If you own chickens, you’ll need to have a coop to house your birds. This provides them a safe dry place to sleep as well as a place to provide you yummy eggs. The question is, how big of a coop do you need? And do you buy from a store or build it yourself?
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Store Bought Vs Homemade
I’m a big believer in building your own coop. Though the store bought coops are ready to go and look very nice, you’ll save a lot of money building your own. Especially if you’re good at finding deals on building materials. A cheaper coop from the store for 6 chickens will run you about $250-300. Whereas the coop I made myself from discount wood at the hardware store cost about $150-200 and can house at a minimum 20-25 birds.
Spacing Requirements: Each bird needs 4 square foot of coop space (2X2). If you’re chickens are not going to free range and will be kept in a run you’ll need to provide 8 square feet per bird. For sleep space you’ll want 8-10 inches of roosting space per bird.
Predator Proofing: Everything will want to eat your chickens. So efforts need to be made to protect your chickens whether it be a fully enclosed run, electric fencing, a guard dog, ect.
Basic Coop Necessities
There’s a few things every coop needs to meet your birds needs.
Nesting Boxes: Nesting boxes provide a safe little nook for chickens to lay their eggs. For the average dual purpose breed, you’ll want boxes that are 12X12X12. Placement also takes some planning. You want the nesting boxes to be high enough off the ground that the chickens have to hop up to get to them. Boxes that are more at eye level may encourage chickens to eat their own eggs. Out of site, out of mind.
Roosting Poles: Chicken don’t like to sleep on the ground. They like to be as high as possible. My own chickens took over what was supposed to be shelves to sleep because the shelves were higher than the roosts. Type of roosting poles can depend on where you live. We find 2X4’s work best for us. As we are in a very cold area, our roosting poles are made of 2X4’s with the widest part being what the chickens sit on so that they lay on top of their own feet better. If you’re in a warmer area, you can flip the 2X4 to the more narrow side for them to rest on which I think is what most chickens would prefer.
Windows: Windows will provide light and airflow. We have windows on the left and right sides of the coop with the ability to open and close them to control the temperature based on what season it is. They’re also covered with chicken wire so that nobody gets out and nothing gets in.
Bedding: And then of coarse you’ll want to provide bedding both on the floor and in the nesting boxes. This makes it easier to clean the coop when it’s time by preventing their droppings from sticking directly to the floor. It helps prevent getting their own feet caked in poop as well.
Accessories: This would include other necessities like a feeder, waterer, grit & oyster shell bins. You’ll want to place these where they aren’t going to get soiled but provide easy access to your birds.
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Outside Access: Whether is be a fully enclosed run, or free ranging, chickens need access to outside. The more space the better. This is where they are truly happy and go hunting for bugs and anything edible. We provide the best of both worlds. We have a fully enclosed run with boards at different heights to jump on. This run comes in handy if we go on a trip, or if the weather is nasty. When we’re home we allow them to free range and do what chicken do best . . . forage!
Hopefully this was helpful with providing you ideas and tips on how to build you own chicken coop if that’s the route you decide to go. I’d love to hear if I missed anything.
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