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.

simple chicken coop

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

Building Chicken Coups -  Can Save You Loads of Money!

Now, saving money is important because then you can spend it on what you really want – like a holiday or  a that something special you’ve always wanted. Save Money DIY click Here Chicken coups can cost from $1500 to $3000 so even if you buy the wood instead of using recycled you might only spend $200-$300 and get yourself a pretty top notch coup for the effort.

If you not a carpentor you can still do a pretty good job and there a plans available that can walk you through the process step by step.

The best coups are really built like a little house with some windows and side doors and facing the right aspect depending on the weather in your area.

Build a Chicken Coop – Before you Start

You look at the base first and decide on what kind of foundation you want. If you go for a raised coup then the ground can be used underneath the coup for the chickens to roam under. It is really good because then they have shade for the hot days under the coup that you build. Also if you have a raised coup floor then it becomes easy to sweep out and collect your manure for the garden. You can just put a wheel barrow or large bucket under as you clean.

So you put in the flooring after preparing the site..then the frame work for the walls and the roof. I like the roof tops with hinges because then you can just lift the roof if you want to get into the coop to see what is going on or catch a chicken for some reason.

I also like a side nest box so I can get the eggs easily and put fresh wood shavings in there nesting boxes. It keeps the chickens happy and laying. I also like some side windows so I can open them in summer for ventilation( I put mesh on the windows too) and I can use them to clean or replace food and water bowls easily and quickly. I think if you  build your chicken coop you can have it exactly as you like and it makes taking care of the flock really easy.

Building Chicken Coops is rewarding

Building a chicken coop I think is great too because it is so rewarding. You also know every nook and cranny and can easily add some wood if you find something is getting in and stealing your eggs. I have heard people saying that they don’t really like the plastic chicken coops to much either. I think it is because plastic can sometimes hold  bacteria more so than wood.

If your not a builder I would use a chicken coop plan, sketches are fine but having a plan that gives you step-by step instructions is what can make the process easy. If you can cut everything to measure and then assemble with nails and screws you will have a really stable coop that will keep out any predators from you neighborhood and you can seal it well for the cold winter months. For the best chicken coup plans I found that save time & money for cost the price of  a few kilo’s of garden fertilizer  see building chicken coops plan

building chicken coops diagram

Having happy chickens that feel secure in a home built chicken coop can make the world of difference when it comes to taking care of them.Chickens are so comforting to have around giving you that country feel, and there eggs are a wonderful source of food and nutrient for your garden it makes building well planned chicken coops worthwhile.

So Why Is Building Chicken Coops Worthwhile?

• You can have your coop as large or small as you like and include all the accessories you like without having to pay a high cost.
• You can look at  building your chicken coop so it’s extra secure -never loose chickens overnight to unexpected predators.
• Building your own chicken coop also means that you can maintain chicken coop conditions more easily choosing features that suit yourself for easy maintenance.

By building chicken coops you can choose the best side of the coop for ventilation depending on weather conditions in your area. If you want to have easy access for egg collection you can also attach a side nesting box and make sure it is out of the hot afternoon sun.

You can choose the materials you want and even have a slightly sloped floor that makes it a lot easier to clean out your coop. If you want to raise your coop from the ground there are even plans available for building chicken cooops a few feet off the ground. This is really great for 2 reasons.

1.You will eliminate rats and predators digging to get inside the coop by being off ground.

2. You can collect your chicken manure in a wheel barrow by sweeping out straight into your wheel barrow placed just underneath the coop.

I found that if you have your wood pre-cut it makes the whole job a lot easier because then your just assembly all the pieces together.

Click Here For the Best Pre-Cut Wood Plans and Instructions Saving You Time and Money for the Price of a Few Kilos of Fertilizer