How to Build Chicken Cages

Cages provide a safe environment for chickens to roam, giving them space while protecting them from predators. Chickens with a fenced-in cage can get a little exercise, fresh air and a natural diet of grains and grass. Letting chickens graze in your yard helps to fertilize and remove pests from your lawn and garden. When chickens are healthy and well-fed, they'll produce more nutritious, better-tasting eggs. Chicken cages are a convenient option even for fledgling chicken farmers because they're portable, easy to build and inexpensive.

Things You'll Need

  • Ten 2-by-4s, 8 feet long
  • 40 feet of 24-inch chicken wire
  • 2 hinges
  • Heavy-duty staples
  • 2.5-inch or 2.75-inch No. 8 or No. 10 screws
  • Saw
  • Drill or screwdriver
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut six of the 2-by-4s in half, then take two of the halved pieces and cut them in half again.

    • 2

      Arrange two 4-foot pieces and two 8-foot pieces into a rectangle. Make sure the 4-foot pieces lie in between the 8-foot pieces. Drill holes through the 8-foot pieces and anchor with the screws. After the corners are secured with at least two screws each, make another rectangle in the same way.

    • 3

      Attach the 2-foot pieces at each corner. These form the posts of the chicken cage. Place screws through both the 8-foot pieces and the 4-foot pieces that you're attaching the posts to, for stability. This forms the basic structure of the pen.

    • 4

      Attach three of the 4-foot pieces of wood to the second rectangle. Space them 2 feet apart at the center. This rectangle will form the top of the cage. Attach the top rectangle to the corner posts with screws.

    • 5

      Staple chicken wire all around the sides. Make sure the chicken wire covers the entire surface area of the outside of the frame, around the posts, but don't staple chicken wire to the top part yet.

    • 6

      Construct another rectangle to make a door for the top section, using the 4-foot pieces of wood for the long sides. Cut two 20.25-inch pieces of wood from the remaining 4-foot 2-by-4. Attach the door to the second rectangular section on the top with the two hinges, using screws to secure in place. Make a handle for the door using a leftover scrap of lumber.

    • 7

      Cover the top section and the door with chicken wire.