How to Build a Chicken Coop – Tips For a Successful Home Made Chicken Coop

Have you joined the “chicken underground” as you look for ways on how to build a chicken coop?

If you’re interested in raising chickens in your backyard – in the city, you’re not alone. The “urban chicken movement” is gaining ground in major cities across the U.S. with the goal of allowing city residents to keep a number of chickens in their backyards.

Proponents of this movement say that it’s a part of the “back to earth” movement that’s been gaining popularity as the country goes “green.”

Fresh eggs are a definite benefit of this movement.

If you want to keep chickens in your backyard, you’ll definitely need a coop – a place for your chickens to call home. Like any other do-it-yourself project, learning how to build a chicken coop – and building one are something the average homeowner can do with a little planning, and some common sense.

As someone who has raised chickens myself – and built a few coops in the process – I can offer a few tips on how to easily and safely  build a chicken coop yourself.

Safety Counts – For Your Chickens

Like any other animals, chickens need good care and nurturing. Since they won’t be living inside your home, you will have to provide them with a coop that will provide protection from extreme weather and other animals that like to eat chickens – predators.

Chickens can survive winter’s cold and summer’s heat, but only if they have a well-built chicken coop to live in. Solidly built, with quality materials and thoughtful design, this structure, if designed well, will make it easy to care for your flock.

If you live in the Northeast where winters can be especially brutal, a Southern exposure on those cold winter mornings can really help warm up those cold birds. Likewise, if you live in the warm and dry Southwest, you’ll want to protect your chickens from excessive summer heat by avoiding Southern exposure.

Also, don’t forget about predators. Even in the most domestic of inner-city neighborhoods, stray dogs, cats, raccoons and a variety of wildlife flourish and would love to make a quick meal out of your chickens. To prevent this slaughter, your coop must be built  off the ground and with positive-locking doors, hatches and windows. As a first line of defense, bury the first 6 to 12 inches of the chicken wire that surrounds your coops in the ground. That will prevent other animals from digging under the fence to get at your birds.

Even in cold climates, ventilation is a must as the birds produce wastes that can build up dangerous amounts of ammonia and moisture that can sicken and kill your chickens if not properly removed. 

Provide Heat And Light

I live in a cold-winter climate, and the warmth from several light bulbs at night provided enough heat to allow the chickens to survive even the coldest of nights. Of course, our coops were well-built and had insulation to help keep in what little heat was generated. But, it was enough heat – you don’t need to go to extremes when winter sets in.

Another benefit of the artificial light from light bulbs was additional egg productivity. As fall turns to winter, the amount of time the sun shines decreases dramatically, and chicken’s egg-laying tapers off. If they have a light available past sundown, their egg productivity doesn’t decrease as much.

You don’t need a fancy electrical system – just make sure it’s done in a safe manner that’s compatible with building codes in your area.

Make It Easy To Clean

Surprise – chickens produce a lot of waste along with fresh, great-tasting eggs. You can’t have one without the other. And a build-up of wastes that are allowed to gather can promote disease and sickness in your chickens. To avoid foul smells and disease, regular cleanings will be needed. So, why not design and build your chicken coop to be easy to clean – from the start?

Use materials that are easy to clean like plastics, treated lumber, galvanized steel, aluminum and concrete. You can also design-in features that can make cleaning much easier such as floors sloped towards a door or hatch (for easy hosing out), access panels or windows that allow access to the entire interior, and drip pans that are easy to remove when full of waste.

When planning on a location for your chicken coop, pick a well-drained spot that gives easy access to all sides.

Learning how to build a chicken coop is not difficult or costly. Most people who can read and hold a hammer can most likely get the job done – and do it well.

Take action and join the “chicken underground” today. Breakfast never tasted so good!

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