Chicken Coop Plans ? What You Need to Know

A chicken coop is a structure you use to house your chickens. It is sometimes called a chicken shack. Fist time chicken growers might think that they can substitute a bird cage for a chicken coop. Unfortunately, this cannot be the case. Chickens have needs different from other birds like parrots or parakeets. You need not shortchange your chickens by using readily available bird cages because chicken shacks are easy to make anyway. You can build coops using available chicken coop plans or you can also make your own.

What are the important things that you should consider in creating chicken shack layouts?

The size of the coop is the first thing that should be considered. The coop should have enough space for each chicken to be able to freely move around without bumping into another. Normally each chicken should have about 2 – 3 square feet of space.

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The next important aspect that you have to consider in making chicken coop plans is the protection it gives against extreme weather conditions. Chickens are easily affected by drafts. The chicken coop should have ample protection against this like having covers on the walls. The cover should be something that can be rolled down whenever there is strong wind or rolled up when the air is hot or humid.

Then you should also consider protection against predators. The walls should be strong enough to ward them off. There shouldn’t be any access for any predator to get in.

Provisions for cleaning the coop should also be considered. There should have enough windows and doors where you can take the chickens out or put them back in. There should be accesses for removing wastes or for replenishing food.

Chicken coop plans should be well thought of. Well planned coops will be good for the health of your chickens and will also make things easier for you.

www.drrossperry.com.au with Dr Ross Perry Bird Vet Specialist in Sydney, Australia introduces www.budgerigarhealth.com and himself to budgie fanciers and vets.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

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What you need to know about health and hygiene with regard to your pet and aviary birds

Decent hygiene is the biggest contributor to ensuring a fit and healthy bird or flock, whereas poor hygiene is the most common cause of poor health within your avian community. Of course you may unknowingly acquire a bird that is not in peak form and whose health still deteriorates regardless of what you do; I’m sorry! But in this situation there’s nothing you can do, best to accept your loss and try again, but hopefully and with a little luck you will never encounter this type of situation in your bird keeping pursuits.

The first thing to do if you have a number of birds and want to introduce more to your menagerie is to keep your new bird in quarantine for a few weeks, that is to keep it separated from your other birds so as you can monitor it and deal with any health or other issues before introducing your new cage or aviary mate to the rest of the group. This will prevent any infectious illnesses being passed on to your other birds. This is very important and should never be overlooked even if your new feathered friend appears fine when first acquired!

Get to know your pet bird or birds, keep a close eye on them, interact with them and watch them regularly. This way if any of your birds have a change of character or appear down then you will instinctively know that you may have a problem.

I am not a vet, just an enthusiastic bird keeper and as such I am unable to give you detailed lists of avian illnesses or how to deal with them, always best to consult an avian vet if you are worried. OK, I know that vet bills are often quite extortionate so I would advise to take out some type of pet insurance to help cover the costs, there are plenty of good pet bird insurance deals available, try the local pet shop, the vet, or do an online search for a good deal.

If you are observant enough you will soon spot any bad signs but to help the signs of ill health in most pet birds are the same:

your bird plucks its feathers

it loses its appetite and eats less than normally

bare spots appear in the plumage

discharge flows from the nostrils

the plumage of your bird starts to look dull or ruffled

the eyes appear slit rather than round

changes in the birds’ droppings occurs

sneezing occurs more than just occasionally

the bird screeches more than normally or in a new way

your bird sleeps more than normally

If any of the above changes are noticed in your bird then a potential health problem is likely to occur, if not occurred already.

As mentioned earlier, a good hygiene routine will help enormously to prevent health problems. We’re not talking ‘clinically clean’ here, just basic hygiene:

Daily

check food and if required replace with fresh

change water and replace with fresh, thoroughly clean water dish at every change

remove any uneaten fresh food and dispose of in the correct manner

Weekly

clean out the cage or aviary fully

scrub all perches and furniture in cage or aviary

thoroughly clean all food and water dishes and fill with fresh

wipe clean bars of cages, inner sides and inner top of aviary

thoroughly clean cage base, sweep debris off aviary floor and mop with weak disinfectant solution, rinse and allow to dry before permitting your birds in

Always

make sure all foods given are clean and safe, use same regime as if preparing food for yourself

wash your hands before handling bird food and before handling your bird

again wash hands thoroughly after handling your bird

Try not to use any detergents or disinfectants when cleaning your birds things unless they are safe for animal use, check the packaging or buy specialist animal safe products from the pet shop (but these can prove to be rather expensive). You can alternatively use a very weak solution of disinfectant or detergent when cleaning your bird things but you must then rinse them with fresh clean water and allow them to dry completely before returning them to your bird accommodation.

If it looks dirty then clean it; if it looks clean then clean it anyway just to be sure!

Parakeets love to make messes with seeds and toys. Learn what to expect if you have a pet parakeet in this free pet care video. Expert: Elizabeth Cantu Bio: Elizabeth Cantu has owned and been working with parrots since 1994. She has been active in captive parrot rescue and rehabilitation. Filmmaker: julio costilla
Video Rating: 5 / 5

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my parakeet is sick! i need help. he has mites!?

my parakeet has mites on his beak.. the top beak is extremely long and the bottom one is deteriorating… and causing him to have problems eating. he is currently or is there an alternative way to deal with this problem.eating vitamin food and has a bird protecter in the cage. is it possible to have his beak trimmed or is there and alternative way to deal with this problem.

Think I have a sick Parakeet. Need Advice.?

Two hours ago, my Parakeet was perfectly fine. She was eating and chirping, and being her normal self. Then half an hour later she was on the bottom of the cage, huddled in a corner. We took her out and now have her in a shoebox with some towels. She huddled in one of the corners and it appears like she is sleeping. Sometimes she tries to get out and flaps her wings, but otherwise she is lethargic. It also seems like she has some trouble opening her eyes. When she is awake for a brief period of time, we give her some water, and that seems to help a little. She does share the cage with another Parakeet, who is also a female.
Do I need to get her to the vet? Is there anything I can do for her at home?

Need advice:sick parakeet help?

I just noticed that one of my parakeets has a “red face” his face is not originally red, its white but I think he may be sick or was injured by the others.They have lived together for three years so I don’t think they would fight. Any insight on the issue would really help Thanks!

I need to know if this is possible…?

I bought two parakeets from petco when I lived with my boyfriend about 6 days ago and I’m visiting my parents for a month (semester break) and one of my parakeets have shown signs of illness. I have the receipts of purchase for both parakeets and was wondering if I took the sick one to a petco near me, would they take my bird to a vet for free (since I have a 14 day warranty for both birds) or would they deny it? At the moment, I can’t call them or I wouldn’t be posting this question. It would be great if someone can help me Thanks

need help with sick parakeet!!?

my parakeet was on the bottom of his cage with his head curled up and leaning over… i know that he must be sick but i dont have the money to take him to the vet. he hasnt perched all day and has just been on the bottom of his cage, and he hasnt had an appetite.

also he seems like he doesnt have balance or something because he can barely grasp the cage while on the bottom

i wanna know if there is anything i can do for him, and maybe what could it be? and i have another parakeet in with him and i wanna know how it effects him?
and could it be anything that ppl can catch because i have a toddler and a newborn.

thank you!!

Help I Need To Know How To TAME my 7-8 month old parakeet.”an is he sick?”?

I got him/her at pet-land around christmas i call him a he anyways he doesn’t like to be held he isnt tame at all how do i tame him and teach him to eat fresh fruits ect.
And im just curious if he is sick because he bobs his tail a little bit when he breaths?

i need help with my parakeet?

okay the first day i got my parakeet it was skinny you know like a normal bird then as the months went by she started to get fat she her whole body look like a ball and her butt is Always sticking out and she doesn’t eat that much and i doubt that she is egg bound my birds are separate because my other bird is always hitting her the only time that they are together is when i let them out i don’t know if they did it while i let them out but when ever i try to take her out my other bird pecs me and when ever she is resting she goes to the boddem of my cage and curls up in to a littel ball WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY PARAKEET!

what to do for a sick parakeet, how to tell if they are sick?10 points need advice?

thank you i will give ten points and plenty of thumbs ups

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