Instructions
Plan to build your hen house near a water spigot. Remember that chickens require access to fresh water and having the spigot nearby will make it easier for you to keep fresh water available. As well, it'll provide a handy source for washing out the hen house.
Plan your hen house dimensions to be large enough for you to move around inside comfortably. You'll need enough height for a full-sized door for you. In determining the interior space, figure on 4 square feet per chicken. So if you have 4 chickens, plan for a miminum of 16 square feet, or a coop that is 4 feet by 4 feet in size.
Place nesting boxes and roosts along the sides inside the hen house. Design each nesting box with a hinged lid, so that you can more easily collect the eggs. Make each nesting box with an interior, removable box to make cleaning easier. At least once a year, you'll want to take everything out and give it a good blast with water.
Put in windows on opposite walls so you can get a cross-breeze going though. Use screens on the windows so you can leave the windows open and allow in air, but not other animals or debris.
Choose doors that suit your climate. Depending on your location, screen doors may be suitable for your entrance. If you have harsher winters, use wooden doors. Give your chickens their own swinging door that leads to a ramp to the yard.
How to Design a Hen House
When designing a hen house, or chicken coop, you'll want to draw up your plans before undertaking the actual building process. When working out your design, take into account the chicken's ability to come and go and the ease in which they can access their nesting boxes, along with the ease in which you can come and go for both collecting the eggs and cleaning out the boxes. Remember, the hen house must accommodate you both.