How to Build a Straw Bale Chicken Coop

Some of the first straw bale structures were said to be animal shelters. The natural insulation provided by straw bale construction creates a protected home for your flock and can be built on budget. Here are some guidelines for constructing your straw bale chicken coop.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Research. Building any structure takes a lot of research into the type of construction you plan to pursue. One great resource available for straw bale construction, “Straw Bale Details: A Manual for Designers and Builders” by Chris Magwood and Chris Walker, helps you navigate the layers of straw bale building. Keep in mind that your chickens will need electricity/lights to be tricked into laying eggs in the winter.
2. Figure out the coop size, accomodating for the number of nests and perches. Each chicken should have 4.5 square feet of space, although some say that 3 square feet of space per chicken works fine. You will need one nest per three chickens. Each chicken will also need 9” of perch width. Buildeazy.com provides a nice resource on traditional coop building with plan drawings (see Resources below).
3. Apply for a building permit. Once your plans are finalized, be sure to get the necessary permissions to build the chicken coop.
4. Building materials will vary depending upon the kind of straw bale coop you decide to build. Just remember that the prices of straw bales can vary drastically depending upon what time of year it is. Purchasing your bales during harvest season straight from the farmer is the most economical. Please note that the bales have to be dry even during harvest. Also, the bales should be held together with wire and not string.
5. A temporary bale barn is a structure created mostly of straw bales, square- or round-shaped. This structure is created for temporary housing, while more permanent structures are being built. This idea is also good for open-range chickens that are part of a livestock field rotation system.
6. With an unplastered straw bale chicken coop, you still have to cover the walls with snow fence, deer fence, or chain-link fence. This will help keep the chickens (and other animals) from eating the walls.
7. A plastered straw bale chicken coop follows all of the traditional methods of straw bale construction. The Shimmering Light Farm in South Bristol, New York, offers a two-day intensive workshop on the construction of a chicken coop with this ancient method of building.

Tips & Warnings

• Straw bales make great green house walls.
• Straw bales make a good temporary garden fence.