It's raining outside, you're bored and they just gave you some chickens. You can laze on the sofa or you can grab the tools and those old pieces of wood you have in your garage and start building a house for your new chickens.
Steps
Part 1 of 5: Designing a Chicken Coop
Step 1. Decide on the size
The ideal measures change profoundly depending on the type of chicken coop and the number of birds. Below you will find some general rules for some of the classic chicken coop models:
- Chicken Coop without External Cage: This is the standard type of chicken coop, consisting solely of the internal structure. The hens will be confined inside until someone lets them out, so you'll need to provide at least 150 square cm per hen.
- Outdoor Chicken Coop: This is slightly more difficult to build than a simple chicken coop, but the chickens will have more space and can be outdoors. Calculate about 60 or 90 square centimeters per hen for the chicken coop, and at least double the floor space for the outside.
- Winter Chicken Coop: This model is designed to keep hens warm and sheltered during the winter months. Since it is difficult for hens to go out during this period, calculate between 150 and 300 cm2 per hen.
- Remember that laying hens will need a nesting area of at least 30cm2 for 4 hens as well as a perch area of at least 15-25cm per animal. The perches should be raised at least 60cm above the ground (to keep the hens dry).
Step 2. Choose a place for the chicken coop
If possible, place it, at least partially, in the shade of a large tree, to shade the area in the summer and prevent the hens from suffering from the heat.
The sun favors spawning, so avoid putting the chicken coop in the shade. Alternatively, you can put incandescent bulbs inside the coop to increase egg production (if it makes energy sense of course)
Step 3. You need to know what you are going to put in the chicken coop
The more things you put in, the less space will remain for the hens: during the design phase it is important to have a clear idea of the objects you will put inside, to calculate the useful volume lost.
- Perch area. Often a stick or a large wooden branch, resting on the walls of the chicken coop, is enough to increase the useful space and give a great place to sleep for your chickens.
-
Nest area. You can create a nest by filling crates or baskets with straw or sawdust. Without the right space for nests, your hens will lay on the ground, increasing the likelihood of broken eggs. Remember that on average a hen lays 1 egg every 1-2 days. The size of this area will have to take into account the number of hens and the frequency of egg collection. In general, one of these areas should be enough for 4-5 hens.
The height of the nests is important to avoid any external attacks, but must be considered in alternative to the positioning. Make sure the nests are in a clean, dry place and separate from the "sleeping area" (or you risk finding droppings on the eggs!)
- Ventilation. To prevent the development of pathogens caused by poor air circulation, it is necessary to provide the right ventilation systems. If you are planning to build a closed chicken coop, suitable for the whole year, be sure to provide a certain number of windows closed with wire, to ensure proper air circulation.
- Cleaning area. Hens often clean themselves by bathing in the sand. To keep your chickens happy and "fragrant" you can think of adding a box full of sand or ash.
Step 4. Decide whether to build a chicken coop from scratch or overhaul an existing structure
If you have a garage, shed, or large doghouse that you don't use, you could save yourself some work by using one of these items. If you are starting from scratch, design the chicken coop with your needs in mind. The method outlined below will help you build a simple chicken coop that is ideal for use in conjunction with an outdoor cage. If this solution doesn't work for you, you can find hundreds of other projects by searching for "chicken coop projects" on the internet.
- Comfort first of all. Remember that you will need to clean the coop and change the water and food regularly. If you don't want to build a chicken coop big enough to stand on, look for a project that has multiple entrances.
- If you decide to refurbish an existing structure, avoid wood that has already been tinted with lead paint or other harmful chemicals, or you risk making you and your chickens sick.
Part 2 of 5: Building the Floor and Walls
Step 1. Make the measurements
The basic chicken coop is 1.2 x 1.8 m (approximately 2, 20 m2 of floor space). If you think you need more or less space, feel free to adjust the measurements correctly.
Step 2. Build the floor
To make building and cleaning as easy as possible, start with a piece of plywood cut to size (in this case 1.2 x 1.8 meters). Make sure the plywood is between 1.5 and 0.6 cm thick.
- If you are cutting the plywood, use a wood pencil to mark the cutting lines.
- Screw the structure. To have a solid floor, screw 5x10 cm battens to the base of the perimeter. You could also screw one onto the middle of the floor to increase its strength. For a steel grip on the edges, use a sufficiently long vise.
Step 3. Build the master wall
This will be the only one with no openings and the easiest to make. Use a piece of plywood 1.8m long and 1.25cm thick. Screw 5 cm strips onto the bottom of the vertical edges. Make sure they stop 10 cm from the plywood base.
Step 4. Attach the floor to the wall
Place the wall on the floor covering the bottom of the 10x5cm strips with the 10cm left over. Next, fix the wall in place using 30mm screws and wood glue.
Step 5. Make the front panel
Use 30mm screws and wood glue to attach a 1.2m long and 1.25cm thick piece of plywood to the front of the coop. Screw the plywood onto the 5x10cm laths at the bottom of the coop and the 5cm laths to the side master wall. Next, cut out the opening that will become the door for your chickens.
- Design the front door before making the cut. It should be at least 60cm wide. Cut the height according to taste but remember to leave 15 - 25cm of space between the edges of the door and the base and top of the plywood panel.
- Use a jigsaw to make the cut. This way you will make a clean and simple cut. When you are done, reinforce the top of the door using a piece of wood about 50cm long and thick enough to be fixed with screws and glue.
Step 6. Build the back wall
Secure the second 1.2m piece of plywood to the back of the house using the same method as for the front panel. Next, cut and reinforce the back opening, as done previously.
Step 7. Build the last wall
You can do this by using 3 small pieces of plywood, rather than just 1 larger one. To start, cut 2 pieces of 60cm plywood and 1 piece of 1.2m wide about half the height of the coop. Next, attach a 5cm batten to the bottom of one of the vertical edges of one of the two 60cm pieces of plywood. Repeat this step on the second 60cm piece as well.
As with the other side, make sure the 5cm battens stop about 10cm from the base of the plywood. In this way you can place the plywood on the 5x10cm strips on the underside of the floor
Step 8. Secure the wall
Screw one 60cm panel directly to the front of the coop and the other directly to the back. Attach the longer of the two 60cm panels. Make sure to match the top edge with the vertices of the two 60cm panels so that the opening is close to the floor.
Reinforce the middle panel by attaching two pieces of reclaimed wood where the panel joins the two side panels. Make sure the cutouts are "tall" as the middle panel
Part 3 of 5: Building the Roof
Step 1. Cut out the pediment
The pediment is a triangular piece of wood to be placed on the front and rear wall of the chicken coop to support the roof. So, in this case, both pediments should be 1.2m long. Use a jigsaw to cut out the gables from an OSB board.
- Use a protractor to accurately calculate the angle of the roof ridge. If you don't have a protractor, you can measure it by eye (as long as the measurement is identical for both pediments!)
- Cut out the niches. To put the gables in place, you will need to cut out niches in correspondence with the reinforcements of the openings. If the wood you used for the front is the same size as the back, you can make exactly the same cut on both gables. If you used reclaimed wood you will need to make custom-made niches.
Step 2. Screw the gables
Place the front gable against the inside of the front wall and secure it with wood glue and screws. Repeat for the rear pediment.
It is okay if there is some space between the stiffeners and the niches. The important thing is that the gables are solid once fixed to the wall
Step 3. Build a truss
A truss, like the pediments, supports the roof, but rather than doing it on the ends it supports it in the center. Make sure that the corner of the truss matches the corner of the gables by clamping two 5cm strips on the sloping sides of the gables. Make sure that the battens overhang slightly (5-10 cm) from the edges of the pediment.
Reinforce the truss by cutting a crossbar from a 0.8cm thick piece of plywood. Cut it to the same size as the pediment and screw it to the 5cm strips
Step 4. Cut out the truss
Once the crossbar has been fixed to the 5cm strips, you can remove the clamps. Place the truss on the middle of the coop and make a mark at the intersections between the side walls and the 5cm strips of the truss. Next, make a 1.2cm niche at each mark. This way you can slide the truss over the side walls.
Step 5. Make the floor
To make a plain floor, join two pieces of 100x213cm plywood with inexpensive hinges. Make sure to join them along the longer sides so that the roof covers the entire coop.
Put the roof on top of the chicken coop. Check that there is a protrusion in front and behind, which is useful for structural and aesthetic reasons
Step 6. Build a finish for the pediment
Screw two 5cm strips on the underside to the front and rear slope. In addition to being beautiful, this finish will reinforce the bed avoiding structural collapses.
Step 7. Secure and finish the roof
Screw the roof onto the truss and pediment. Then add a waterproofing layer consisting of tar paper or galvanized sheet. Secure this layer with staples and use exterior screws for the sheet metal.
Part 4 of 5: Secure the Doors
Step 1. Cut the wood
Use a well-finished medium-density board for the doors. The size of the pieces will depend on the chosen height. Each door should be half the width of the opening (and the same height).
Step 2. Secure the door frame
Screw two 5cm strips onto the side and top edges of the opening. This will be the base on which to screw the door hinges.
Step 3. Secure the front doors
Screw two door hinges: one about 10cm from the top and the other at the same distance from the base. You may need a third middle hinge, depending on the height of the coop.
Step 4. Repeat this for the other two openings
You can use the same measurements as the front for the rear, but remember to take new measurements for the side doors.
Step 5. Add the closures
Brass hooks are inexpensive and effective closing methods, but any other type of closure will work as long as it cannot be opened by classic chicken predators such as dogs, cats and foxes.
Part 5 of 5: Raising the Chicken Coop
Step 1. Add the legs
While not necessary, raising the coop will protect your chickens from predators and keep them dry in rain or snow.
Use 5x10cm slats for the legs. Use thick screws to attach them to the battens at the base of the coop corners
Step 2. Build a ladder
Attach 5cm slats to 5x10cm slats to make a ladder that is easy for hens to use but too narrow for predators. Secure the ladder with a small hinge.
Advice
- Paint the coop to protect it from the elements. It will also be more aesthetically pleasing.
- Place the windows to the east for the dawn sun to wake the chickens. In this way you will increase the production of eggs and the good mood of your hens: the more light there is, the less sad they will be.
