Have you always wanted to raise chickens, but never known how to build a chicken coop step by step?
The first thing you need to consider when building a backyard chicken coop is the number of chickens you plan to keep. One good rule of thumb is one square foot (or 2 sq ft per bantam) of space for each full-grown hen or rooster plus an additional 4 sq ft for each chick.
How to build a chicken coop easy
If you want to raise chickens in your backyard, I suggest that you consider building your chicken coop. You can choose from many different types of hen house plans available today. There are two main types of chicken houses that you can buy or build yourself, these are the ‘walk in’ and the ‘pop hole’ type enclosures.
A pop hole hen house is just what it sounds like – an opening in the side of the hen house that is large enough for chickens to go through on their own when they wish to get out of the rain or away from danger while a walk-in enclosure has an actual door so that have to open it up to go inside.
How to make a cheap chicken coop
If you want to build a backyard chicken coop, we recommend that you use our detailed plans for building a chicken coop which will help you as much as possible and will also allow you to save money by doing it yourself.
The first thing you need to do is decide where exactly your hen house should be located because the position of the enclosure determines the kind of predators that can attack your chickens. You should know that there are many different types of predators and there’s no such thing as an enclosure safe from them all so if you do not wish to lose any chickens, ensure good security measures.
Step by step guide on making a simple chicken coop
Another important factor to consider when building a chicken coop is the location of the nesting boxes because it directly affects how much time you will need daily for gathering eggs. The next thing you should know before buying or building your hen house enclosure is the type of chickens that you want to raise because this will determine whether they are allowed to free-range or if they must be confined at all times.
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If you intend to raise chicks, after choosing an appropriate location and plan, make sure that your chicken house has good ventilation as young chicks cannot breathe in stuffy atmospheres particularly those with high moisture levels. If possible, some people even install some sort of tube from outside their house that runs through the hen house to provide ventilation into the enclosure.
How to build a chicken coop easy
The last thing I’d like to tell you about building a backyard chicken coop is that they are usually built using either wood or wire mesh which you can buy at most hardware stores. You will need certain tools for building your enclosure such as hammers, drills and saws but if possible, I suggest that you try buying used tools from someone instead of brand new ones because this would save you even more money.
In case you don’t have any prior experience in building houses, many detailed instructions come with all types of backyard hen house plans today so that everyone could do it by themselves.
Now that we know why should anyone build their chicken coop it’s time to show you how should one go about building one, for we’re going to use an example and try and guide you step by step through the process. Okay, let’s get started!
The first step is to pick the location, it needs to be an area that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight every day. Try and avoid drafty areas since the chicken coop needs to be well ventilated too. It’s best if you can let your chickens roam around freely for a couple of days so they can find out where they like to roost at night, if you can’t then just mark the corners of the chicken coop that the chickens seem to prefer and use those as their roosting spots.
Now that we know how big to make the chicken coop and where it should be placed let’s talk about what materials we will need. To build a chicken coop you need lumber, hardware cloth (we recommend 11 gauge) and insulation (styrofoam sheets work great). To ensure that your chickens are safe at all times you also need to buy some hinges, locks and latches for the chicken coop door. These can be bought from any hardware store or even online.
With all the materials you need now is the time to start building your chicken coop, depending on how large of a space you have you can divide it into smaller areas with hardware cloth.
This will ensure that they stay safe from predators and also makes for easy clean up if needed – simply remove the wire mesh! For most people the best idea is to have two smaller areas with hardware cloth, these are usually the sleeping quarters for the chickens and the feeding area.
Since chicken droppings are pretty dangerous for your hens for just walk into their food or their sleeping quarters without having first walked through the other side where all of the harmful elements have been caught by the hardware cloth.
With your two smaller areas built you can now add one to the other and in between add insulation (styrofoam sheets or similar). At this point try and make a door that goes into each of these areas, if possible an automatic one would be perfect but it’s not necessary.
Next, we’re going to add the nesting box where your hens are going to lay their eggs. This is usually on one side of the chicken coop, it can be on top or below but try and make sure that the chickens have an easy way to get in there.
Now that we understand how to build a chicken coop you should know that there are many ways to do it. If you want something that looks nice or if you’re planning on bringing in some animals besides chickens (like ducks for example) then there are more things to consider than what is listed here. Make sure that your chicken coop is well ventilated, has enough room for the number of chickens you own and include insulation to make sure that they don’t get cold during the winter. Now you know how to build a chicken coop step by step!
First, you need to know that a coop can be made from several materials, such as wood or metal. There are many easy ways to build a chicken coop and here is how:
- Frame
The frame of your chicken coop should be able to hold enough weight since the chickens will scratch the ground where you place it. If you put the coop on a flat surface there is no problem, but if you have an inclined yard you will need to reinforce it with beams under the wood planks that are on the frame.
- Floor
The floor of your chicken coop should not be too hard or too soft since not all chickens like to walk on the same type of floor. It is a good idea to make it out of wood, but you also have the option to use chicken wire as a floor. This type of floor can be placed on any surface, including dirt or gravel.
- Run
The run is an extra area where your chickens can go if they want fresh air and direct sunlight. If you don’t provide enough space your chickens will not be happy and lay fewer eggs. You can make the run out of wood or chicken wire.
- Nesting Boxes
The nesting boxes should be made out of wood and placed right next to each other for all hens to lay their eggs in one place. This way you won’t have to look as much for eggs and they will be safe if it is raining outside.
- Perches
The perches should be spread out evenly for all your chickens to sit on them without having any problems. This way nobody will feel left out, since they can still stretch and put their claws down so they can sleep.
- Door
The door should have a latch that allows you to go inside with ease, but it won’t allow chickens to escape if they are out of the coop. The material used for the door is up to you, whether you choose wood or metal. You also need to make sure that your doors are big enough to take a shovel full of chicken manure out every day.
- Roof
The roof should be strong enough so that it won’t fall apart during a storm, but at the same time, it shouldn’t be too close to the ground. You can use shingles or metal for this part and you have to make sure that the roof overhangs the coop.
- Nesting Boxes
The nesting boxes should be made out of wood and placed right next to each other for all hens to lay their eggs in one place. This way you won’t have to look as much for eggs and they will be safe if it is raining outside.
If you live in a cold climate you should make sure that you close the top of your coop to prevent any bad weather from coming inside. In the summertime, you might want to open it so fresh air can come through and dry out the place after the rain has been poured.
If you have followed all these steps, then congratulations! You have just built a chicken coop. Store-bought or homemade, the coop should always be well ventilated and cleaned out every day so that your chickens can live in great conditions.
If you lack space you can even build a mobile chicken coop that is easy to move around whenever necessary. You just have to make sure that it doesn’t have too many wheels so it will be easy to lift and have lightweight. In addition to this, the coop should not sway from side to side whenever your chickens are walking on it since they may get sick as a result.
The next step is going out into the world and finding some chickens! You can find them in local poultry farms, but it might be a better idea to go with an online shop. You will also need to choose how many chickens you want and what type of breed they are, depending on how much space you have available for them at home.
FAQ
How do you make a simple chicken coop?
Making a chicken coop isn’t that difficult if the construction is simple. The secret to making a cheap and easy chicken coop is to understand that it doesn’t have to be high tech or complicated. For instance, if you want to make a chicken coop for several chickens, take care of building the floor properly because this will prevent your chickens from getting sick.
Is it cheaper to build your chicken coop?
It is, although you should always take into account the cost of lumber and building supplies before beginning your project. The advantage to building a chicken coop from scratch depends on how much experience you have with this type of work.
If you’re a novice carpenter or do-it-yourselfer it might be a good idea to pay someone who knows what they are doing to build your coop. But the consensus is that building your coop will save you money in the long run. You can save anywhere from $300 – $1000 by building it yourself.
Is building a chicken coop easy?
Building a chicken coop is very easy if you know how to build it. Building a chicken coop can be done by starting with the basic design that you then customize according to your needs and requirements.
To make building your chicken coop easier, you will need to either draw the plans yourself or get the plans for free. Once you have the plans, just follow them and soon you will have your hens for the hens for chicken coop.