Thread: ScottV

I believe most N MS communities allow home owners to keep hens. It's those noisy roosters that are the problem.

We get a lot of enjoyment out of ours. We just have 10 hens, no roosters. I'll be glad to help you out on plans when you decide to build one. I looked at a lot of plans and designs on the Internet and just came up with a design of my own. It's 8 x 8 with an interior, frame with chicken wire, partition so I'll have room for storage of feed and wood chips.

I have a 10x10x6 dog kennel, put some 1 or 2" poultry wire on top to keep critters out. Add a 6 or 7x10 building to it won't be a problem with the material I have here. I'll need to border it with some snake rid, I know I have a few around here. Banded water, black racer and yellow king snakes is what I've seen.

City code says any part of coop must be 250 feet from any resident. Shouldn't be a problem with only one neighbor.

As far as snakes, if you make your coop tight enough to keep them out you shouldn't have a problem. I've never seen one in mine. I have two windows I leave open in warm weather with small diameter chicken wire inside. The only open hole in the coop is the one foot square chicken door inside the covered pen. It has a sliding door which I close every evening when they go to roost. I have four nest boxes inside the coop.