Building Chicken Coops – How to Build a Simple Chicken Coop

A Chicken Coop is a safe place for hens to lay their eggs and be protected from predators like foxes, rats, raccoons, cats, dogs and other animals. A chicken coop usually has a run around it meaning an outside area or a holding pen. It also needs to be secure and protect your flock from wild or domestic predators however your local area and conditions will determine how free-range your chickens can actually be and how secure your run should be.

Building Chicken Coops can save you a lot of money as well as heart ache. Your flock can be kept safe especially at night without paying thousands for a chicken coop and if you build your own you are going to know it is as safe and sturdy as possible.

The problem is most of us attempt building chicken coops with inadequate plans or sketches and don’t always end up with the coop they want or need in the end. It is harder to build a chicken coop without a tried and try plan and it usually takes longer .Why would you do it yourself without a chicken coop plan? Click here for the most useful & easy set of plans you will see

Here is the scoop on building chicken coops:-

Build a raised floor if you can. Why? There are loads of reasons, apart from the chickens liking it better…I like it the best because you can just sweep out the poop in the garden or wheelbarrow for fertilizer. Yep Ezy Maintenance.

Your probably thinking that sounds like more work or too hard. Well to start & think 4 posts . You don’t have to cement your posts in because a chicken coop is only a small structure .

Here is a simple solution for an easy build chicken coop:-

1.Mark out the area with pegs-

-Before you start work, size your chicken coop. Multiply the number of chickens you would like to keep by 4.5 sq ft. This allows 4.5sq ft for each bird in your flock. Eg 4.5 x 10 = sq ft.

-          Determine the site of your chicken coop

-          You want to build your chicken coop to suit your local environment. Pick a place with sunny mornings in winter and  cool (or at least not much afternoon sun on hot summer afternoons.

-          If your building a backyard chicken coop you may have less space but it is still important that you don’t place your chicken coop in an area that gets draughty in the winter. Now your ready to mark your area out with pegs and choose where to put your posts.(I always recommend building chicken coups with raised floor as there are easy to build chicken coops and the easiest to keep clean and maintain see….building chicken coops instructions and detailed plans)

2.Dig 4 holes approx 2 metres deep with a shovel

-          Make sure you use the right shovel for the job or even a post digger it will make it so much easier and take less time.

-          You have picked you site , sized your chicken coup and your now ready to dig 4 holes for your posts. If your building a small chicken coup it will not be necessary to cement these post in. Just place them into the holes and fill the gaps with soil packing and compressing the soil as you go.

-          Make sure you use a level and some string you want the tops of the posts to sit evenly for the next step.

3. Prepare the lumber that your chicken coop sits on

- the floor joists. You will need to choose timber suitable for outside weather so they will last. 2 x 4 is a good stock proportion.

- place as many of these floor joists within a square that will sit nicely on to your posts or skids and nail them together using a square. You now have a floor frame! Well done!

-  you can cut out and attach the flooring with nails. You can use plywood but of course there are plans available your can buy that show you how to use concrete flooring so you can easily hose your chicken coop clean(easy chicken coop plan)

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4. Your side walls

Now this is simple enough but is the place to think about your chicken coop design.

- You will need at least 3 nests to share between 9 chickens and some 9” of perch for each chicken.

- What you can do is place an openings in the wall frames for  a nesting box or  an access box for your egg collection.(following plans with simple step-by-step  instructions will can make this easy see build a chicken coop)

- If your not following plans a quick sketch can help you work out where to put your openings. You want to be able to collect your eggs easily without bending too much.

- It is great to clad your walls with some insulation. Walls – clad with some with insulation is the best

- You can nail your studs directly into the plywood flooring as this will make it easier to clean out. (for a concrete floor that is easy to hose see the set of professional chicken coop designer plans).

- You need at least 3 studs per wall and if you plan on a nesting box opening then 2 cross beams or studs and 2 in the centre from under the cross beam to the floor and another from the cross beam to the ceiling beam.

- Once you have your walls up this is the time to insert the nesting box into the cross frames of the wall.(see building chicken coops for how to build a nesting box)

- You can attach your doors in the spaces you have left in the wall frame much later in the process.

5. The Roof Frame

– there are lots of choices here for you can even make your roof so that it can open which is handy for cleaning or observing your birds if you ever need to tend to sick birds. However the best roof for areas that get snow in winter is a sloping roof (a truss roof) with a beam along the centre and rafters sloping to your top wall beam. It allows the snow to run off. Note: A complete set of plans with different roofs can immediately be purchased in a download-able PDF format click here for easy diy plans and step-by-step guides

- To get started building your trusses for the roof layout the wood on the ground and cut the wood the right size and shape. Bolt them together at the right angle for your chicken coop roof.

- Truss Roof – consists of 4 triangle shapes(gable ends) at the front and back and spread along the tops of the wall.

- The triangles will need a angle bracing (a beam running inside the triangle from the peak to the base) for strength. These can be made on the ground and then Rafters are then run equally spaced  down the length of the chicken coop.

- Once you have attached your roof you can then lay cross batons or corrugated iron. It is best to leave this part until after you have placed your roof frame on the chicken coop because it makes it much heavier to lift afterwards when the cladding is  attached.

- You will need galvanized flashing on the apex(peak) of the roof(ridge capping)- the length of the chicken coop to cover the join in either you corrugated iron or wood.

- Roofing screws are the best these days, use galvanized screws. If you don’t have screws then galvanized flat top nails.

- If your using wood lay tar paper or insulation paper underlay over top the rafters to waterproof. Make sure it is taut before putting on the roofing boards or battens.

- When nailing the boards or battens start with base working towards the peak overlapping each board by at least 1” and place your nails where they overlap.

Note: This complete set of plans can immediately purchased in down-loadable PDF format free of advertising and print friendly Easy Step-by-Step Chicken Coop Plan

Tip :-Having a double rafter at the end of the front and back of your chicken coop means you can line the truss area eliminating high ledges in you chicken coop. High ledges can sometimes pose a problem in a chicken coop.

6. Exterior Wall Cladding

– ¾” exterior plywood can be used here but it is important to have all your joins on a stud.

- You can cut an extra hatchway in the plywood if you like but make sure it is raised at least 3 inches from the floor because this will prevent hay, sawdust or litter from falling out.

- It is also a good idea to use some flashing above any openings. Just small piece of plywood approx 2”wide positioned at an angle to stop any  rain running in.

- Any windows or opening directly under the roof don’t need flashing as you should have the timbers overlapping the coop frame

Note: If you want to ensure your coop will last the distance under all weather conditions even heavy weather and be predator safe or comply with local regulations then look at this immediately down-loadable   Easy  Step-by-Step  Guide ,Plans Easy .

If you build a chicken coop with your own sketches or someone else’s be patient with yourself because it is not like have a step-by-step guide with pre cut instructions or assembly processes.

Not all plans cater exactly to what a chicken coop needs so you may have to spend extra time designing bits and pieces yourself. Searching around for info and deciding wood sizes is all valuable time you can spend directly building your chicken coop when you have a good plan that will have you chicken coop almost built for you Easy Chicken Coop Designs & Plans

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1. Building Chicken Coops

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