Manufacturing your own coop is actually much easier than you think – especially if you have appropriate designs, knowledge, and guidance. If this is your first time constructing a coop, then you’ll want to gather as much information as you possibly can.

We highly recommend getting a template. One great book is “Building A Chicken Coop” by Bill Keene. It’s a quality resource with plans and materials, as well as step by step leads to ensure your hencoop has all the essential features you’ll want.

Some Basic Chicken Coop Guidelines

When thinking about constructing your own custom chicken coop you’ll have to remember certain things.

First of all, how many chickens are you thinking about keeping? You’ll know the answer to this question if you are already housing a flock. Don’t overwhelm yourself if you’re a beginner, and start small. You can always add more later on, and even build yourself an entire chicken run!

Another important element is the consideration of the weather in your area. If you live in the desert you’ll be building your coop a little differently than if you live in the cold north. Think about if your coop will be in the shade or sun, and where your chickens will be spending their time.

Coop Plan Selection

When thinking about how to construct a chicken coop you should definitely consider a few things when selecting your coop plans.

Building proper ventilation will prevent your chickens from getting too hot in the summer. If you don’t provide adequate ventilation in your coop your chickens could overheat! This will not make for very happy keepers or flocks!

Lighting is yet another highly important consideration when thinking about how to construct a chicken coop. If you’re constructing a chicken coop in a well lit space then it’s a positive idea to think of positioning the coop in order to best take advantage of that natural illumination. If the coop is being built in a shady or dark location then it’s obviously good to make sure there are enough openings for light to enter. You could also think about installing lights.

Where you place the feeding sources is vital also when making your chicken coop plans. Obviously feeding your chickens is an important part of keeping them, so it’s a good idea to make sure that you plan out the feeders according to how many chickens you have. It’s important to make sure that these are accessible by yourself and also your chickens.

Build A Chicken Coop

Building A Chicken Coop

Choosing What Type of Coop You Require

Different Styles Of Coops

Probably one of the decisions you’re struggling with right now at this point is determining which type of chicken coop you desire.  There are a variety of different chicken coops that you can build, but understanding which one is going to best fit your needs is important for getting optimal results. If you spend the money on a chicken coop, it is only logical that it needs to match an individuals needs, so getting started on the right foot is important.

Factors involved

There are some important factors to take into consideration before coming to a decision on what type of chicken coop to build.The following guidelines will set you off down the right path to choosing wisely and being completely with your new chicken coop once it’s built.

1. Do It Yourself

The best way to save money is simply to build a backyard chicken coop yourself. Even finding the cheapest contractor available to build your backyard chicken coop is going to end up costing you a lot more than just doing it yourself. If you’re reasonably handy and find a good set of chicken coop plans on the internet, you’ll ultimately save a lot of cash on labour.

2. Buy your own materials

Try not to buy any pre-made chicken coop kits. As with any “out of the box” solution, it’s almost always better to do some research and buy your own building materials. It is ultimately way more cost efficient to source your own lumber than to pay for someone else to do it for you. With some clever shopping you can find all the necessary materials you need to build a backyard chicken coop for around $300-$400.

3. Buy a quality set of plans

Buy a good high-quality set of chicken coop plans on the internet. It’s all well and fine to have all your lumber and chicken wire but if you’ve got a bad, hard to read set of plans, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. It is possible to download free plans off the internet but I’m a firm believer in “you get what you pay for” and advocate spending a few bucks to get a good set. There are plenty of options on the web but it pays to do your research and find the right set of plans for you.

Think about what type would work best for you when you are building a chicken coop.

First off – how many chickens do you want to house?

Next – do you want to be able to move your chicken coop?

Now – where are you going to site your chicken coop?

And – how much space do you have?

Then – how are you going to design your chicken coop for easy cleaning?

And another thing – how will you position roosting bars and nest boxes?

Finally – how much time do you want to turn over to this project?

One way to get the best result when you are building a chicken coop is to buy a comprehensive set of plans and assembly instructions. Check the plans have several options so you can get a good idea of what will work for you.

Portable chicken arks are simple and quick to make and are ideal if you are just starting to keep chickens. They will take about three, and can be easily moved around your garden to new patched of grazing. Keeping the ark close to the house means you can watch the chickens easily.

A simple mid-size hen house won’t take you much longer to build and normally has a run attached. This is ideal for a larger flock of say, six hens. Identify an area to site the hen house that has good light and some protection.

You could let your chickens out when you’re there to supervise, or build both a chicken ark and a fixed coop so they can have new ground to scratch at.

Building a chicken coop is a straightforward weekend project if you start with plans and instructions – and you will get a chicken coop that looks good, functions well and will last a long time, for a fraction of the cost of buying one.