How to Build Animal Housing: 60 Plans for Coops, Hutches, Barns, Sheds, Pens, Nestboxes, Feeders, Stanchions, and Much More [Paperback]

Carol Ekarius (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

Cows and horses, donkeys and mules, sheep and goats, pigs and fowl, even llamas are living on small farms and in backyard barnyards throughout the United States. But how and where are these critters being housed?

Author Carol Ekarius knows. In How to Build Animal Housing, she provides dozens of plans--with illustrated, step-by-step instructions--for species-specific shelters that are well ventilated, safe, appropriate for the animals, appealing, convenient, and a solid value for their owners.

The book is essential reading for anyone interested in animal health and welfare. It includes complete plans and step-by-step, illustrated instructions for sheds, coops, hutches, multipurpose barns, and economical easy-to-build windbreaks and shade structures. Ekarius covers new high-tech, portable structures made of plastics and fabrics, such as hoop houses and hen spas, as well as more traditional alternatives, such as straw-bale structures. Always practical, she enumerates the advantages and disadvantages of ready-to-build kits and modular barnyard buildings and includes designs for watering systems, feeders, chutes, stanchions, and more--the essentials that help owners keep their animals healthy and happy.

Ekarius wisely emphasizes the importance of careful planning, choosing an appropriate housing site, and complying with local zoning regulations; pest control, basic housing maintenance, and insurance costs are also discussed. Real-world advice from farmers and veterinarians on the types of housing and facilities animals like best enliven the text throughout.

How to Build Animal Housing is the most comprehensive and useful guide of its kind. For small-scale farmers, hobby farmers, do-it-yourselfers, and animal lovers, this book is indispensable.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Whether you are building a movable horse shelter on skids or a chicken coop or a traditional gambrel barn, the multitude of plans in this book can give you information to work with.” – American Quarter Horse Journal

“A well illustrated guide to building portable shelters, stables large and small, barns of all sizes and types, shade structures, backyard pens… [A] great buy.” – American Small Farm (2004)

“Carol Ekarius, a farmer herself, has compiled some excellent plans for coops, hutches, barns, sheds, pens, nest boxes, feeders, stanchions, and much more.  This book is extremely well illustrated with line drawings and construction call outs for all projects.” – American Small Farm (2007)

“A broad and well-rounded overview of what’s needed in the way of animal shelter, with a practiced ete toward planning and budgeting.” – Back Home

“Containing 60 plans for coops, hutches, barns, sheds, pens, nest boxes, stanchions and much more, this is a great book for building projects. …This is the place to start if you need some buildings, sheds, or barns.” – Small Farm Today

About the Author

Carol Ekarius is the author of Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds, Pocketful of Poultry, and several books on small-scale farming. Carol and her husband live with their many critters in Hartsel, Colorado.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580175279
• ISBN-13: 978-1580175272
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Carpentry
  • #61 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Agricultural Sciences > Animal Husbandry
  • #63 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Building & Construction

More About the Author

Carol Ekarius is the author of Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds, Pocketful of Poultry, and several books on small-scale farming. Carol and her husband live with their many critters in Hartsel, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

140 of 142 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great for a first-timer..., December 29, 2004

By 

Keeperofthehorses (Idaho, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Build Animal Housing: 60 Plans for Coops, Hutches, Barns, Sheds, Pens, Nestboxes, Feeders, Stanchions, and Much More (Paperback)

I purchased this book and quickly found that it is basically a catalog of plans that are available free online from USDA and others. The web links for the plans are printed right in the back. If you spend some time surfing, you'll find much of the useful information (and more) without purchasing the book.

There is helpful information in the planning section, and some basic tools and methods to get started. It would also be a helpful book for those newly transplanted city-folks to read prior to jumping into raising livestock.

If you have experience with livestock or construction, you can find all you need online. If you are planning your first projects, this will be helpful.

84 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The plans included didn't meet my needs, October 10, 2005

By 

L. Williams "Country Girl" (Central Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Build Animal Housing: 60 Plans for Coops, Hutches, Barns, Sheds, Pens, Nestboxes, Feeders, Stanchions, and Much More (Paperback)

I was hoping for a book of plans that included small, simple to build shelters for just a few goats and chickens. The plans included were large and the building instructions were not detailed enough for beginners to do themselves (without a seperate how-to-book). If I could have looked through it first, I would not have bought it.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little bit of everything, not enough details on any specific group of live-stock, July 24, 2007

By 

" Anti Microchip " "Jesus Christ can ... (Desolation America) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Build Animal Housing: 60 Plans for Coops, Hutches, Barns, Sheds, Pens, Nestboxes, Feeders, Stanchions, and Much More (Paperback)

I was looking for a book on how to build satisfactory chicken and duck housing. This book has a couple of plans for chicken coops, but not enough to buy the book. Why did I give it four stars then? Because the book is designed to give you building plans for various types of live-stock (pigs, hourses, cows, chickens, goats, rabbits, and others). The book does give you 60 plans like it says it does, but there is never more than 2 and at the most three on any specific animal.

This book does have a lot of good information in it beyond the housing plans. It has minimal spacing for your animals, safety and health of your animals, plus it has lots of good pieces of advice throughout the book that has been picked up over 30 plus years. If your like me and are looking to build housing for a specific type of live stock then this is probably not the best book for you (for chickens I would suggest "Poultry House Construction" by Michael Roberts). However, if your looking to build housing for various breeds of live-stock then this book would be a wise purchase. However, a materials list would have been nice (not enough books give them).