How to Plan a Chicken House and Coop
Before buying chickens, plans need to be made for the chicken house design, the chicken coop, chicken nest boxes and the needed chicken supplies. By planning ahead costs can be lowered and problems can be anticipated.
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Instructions
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Before deciding on the chicken house design, first look at the property and decide where to put and how much room there is for a chicken pen and hen house. The area should be relatively flat and not low lying. Chickens will turn the soil constantly with their scratching and eventually will kill all the vegetation. With any slope, the bare ground in the chicken pen will wash away leaving holes under the fences. The hen house should be close enough to the farm house to be able to hear the birds if they're attacked at night but not so close that the smells and noises become a problem. 75 to 100 feet is a good working distance if there are roosters or if the poultry flock will be sizeable. If only hens are going to be kept in a small, less than 10 birds, flock, they can be closer. If there are trees and shrubs that will be inside the chicken pen, it will be necessary to trim off the lower limbs or the birds will roost in them and use them as perches to fly over the chicken fence. The poultry yard should be as large as possible, figuring for at least 10 square ft. per chicken. Thus a 10 by 15 ft. or 150 sq. ft. pen will work for 15 chickens not counting the needed hen house. A larger chicken pen with separate sections so the flock can be rotated from one section to another is a good idea. When they clean up one area, move them over to another and plant the bare one with a forage crop for them to enjoy later. The chicken pen area will need a source of water and carrying water will becomes quite a chore after a while. In colder climates a source of electricity for added warmth will be needed.
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Decide on the chicken house design and draw up plans for it. The hen house should be centrally located either in the middle of the pen or along one of the fences. There can be pop doors on each side to allow the chickens access to different yards if there are more than one. There are many good plans for hen houses in books and on the web. They range from simple open-fronted, lean-to, sheds to fully framed houses with doors and windows. Climate, flock size, the room available, costs, and building abilities, all need to be considered, before deciding on a chicken house design. Draw out a plan for the house, remembering to include nest boxes, roosts, and accesses such as doors and windows. Plan for how the house will be cleaned out each year and have doorways wide enough for wheelbarrows to fit through. Make a list of materials that will be needed. Don't use any fiber or paste board, because they will disintegrate due to moisture. Vinyl siding is a good building material because it can be washed down and won't rot. Metal is a good roof choice, but metal walls will rust quickly around manure. In deciding where to locate the house consider prevailing winds, available room, shade, and sun. Decide on the type of floor the hen house will have, plain dirt, off grade wooden, or poured concrete. The walls of a framed house will need at least cinder blocks for a foundation. In colder climates, hollow walls that are insulated may be needed, but be aware they are a haven for rodents. Chicken Houses that are off grade will have to have wire around the bottom so the chickens can't get under them to hide eggs and undermine the foundation. Like hollow walls, floors that are off grade can become a nesting area for rodents. Plan for storage of chicken supplies such as waterers, feeders, feeds, and tools. Chicken feeds must be stored in dry, rodent-proof, containers.
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The next thing to figure for is the chicken pen fencing. It needs to be 6 ft. tall with support posts at least every 10 ft. The corners need to be cross braced for adequate support. Regular chicken wire will keep the birds in but it will only last a few years before rusting. Go to a scrap yard and check for used chain linked fence for the poultry yard. It may be rusty but it will last for years. It will need a heavy gauge wire stretched tight along the tops of the poles, to tie the fence wire to and prevent sagging. The type of soil in the area will determine the pole size needed. In loose sandy soils, 9 ft. poles with 3 ft. in the ground for support are necessary. Check with local farmers and see what they recommend. The fence needs to be stretched tight when it is put up. A tractor can be used to pull it. It may be necessary to get professionals to install the fencing for a large chicken pen. Measure for the chicken fence, decide how many poles are needed, write it all down and add up the costs.
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Look for costs saving chicken supplies. There are ways to save on some of the costs. Get used materials such as the used fencing mentioned earlier. Offer to tear down someone's old shed for the materials in it. Check with someone who puts up vinyl siding, as many times they will have old siding to be hauled off for free. PVC pipe can be used for the framing of gates and nest boxes. Plastic crates and 5 gallon buckets turned side ways can be used for nest boxes. Check with scrap yards and Habitat for Humanity stores for scrap lumber, shingles, and building supplies. Keep track of which chicken supplies have been secured and which are still needed in a notebook. By taking all of this into account while planning for the hen house and chicken pen the process will take less time and the end results will last for years.
Below under resources there are links to other articles about raising chickens. Please rate this article and any others you decide to check out, thank you.
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Tips & Warnings
Chain link fence is heavy and will need strong corner supports. Use metal poles set in concrete at the corners.
Any dividing fences across the pen middle can be of cheaper wire. Be sure to put the fence tight to the ground so the birds can't go under it.
While shade trees are nice, having too many will mean any forage crops won't do well.
A dirt floor will mean the house cannot be washed out because it will hold moisture and wet chicken manure is dangerous. It will give off ammonia gas that can be deadly to you or your flock.
