Chickens are not avid eaters but they are known to feed well on the various types of insects that you may have in your yard like, crickets, spiders and ants.
You may have come across many chicken owners confirming that chickens keep away insects and bugs.
Nevertheless, there are bigger birds and animals who would love to eat these chickens and you should be aware that the chickens can be very easy prey to foxes, hawks, feral animals, not excluding pet dogs and cats in your neighbourhood.
You must take care of all these aspects while making your chicken coop and where exactly you plan to place it, away from the hounding animals.
  Safety   The safety and security of your chickens is vital.
All your chickens could become a hearty meal for the many predators lurking around your residence as you may come to know one not-so-fine day.
Even if you have never noticed predators in your surroundings, you will be taken aback by their sudden appearances in growing numbers as you bring in your chickens, as animals are born to track and sense their food.
It is time we learnt about some predators properly.
The most universal of predators (you can call them parasites) are mites, and they are the toughest to stop.
Although there are many methods to treat mites, the best is to discover them as early as possible.
  Chicken Mites   The true method of making sure you don't get chicken mites is to thoroughly clean and maintain the coops.
This includes not only the walls and floors but also the bedding material.
You should routinely clean the chicken coops on a regular regimen.
The more birds you have the more often you need to clean the coop.
In order to clean the coop you should use hot soapy water.
Then gently clean the entire coop.
This should be done no less than on a weekly basis.
Cleaning the coop regularly will assure that the chicken's living area is as uncontaminated as possible.
While you may think foxes are nice, they are in fact deadly to chickens.
If a fox reaches your animals they will kill the chickens instantly and then simply leave them where they dropped or move them only a few feet from the fatal area.
You will inevitably bear witness to this distressing situation when you have to confront your dead chickens.
Obviously this is something you want to avoid happening and you should take every precaution possible to safeguard the animals.
  Common Sense   Before you plan to install a chicken coop at a certain place, take into consideration the possible chicken predators in your surroundings.
For an instance, a chicken coop close to the woods may not be a great idea.
The hungry predators are all out there on the prowl to relish your chickens.
A chicken fence around their area is possibly the right choice to provide safety to your chicken.
If you think this will be a costly affair, do not panic.
A basic high chicken mesh surrounding their coop can be enough to thwart the forays by the predators.
Any chicken owner would like his or her loved pets to be healthy and safe.
Therefore, it is imperative to constantly improve your knowledge about them including the potential diseases, predators and how to provide them with appropriate care.