waterers, high-quality nesting boxes, perches, waste trays, lights, and ventilation systems, at the very least. However, it does all start with the right chicken coop, and this is where the VEVOR chicken coops discussed today come into play. In terms of durability, being able to customize the inside of a chicken coop, and protection, that VEVOR Chicken Coop just can’t be beat!
