Building Chicken Coops For Dummies. - Softcover

Todd Brock: Todd Brock has written, directed, and produced more than 1,000 episodes of television programming. His shows on topics ranging from landscaping to home renovations to gardening have been broadcast nationally on major networks including HGTV, DIY Network, and PBS, and locally in one of the country's Top 10 TV markets. As a freelance writer, Todd has researched and written about everything from mobsters to Pac-Man, and children s stories to cheeseburgers. He lives in the Atlanta, Georgia, area with his wife, Debbie, and their two daughters, Sydney and Kendall. Dave Zook: Dave Zook, his wife, Suz, and their four children, Justin, Jordan, Jenika, and Javon, live on several acres in rural Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He is the founder/owner of Horizon Structures, a manufacturer of pre-built storage sheds, garages, horse barns, and chicken coops. Dave and his family keep a small fl ock of chickens at home in one of his company's coops. He continues to improve the designs and develop new ones based on customer input as well as his family s experiences with their own backyard fl ock. Over the past nine years, Horizon's line of chicken coops has proven to be very popular with chicken fanciers and their hens throughout the U.S., with coops now in 48 states! Rob Ludlow: Rob Ludlow, his wife, Emily, and their two beautiful daughters, Alana and April, are the perfect example of the suburban family with a small fl ock of backyard chickens. Like countless others, what started out as a fun hobby raising a few egg-laying machines has almost turned into an addiction. Originally, Rob started posting his chicken experiences on his hobby Web site, www.Nifty-Stuff.com, but after realizing how much his obsession was growing, he decided to concentrate his efforts into a site devoted completely to the subject. Now Rob owns and manages www.backyardchickens.com, the largest and fastest-growing community of chicken enthusiasts in the world. Rob is also the coauthor of the book Raising Chickens For Dummies.

Build a safe, attractive, and cost-effective enclosure for your backyard flock

Whether you have a small city loft, a suburban backyard, or a rural farm, this friendly guide gives you easy-to-follow and customizable plans for building a backyard chicken coop. You'll get basic construction know-how and key information to design and build a coop that's easy on the eyes and tailored to your flock.

• Begin with chicken coop basics -- determine the necessary features for your coop, add a few amenities, and choose the right location and size

• Get set to build your chicken coop -- figure out the gear and materials you need and get a crash course on basic carpentry skills

• Dig into coop construction -- prepare your coop's site, create your coop's skeleton, and include walls, doors, windows, and a roof

• Add finishing touches -- construct creature comforts for your flock, put together a run, and plug in with basic electricity

• Check out all kinds of coops -- follow materials lists, cut lists, and schematic drawings for five different chicken coops

Open the book and find:

• The dirt on essential coop-building tools

• The carpentry skills you'll need to construct like a pro

• Tips for prepping the coop site

• Guidance on adding walls, doors, windows, and a roof

• Pointers on building roosts, nest boxes, ramps, and runs

• How to add electricity to your coop

• Helpful schematic drawings

• Fun ideas to trick out your coop

Learn to:

• Choose your coop's best location, size, and style

• Gather the gear and materials you need to build a coop

• Construct a coop from the ground up

• Understand materials lists, cut lists, and illustrated plans