How to Build a Chicken Coop

In both rural and urban environments, raising chicken is gaining popularity. It provides eggs and meat for you and fertilizers for your garden. Like all other animals, even chicken requires suitable housing which is known as chicken coop. A chicken coop can be built in many different ways, different sizes and shapes which mostly depend on the amount, type and size of your chickens. For building a chicken coop, you neither require expensive building materials and complicated plans nor you need to be a skilled carpenter. All you need is to make sure is that the basic needs of the chicken are met. In fact building a chicken coop in your backyard could be one of the most exciting activities that you’ll ever do in your life. Get to know how you can easily do this task with the help of these simple instructions and tips.

Complexity Level: Moderate

Time Required: 15-20 hours

Resources Required:

  1. Pieces of lumber

  2. Chicken wire

  3. Plywood

  4. Material for coop flooring

  5. Tools, nails or screws, hinges and latches

Instructions:

1. Initial preparation and making the design

  • The first thing that you need to do is to ensure that you have with you all the necessary supplies required for making the chicken coop. Buy the lumber, nails, chicken wire, paints etc. from a departmental store near your house.

  • Next, you must prepare a layout of your chicken coop, that means you must make the design of it. While designing the coop, you must keep in mind some of the most important deciding factors like the number of chickens you want to have in the coop, how you want your chicken coop to look like, its size etc. All these factors must be taken into consideration while preparing the layout of chicken coop.

  • Once you have made a mental note of all these things, then with the help of graph paper or ruler, draw the exterior design and layout. This will be of great aid while building the coop later.

2. Selecting the location and starting the building process

  • Always prefer flat land for the purpose of building chicken coop as this will consume least effort and time. Hills will also do good, but they will require more effort from your side.

  • Once you are done with the selection of the location, then start building the coop. Assemble the pieces of lumber as per the layout on the graph paper. Use nails and screws to fix the pieces of lumber at their place.

  • Make sure that inside the coop there is a designated place for egg laying which is easily approachable by both the chicken and you.

  • You must also make a designated spot for feeding the chickens in the coop. This spot varies in size depending upon the number of chickens you have in the coop.

3. Putting the chicken wires around the coop

  • Protecting the chicken coop with chicken wires is very important as this alone will ensure the safety of your chickens from the intruders.

  • Put up the chicken wire all around the coop, make sure that it is taller than you and has a cover on the top so that no predators can intrude into the chicken coop.

4. Moving the chicken inside the chicken coop

Once everything has been done, then do a final inspection to check out the problematic areas. If everything seems normal, then your chicken coop is ready to be used and you can move the chickens inside.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Should I start with young chickens or adults?

It will be lot more better to begin your chicken husbandry with young chickens. There are distinct advantages behind this approach. The chickens will get an opportunity to familiarize with the environment in the chicken coop and will get used to being handled which will make them more like a typical house pet. Thus, even you will enjoy the company of your chickens.

Quick Tips:

  • You must make sure that your other pet animals don’t get into the coop. Also, prevent cats from coming near the coop.

  • If you have to go away for a long period of time then ask your neighbors to take care of the chicken and prevent them from predators.

Things To Watch Out For:

You need to make sure that there are no branches or other similar structures hanging over the yard area. Although, chickens are not great fliers but still they may decide to fly up on the branches instead of returning to the coop. This makes them vulnerable to foul weather and predators.

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