Your baby chicks will soon grow into laying hens, requiring a chicken coop to meet their daily and instinctual needs. Your flock will require shelter from predators, space to roost and lay eggs and exercise. Raising a healthy flock starts with having appropriate chicken coop plans!
If your town or village permits chickens, check their regulations regarding location and size.
To build the walls for your coop, utilize plywood cut to size from home improvement or lumber stores. Make sure that it lays flush against its edges to prevent predators from getting inside. Furthermore, ventilation openings must also be present to keep your flock healthy and comfortable.
Size
Minimum size requirements for coops vary between 2-3 square feet per hen; anything less will lead to overcrowding which in turn breeds disease, stress levels and fighting that reduces egg production.
As with all aspects of animal husbandry, temperament and breed choices will have an impactful influence on how many hens you can house comfortably in one coop. Cramped chickens may become restless and begin pecking at each other or the walls and roof in response to being under too much strain; overcrowding also has been shown to cause respiratory issues which lead to illness in chickens.
Your chickens require a safe place to sleep and roost each night. When designing their roosting poles, make sure they can support at least 12 inches from the ground while being spaced 8 inches apart. Also include a poop board below their bars so you can easily clean out their coop at the end of each week.
Hens need an inviting place to lay their eggs. When designing nesting boxes for your hens, aim for one box for every four or five hens; soft materials such as straw, wood shavings or mattress pads make ideal nesting areas.
Ventilation in a coop is essential to providing fresh airflow and eliminating stagnant, damp air. Ventilation should be especially critical during periods of cold or rainy weather as well as hot summer days; for optimal results it's recommended that at least one opening in the roof, two windows, and at least one door with an air intake or fan be present in order to draw in outside air. If pest control issues exist such as raccoons entering, install hardware cloth fencing around its foundation extending it downward so raccoons cannot tunnel under and gain entry - this should prevent them from getting in.
Materials
To create the ideal environment for your flock, it's essential that your Chicken Coop Plans use safe materials. For instance, the chicken coop floor should be constructed using durable plywood; to minimize toxic exposure it would be wiser to select mid-grade sheets instead of pressure-treated wood which exposes backyard chickens to potentially hazardous chemicals that could have an adverse impact on their health and overall wellbeing.
Your coop should also offer sufficient room for essentials like the feeder, waterer and vents - plus its floor should be insulated to shield its flock from harsh weather conditions.
Based on your climate, it may be helpful to construct a portable coop so it can be relocated into shaded areas during summer months, which will prevent overheating as well as lower the risk of predators entering.
Once you have created a plan, the next step is gathering materials. Many supplies can be found at local hardware stores and online, while predator-proof fencing will keep predators out. Many new chicken owners choose chicken wire as their choice of fence material but this rusts easily while not providing sufficient wind or snow protection; more durable and cost-effective options may exist instead.
Your chicken coop must include at least two roosting poles in its roof center for your chickens to rest their heads at night and lay their eggs peacefully. If placing these bars above 4 feet high, be sure to provide ladders or planks so your birds can climb to them easily.
Your coop must also feature ventilation to maintain clean air and avoid disease, with openings near the ceiling and on the roosting bar areas as well as leaving one-fifth of wall space open; this will also help the coop cool off in hot summer temperatures. Now is also an excellent time to install door and window shutters, which help keep predators away while keeping fresh air circulating through.
Design
A chicken coop serves more than one purpose. Depending on their location, chickens need somewhere warm to sleep at night while also being protected from extreme weather conditions and having easy access to food and water sources. Therefore, its design must reflect this reality to ensure healthy flock members.
Overcrowded coops can lead to stress and disease for your birds, while inadequate insulation leaves them exposed to cold temperatures. Furthermore, insufficient ventilation increases moisture and humidity levels which increase risk for disease transmission as well as discomfort. Finally, inadequate predator protection leaves your chickens open to attack. Luckily there are numerous solutions available to you so you can create the optimal coop for your flock.
One of the most frequent errors people make is building their coop too large, which wastes space and can lead to overcrowding resulting in higher risks of illness, disease and poor egg production.
Your chicken coop's size should depend on the number and breed of birds in its run, as well as your desired living space for each one. A general guideline would be 4 square feet of space per standard hen and 2 for bantams; you should also consider how much room feeders, waterers and perches occupy when designing it.
Your chickens require a safe roosting spot in order to rest soundly at night, just as nature intended them to. A roosting bar will be beneficial as this helps avoid any unnecessary fights between hens while providing for a restful night's rest - the bars should have smooth surfaces with rounded edges to avoid injuries due to splinters.
An air gap between walls and sloping roofs will allow hot air to escape without creating drafts in sleeping quarters below, providing ventilation necessary for keeping your coop warmer during winter by letting dry air in while sending moist air out.
One way to enhance the comfort of your coop is to add windbreaks and extra bedding. Windbreaks will protect it from harsh winter winds while extra bedding provides additional warmth - measures that will drastically decrease exposure to cold temperatures which could otherwise lead to illness and reduced egg production.
Building
Keep in mind, however, that keeping chickens requires more than walls and roof. They require access to food, water and sunlight as well as protection from predators as well as perches for resting or sitting, poop trays and more - when designing your coop make sure it includes these features to ensure their wellbeing and ensure healthy flock members.
First, construct the framework for your coop using 2x2 lumber that you purchase at either a home improvement store or lumber yard. Use a tape measure to make sure all boards are level, then nail them into place using at least 1-inch nails. Your frame should provide ample room for the birds you plan on raising to move freely inside and roam freely as they play.
Once your frame is in place, the next step in building your coop should be building its walls and roof. Plywood will suffice here; additional materials may also be necessary depending on your coop design; these supplies should be available from lumber yards or home improvement stores. Make sure the sheets you buy are larger than needed so there will be extra room for doors and windows; when finished all pieces should fit together seamlessly without gaps that allow predators or drafts access.
At this point, it is also wise to install ventilation into your coop to provide a constant supply of fresh air for respiratory disease prevention and overheating prevention, while drawing out any stale or damp air that might exist in it. Vents may either remain open or closed depending on local climate factors.
Install a window so you can keep an eye on your chickens day and night, and a door so both you and your hens can enter. Some people also choose to add a small bird entrance so they can reach their coop for cleaning and feeding without opening its door every time.