How to Build a Backyard Chicken Coop

A chicken coop is where chickens lay their eggs, sleep and nest. Rather than buying and then transporting a pre-made coop home, build your own coop and adapt it to fit the number of chickens you have and the amount of space you need. To build a high-quality coop you will need a fair amount of materials and know-how, but it is a manageable task for most people with basic carpentry skills.

Things You'll Need

  • Wood
  • Saw
  • Nails
  • Screws
  • Plywood
  • Chicken wire
  • Door latch
  • Hinge
  • Staples
  • 4 posts, 6 feet long
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Instructions

  1. Planning

    • 1

      Clear a space for the coop. Pick a site on a slight elevation so that puddles will not affect it after heavy rain.

    • 2

      Calculate the size of the coop. On average, one hen will need at least 2 square feet.

    • 3

      Design your own coop or download a free blueprint from the Internet. The chicken coop should have a large door allowing for easy collection of eggs. While there are multilevel coops, a single-level coop is the best option.

    • 4

      Purchase the materials you will need.

    Building the Chicken Coop

    • 5

      Cut all of the wood to the proper size. Place four pieces of wood on the ground in a rectangle. Screw them together to create the base of the coop. At each corner, lean a post at a 45-degree angle to create an A-frame. The posts should be about 6 feet in length.

    • 6

      Connect the end posts of the A-frame with a length of wood. This will leave you with a tent-like structure with a triangle at either end. Select one of the triangles as the end where the door will be. Using wood and nails, build a simple square door frame and attach it inside one of the triangles using nails or screws.

    • 7

      Add chicken wire. Cover the exterior of the coop with chicken wire and secure it with fencing staples.

    • 8

      Make the door. Cut a piece of plywood so that it is 1/4 inch smaller than the space left for the door. Attach the door using a hinge and secure a bolt latch on the other side.