Backyard Chickens Coop

by chicken house plans on Monday, May 3rd, 2010 | Comments Off

Picking the proper Chicken Coop plans is the most important part when you want to build a chicken house. Picking out the right plans is really not that hard, but make sure to only choose the best of the crop! Here is why:

The Size of The Chicken Coop

For your chickens to be comfortable the chicken coop plans need to give you a clear idea how many hens you will be able to keep in the coop. Picking too small a coop is not a good idea, since the birds will be crowded and the hygiene is going to be lacking.

This can very well lead to illnesses among the chickens, besides any social problems in your coop should the hens feel crowded.

Tips and Tricks to Minimize Your Work

Chicken coop plans should come with a selection of ideas on how to minimize your work. As an example, some hen houses feature a slanted floor that will make it easier to clean the building.

There is a lot you can do to make your hen house less of a stressful and more of a joyful venture. Learn from the experiences made by professionals to not repeat their mistakes. You are not the first to build your own chicken coop, so fortunately there are some great resources for you to pick up and get started.

The Proper Location

Picking the proper location is an important factor in getting the most out of your hen house. For example, chickens need a lot of sunlight. Building your chicken coop in an area with little direct sunlight can hurt the egg production.

There are other things you can do to ensure your coop stays nice and is easy to clean. One thing you can do is build your chicken coop on top of a hill to ensure your coop will not flood when it rains. High quality chicken coop plans should give you more ideas such as this to help you find the best location in your yard.

Protection For Your Chickens

Your chickens need to be protected. That's true both for pet predators and wild animals, depending on if you live in the city or the country. Dogs, cats, badgers, foxes and so on are all a potential threat to your chickens. Since some predators will dig their way into your hen house you will need to take all necessary precautions to protect your chickens.

You wouldn't want to wake up one day to find all your chickens slain in the yard, would you?

The Design of The Coop

Alright, the design doesn't seem that important, but let's not kid ourselves... it is! You wouldn't want to have some ugly eye sore in your backyard. And I can tell you, neither would your neighbors. Better pick a nice design that everybody can live with than some ugly box that your neighbors will hate you for.

If you get this right, chance is your neighbors will envy you for your awesome looking chicken coop. And you made it all by yourself!

Are you ready to get your hands on great chicken coop plans? Good! You can find an excellent set on my website, as well as a lot more information about raising chickens.

When you're there don't forget to claim your free copy of my beginner's guide. You'll be glad that you did. You can find it here: http://iqbanq.com/easy-chicken-coop-plans/

I want to build a small chicken coop for my backyard. It will house 2 hens and a rooster what should I build?

Mom, you'd be better off to find either one large dog kennel or two smaller ones and put a lock on them at night. The type I'm thinking of are use for travel...are mostly plastic, have wire doors and windows. You can lock them. They are easy to clean and you can move the birds inside to a garage when the temps take a dive.

or:

How to build a
Chicken Coop

Introduction - Materials list
Use the following plans and information as a guide only.

These plans and information are for the most part general and should you choose to use them, it would be advisable to do a bit of your own research. Where necessary you may need to make changes to suit the local environment. The best type of information and knowledge available is local knowledge. Check with your local council to see what may or may not be required from their point of view, including any animal welfare obligations.

A chicken coop is a place of shelter, a safe retreat for chickens and a place where the hens can lay their eggs. A chicken coop is accompanied by a run, which is the chickens' outside area. The scope of the run can vary greatly depending on local conditions, the type of predator (wild or domestic) that might be lurking around seeking a free chicken meal and anything else that could be a threat to the well-being of the chicken. These factors will also determine whether the chicken can be free-ranging or confined to a fenced or fully enclosed type of holding pen.

This chicken coop should comfortably house at least eight chickens and generously allows for:
4.5 sq ft of space per chicken
3 nests shared between 8 chickens
9" of perch length for each chicken

The design also allows for:
a bit of a storage area, chicken hatchway (i.e. entrance hole), ample ventilation, ample light and a door that opens inwards and is big enough to enable easy access and cleaning of the chicken coop.

The floor is designed to take "deep litter" which is at least a (3") covering of wood shavings or similar.

NOTE: There is no design or allowance for any feeder system, water container or supply system. Although some people make their own, most people find it easier to purchase a feeder system /water container from the appropriate store.

Materials list
Excludes hardware and any feeder or water supply materials.

Stock Size/ Material Used For Amount
4x4 Suitable for exterior use Skids 2 pieces at 72"
2x4 Suitable for exterior use Floor Joists and boundary joists 36 lineal ft
4x4 Corner studs 4 pieces at 72"
2x4 All framing walls and roof 150 lineal ft
2x3 Perch and perch support 8 lineal ft
2x2 Nesting perch 40"
4'x8' plywood sheets 3/4" thick suitable for exterior use Flooring, wall cladding and parts of nesting boxes 7 sheets
1x4 suitable for exterior use Cladding battens, door stop and part of nesting boxes 120 lineal ft
1x12 suitable for exterior use Part of nesting boxes 9 lineal ft
1x6 suitable for exterior use Roofing boards and litter board 200 lineal ft
Tar paper, breather type building paper or similar roofing underlay. Under roofing boards 40 sq ft
You will also need an assortment of hardware including nails, hinges, door latches, door bolts, window catches, Perspex/Plexiglas or similar clear acrylic sheet for use as window panes, galvanized flashings for openings where required as well as for roof ridge cap, and mesh/wire cloth/chicken wire for any permanent openings or air vents.