Inspiration for Unique Chicken Coop Designs

As any chicken owner will tell you, a few hours of watching a brood is like having a crash course in Sociology. Each hen exhibiting her own unique personality by the way she interacts with other hens in the coop or as decided by hierarchy. An afternoon of "chicken watching" and you'll immediately be able to identify who's the Queen Bee (or Hen to be exact), the loner, little Miss Congeniality, the cautious, and even the clueless type, just as you would in your high school yearbook.

And just as the chickens have their individual characteristics, so should their chicken coop designs. Although this is much more of an extension of the owner's personality, it's also an expression of how much one values their pets by providing them a safe and unique chicken haven.

But before you build your own, here are some things to consider when building chicken coops:

Space. How big your backyard, farm, or rooftop space is can easily determine how and what kind of coop you're going to build. For smaller spaces, a vertical style coop would be a better fit rather than a horizontal one that takes up a lot of real estate.

Insulation. Depending on your area, your chicken coop might be too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer. Extreme weather can have effect on your hen's health and their ability to lay eggs, so make sure that their coop is properly insulated.

Ventilation. Aside from proper air circulation inside the coop, ventilation is also a factor in keeping the coop's cleanliness.

Here now, finally, are a few inspiration for unique chicken coop designs.

Farm Girl Chic

Take inspiration from the shabby chic style movement and use vintage-looking pieces when building your coop. For starters, you can whitewash the outside of the coop to give it that rustic feel. Next, you can add small details like using galvanized containers to serve as their feeding station, a place to store their feeds, or even a place to nest. An alternative to galvanized containers could be wooden crates, which would create individual spaces for the chickens. You can also add an old wooden ladder inside the coop to serve as a place for them to roost and doubles as a focal piece.

Simple and Sleek

Whether you want to call it Zen or modern, you can also incorporate this design concept when building your coop. Go for linear lines to create a sense of symmetry in the overall design. Also go for materials that express simplicity in an elegant way such as dark-colored wood with hardware details for the structure.

Coops Gone Green

Chicken coop designs can also transcend aesthetic requirements and foray into the functional. If you're a city dweller, you can give your chicken coop a green roof so that it doubles as a plant box. You can plant herbs which you can then add to the eggs your hens produce and make a tasty omellete. Nothing goes to waste too because you can make use of the chicken's waste products as fertilizer and the leftover water from their feeding stations to grow the plants.

Raising Cattle For Meat - 5 Critical Factors To Remember When You Start Beef Cattle Farming

The process of raising cattle for meat is fairly easy. It goes like this: Find a means to own a calf, feed it appropriately, and finally, have it slaughtered at a suitable time. It may sound a bit cruel, but that should not be too much of a concern, since loving the animal is not the main goal in this business. However, some people might find it hard to do this due to sentimental reasons, and if that is the case, then this is not the kind of business for them. Although, however simple the process may seem, there are a few factors that should be kept in mind.

Raising Cattle for Meat: 5 Important Details to Keep in Mind

1. Is the cattle for meat or dairy production?

There are quite a few significant differences between the two. Depending on the purpose of the cattle, one must choose wisely when picking out the cows. Cattle that are raised for milk are usually bred for producing quantum amounts of milk; however, they gain weight a lot slower. In other words, they are not ideal to provide a good amount of meat. Not to mention that their meat will be of poorer quality.

2. Choose the Gender Wisely

The obvious difference between a female and a male is that the former will be able to produce more calves for production. However, a male bovine is a bit quicker in terms of growth. In raising cattle for meat, it is recommended to care for male bovines instead, because the profits gained from selling their meat will allow the owner to purchase more calves, more frequently than producing females. Also, the meat of male calves will make a good veal production.

3. Dehorn the Cattle

Removing the horns of cattle is a must lest an unfortunate mishap occurs. If dehorning the cattle is not an option, there is a variety of cattle without horns, which are known as polled.

4. How to Feed Them

In raising cattle for meat, it is best to take them away from their mother after a week or after they have tasted the milk of their mother. After a while, the caretaker will have to teach the cattle how to drink milk on their own (preferably from a bucket). The best way to do this is to dip your fingers in the milk and let the calf suck the milk off the fingers as if it were a teat. The calf will soon learn to drink from the bucket due to its desire for milk.

5. Proper Accommodation

Place the calves in a dry and well-ventilated area with sufficient hay and milk substitute. When raising cattle for meat, they will eventually need to learn how to walk. With the appropriate accommodation and nutrients, they will be able to gradually learn with ease.

That's about everything necessary in raising cattle for meat. Sounds simple enough, right? Just a little hard work and patience, you will soon have a freezer full of high quality meats.