DIY Chicken Houses

Chicken houses can vary from two-story, complex structures to basic chicken wire wrapped around four posts. The material options for building your own chicken coop are endless, but wood and wire are the most common. When preparing to build, you must first decide how many foul you will have. Based on this, as well as the climate in your region and purpose for which you will be housing chickens, you can begin deciding on size and structure. Most all supplies and tools needed for constructing a chicken house---or chicken coop---are available at home improvement stores.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape Measure
  • Wooden posts
  • Saw
  • Post hole digger
  • Wooden boards
  • Hammer
  • Nails
  • Chicken wire
  • Staple gun
  • Tin snips or wire cutters
  • Tin
  • Screwdriver
  • Screws
Show More

Instructions

  1. DIY Chicken Houses

    • 1
      Saw cutting wood

      Measure and cut your wooden posts to the correct size. You will need 3 posts for the back of the chicken coop, measuring 6 feet tall, and 2 posts for the front, measuring 5 feet tall. Ensure your posts are sturdy enough to support the structure by using ones that measure at least 4 inches by 4 inches.

    • 2

      Dig five deep holes, at least 18 to 24 inches deep, with the post hole digger. Erect the posts in the holes and pack in the remaining space with the removed soil. Bear in mind that you will need access to every corner of the coop for feeding and cleaning when deciding how far to space the posts apart.

    • 3
      Hammer and nail

      Secure wooden boards, 2 inches by 4 inches in size, up the 3 posts serving as the back of the chicken house. Begin at the ground, work upward and secure every board with two nails, a few inches apart, at each of the posts. At this point, your structure should appear as a three-post studded wall behind two slightly shorter posts.

    • 4
      Chicken wire used as fence

      Unroll the chicken wire and wrap it around the remaining three sides of the chicken house. Staple it securely to the outer two posts of the back wall and the two front posts. The wire should be flush with the ground and as tall as the back posts all the way around the structure.

    • 5
      Tin snips

      Snip the top edge of the wire so that it slopes from the higher posts in the back of the coop to the lower ones at the front. This will allow the tin roof to sit at an angle, diverting precipitation away from the chicken house.

    • 6
      Tape measure

      Measure and cut your tin to allow at least four inches of overhang on the three un-boarded sides of the chicken house. Secure the tin sheet to the 5 posts with screws. If you have selected a thick tin sheet, it may be necessary to bore guide holes holes for the screws to go through.

    • 7

      Construct a door for your coop by simply cutting a large enough hole in the front for access. Leave one side of the wire flap connected, however, because you will need to fasten it shut in order to keep the animals contained. A simple setup of chicken wire twists will work for keeping the flap closed.

    • 8
      Baby chickens

      Build nesting houses for your chickens inside the coop. From the back wall, attach wooden boxes that jut out at least 15 inches. Be sure to keep them fairly low to the ground so the chickens are able to get in and out of them with ease. Pad them with hay for comfort and insulation.