Building A Chicken Coop
| ★ Click Here To View The Chicken Coop Plans I Used ★
I spent a lot of time searching for a decent set of chicken coop plans and most where either too expensive or just not what I was looking for. Then my friend told me about the plans he used to build his chicken coop. His chicken coop was very impressive and so I decided to use the plans he suggested which where a fraction of the cost typical chicken coop plans where going for. Long story short it was the right decision. The chicken coop I built was fantastic and turned out better than I ever thought. If you're thinking about building your own chicken coop then make sure to check out these plans. |
While the thought of raising chickens may seem like a great experience for many reasons, how to get started with the process may leave you feeling overwhelmed. The good news is that you do not have to be highly skilled at carpentry to set up a suitable environment, and building a chicken coop does not require expensive or exotic building supplies. With a bit of planning you can end up with housing that will keep your chickens healthy, content, and ready for you to appreciate and enjoy.
Whether you want to raise chickens to supply rich fertilizer, for their eggs, or for other reasons, your livestock will need some housing specifics in order to genuinely thrive. For this reason, where you intend to locate your chicken coop should be the first thing that you consider. Selecting a high or at least somewhat elevated spot would be best, as this will ensure that rain will not leave your chickens with wet and muddy puddles of water to spoil their environment. You can figure out how much space you will need once you have selected an appropriate spot, and this may depend upon how you intend to interact with your chickens. Hens that will be housed for their eggs or birds that will be raised for their meat, for example, will each need two square feet of space inside the coop and eight to ten square feet of yard roaming area.
Your chicken coop design may be simply sketched out on paper, and this does not require drafting expertise or even drawing to scale. A basic square or rectangle shape will likely be sufficient, and you can mark off and label the areas where you intend to place door and window openings. The most important things about your layout would be to include a doorway that is large enough for you to fit through, as this will make cleaning the coop and collecting eggs much easier. Placing windows on the south side of the coop would be ideal, as this will supply as much warmth as possible in the winter and maximum ventilation during the summer.
Get step-by-step chicken coop plans here! (CLICK HERE)
How To Build A Chicken Coop
Building a proper structure does not mean that you have to buy new or expensive items. You may even have items on your property that may be recycled into perfectly usable building materials. Plywood, scrap lumber, or wood from structures that are no longer in use may be easily turned into nest boxes or perches for your chickens, for example. Mapping out the coop interior, you should allow one nest box for every four to five laying hens, and six to ten inches of space for each chicken to perch. Additional supplies such as chicken wire, straw, yard fencing, or wood should be obtained according to your building plans.
Your completed chicken coop should be faced towards the south, and the roof should be sloped to keep rain from running off directly over the entrance. Securing windows with chicken wire will keep predators out, and if you are truly feeling adventurous, you may even install a sliding glass window or two. The nest boxes may be placed along the walls, and the perches should be three to four feet above the ground. For the interior, your final steps would be to place straw in the nest boxes and hang any necessary feeding or watering devices. Securely latching the coop door, fencing off your yard, and covering the chicken area with protective netting will likely create an ideal environment for your birds.
Get step-by-step chicken coop plans here! (CLICK HERE)