How to Build a Chicken Coop House

When deciding to build a chicken coop there are many things one has to consider. Location is, of course, one of the most important details. While the distance the coop is from your home doesn’t really contribute to the overall production of your chickens, you may not want to build it right on top of your home for other reasons. Chickens need plenty of room around their coop to roam, so you’ll want to be sure that wherever you choose to erect your chicken coop has enough area to offer plenty of square footage for a roaming pen. Unless you plan to have ‘free range’ chickens in which case this is not a concern.

Presumably if you have gotten this far then you have already checked with your local law enforcement about the legality of raising chickens in your yard. If you have not then now is the time to do so. Some places do not allow you to raise chickens, and others require a permit to do so. These are things you’ll want to have in order and on hand when you start building your chicken coop.

Now it’s time to decide what type of coop you’re interested in having. Most people who raise chickens will tell you that it is best to raise them from chicks. This is because it will give you ample time to get your chickens used to their boundaries, as well as people, before they are large enough to become problematic. While your chickens are still chicks you only need a cardboard box, or a cage (approximately the same size as those for rabbits) pine shavings for the floor, and a single 100 watt bulb to place in one corner for temperature control. During this time you can be fencing off the section of property where your chickens will live, and even use this are for outdoors play time to help them adjust. You can also use this time to construct their coop.

Some of the details you will want to decide on before starting your chicken coop are:

• Types and number of chickens you’ll be raising
• Flooring type you’ll use
• Poop Boards
• Windows

All of these small details are very important to the overall floor plan of your chicken coop. The reason it is important to know how many chickens you plan to keep in all, is to determine the size of your coop, and the run outside. The standard rule is 2-3 sq ft per chicken inside the coop and 4-5 sq ft of room in the outdoor run. While many people choose to leave the floors of their coops dirt, you may find it easier to care for if you use a layer of pine shavings. This makes cleaning out the coop as simple as shoveling out the old shavings and laying out new ones. Some choose to install poop boards in their coops. This is entirely acceptable, but truly more for convenience as they are not necessary.

Click here for immediate access to Chicken Coop Building Plans. You will also get:

• The Cheapest Materials To Build Your Coop Out Of
• The Best Materials For The Ground
• How To Build Nesting Boxes For Free Out of Common Materials
• How To Best Position Your Chicken Coop