Since I have been writing about my chickens a lot lately, I was asked about how to build a chicken coop. I dug through our pictures from a few years ago and found that hubby had documented the process! Most of the wood for our chicken coop was recycled from a deck that was torn out from a job-site hubby worked on. Thus the dimensions are as such to fit the recycled wood.
The first thing hubby did was frame out the actual hen house. He used a 4×8 piece of plywood as the floor to the coop. He placed the floor on cement blocks to raise the coop of the ground so it doesn’t rot.
The siding we used was cement board that he scavenged from a job-site too. You can use any type of outdoor wood for the siding. You just want to make sure it is treated so it doesn’t rot.
The roof was made to overhang a bit to keep the windows clear of the elements. The windows are screened in with chicken wire. In the winter, we place plexiglass in the windows for insulation.
Hubby painted the coop with leftover paint and even trimmed it out! Since it is prominent in our yard, we wanted to to look nice.
The chickens also have a yard that was added to the main hen house. It has chicken wire fencing on the top and all around the sides. Hubby placed treated lumbar all along the bottom of the chicken wire to prevent varmints from getting underneath the wire.
The coop dimensions are:
Hen House: 4’x8′ and 6’9″ Tall
Fenced Yard: 9’4″ x 8’5″ and 4″ Tall
On the inside of the coop we have nesting boxes and a roosting bar. We started with the roosting bar down low but added one up higher as the girls seemed like being up high at night.
We originally built 6 nesting boxes however, you really only need one or two. Most of the time the hens all lay in the same nesting box just taking turns!
Since our chickens mostly free range now, we have since added a chicken ladder. This is so they can get in and out of the coop without the dogs accessing the coop. Our dogs have a love affair with freshly laid eggs!
If anyone has any further questions about raising chickens or building a coop, please feel free to contact me!
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That hen house looks nicer than most sheds! Great article, Renae. Thanks!
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Thanks Ann! Hubby does a pretty good job on construction projects! It takes him a long time to get them done, but they always look good!
How many chickens would this hold?
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Do you have plans for this coop? I would love to have my husband build this type of coop but would need a material list. Its beautiful!!!!
Hi Sonia,
Unfortunately, we do not have plans for this chicken coop. My husband just used a lot of scrap supplies he had. We built this coop five years ago and it is still holding up really well! Good luck!
Renae
This coop was the inspiration for the one I’m building!
Thank you for writing a blog about it!
I am retiring soon and love raring chickens.will follow your idea on blind the coop.thanks much.
What type of wire fencing did you use for the coop yard? We are in the process of building a coop, but will need a sturdy product that will stand up to critters– raccoons, coyotes, hawks, rodents, etc.