Building a Chicken Coop vs.
Pre-built Chicken Coops

The biggest concern that most people have once they’ve made the decision to raise their own chickens is how and where to house them. Should you try building a chicken coop or purchasing a pre-built one? With so many different types of chicken coops out there, it can be difficult to figure out which one will fit your needs best. Would a portable chicken tractor work well in your yard so you can cut down on the cleaning responsibilities and keep your grass in better shape? Or perhaps it would be more beneficial for you to have a permanent chicken coop that can be fitted with an automatic feeding and watering system, so you won’t need to worry about that part of the birds’ care.

Once you’ve made your decisions regarding the type of coop you would like to have, you’ll then need to figure out how to bring it about. Would you rather buy a ready-made coop that is sold commercially or would you like to have the feeling of satisfaction that comes from designing and building a chicken coop yourself?

Purchasing a chicken coop can eliminate some degree of worry in regards to making sure that all aspects of chicken care have been considered in its construction. It can also be reassuring to have one that is already built if you are not really the DIY type of person. However, these coops can be exceedingly expensive and they do not always offer the convenience that you might hope for when it comes to caring for the chickens. Also, quite often they are delivered to the customer in flat pack form so you may find yourself having to put it all together yourself anyway.

Building a chicken coop yourself can be much more rewarding and a lot less expensive than buying a prefabricated one. You can not only make the design to your own specifications, but you can take a great deal of pride in having made the home for your chickens on your own. Building a chicken coop may seem like a daunting task at first, but once you have done a little bit of research on designs, you’ll find that it is not really a difficult structure that needs to be created. There are many websites and books available to give you great design ideas as well as advice on what not to forget while in the designing process.

You could even use other structures that are already standing as a start for your chicken coop, and modify them, such as a no longer used tool shed. You may be able to find these cheap in the newspaper or via online auction sites. These would make the perfect starter unit for your bird enclosure. All you would need to do is make some basic changes to it, add some chicken wire and some roosts for the chickens, then build them a few nesting boxes and you are good to go!

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 Chicken Nesting Boxes For Free Out of Common Materials
• How To Best Position Your Chicken Coop