44 Beautiful DIY Chicken Coop Plans You Can Actually Build Banner" width="634" height="360" />44 Beautiful DIY Chicken Coop Plans You Can Actually Build Banner" width="634" height="360" />
If you are concerned that you won’t be able to read the coop plans and be too technical, you are not alone.
I cannot read and execute building plans to save my life, yet I have built a total of 8 coops so far, with more to come. The chickens don’t care if the corners aren’t square or it is not the prettiest building in town – it is draft-free, dry, and keeps them safe and warm.
The point is, don’t be intimidated. You can do this!
Below we have 46 free DIY chicken coop plans with simple step-by-step instructions. We will also give you some general guidelines about coops to help smooth the path for you.
The biggest hurdle is getting over your fears or anxieties, so sit down, have a glass of wine or a cup of tea and read on!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
44 Free DIY Chicken Coop Plans
Before we get to the plans, let’s take a look at what your coop must provide for your hens.
The must-have list is fairly short but essential:
Let’s look at each one of these in turn below.
To answer this question, you have to know what chickens you are getting. Are they bantams or large fowl? Are they considered standard size or extra-large such as Jersey Giants?
If you have ordered a hatchery, they usually have a helpful section in the catalog that will give you space requirements for chickens.
In general, the following space requirements apply:
As a note in the plans below, we’ve assumed 3 square feet per chicken.
A note of caution here – these are minimum space requirements per bird. If you can build bigger, do so. You will likely get more birds; this is known as ‘chicken math’ or ‘more hens’ disease’!
The coop can be tall enough for you to walk into, or small enough for the hens and nothing else, your choice.
My preference is a walk-in coop because I don’t want to be leaning over to see what’s going on inside the coop or leaning in to ‘muck out’ regularly.
Size requirements in the coop are really essential for the birds’ well-being, especially in the winter months. Your pretty, lovable hens will start picking and plucking at each other if they don’t have sufficient room in close confinement.
It can be gruesome, so don’t skimp on space for your girls.
It really is important that you have an attached run area to your coop for extra space. If you don’t have a run and want to keep your hens locked up all the time, the confined space requirements will be significantly more.
The easiest and most plentiful material for coop building is wood.
If you decide to build your own coop, you can save a lot of money by using freely available stuff, such as wooden pallets. Businesses give pallets away free just to get rid of them. As long as the wood is heat-treated, it is fine to build with.
Building your own coop also means you get the exact coop you want! Something unique that perfectly meets your needs.
A word of caution here – many websites I visited researching this article advocated for using chicken wire to cover windows and also in the run area.
Chicken wire is designed to keep chickens in but will not keep predators out.
If you are concerned about keeping predators out, I recommend reading our article all about automatic chicken coop doors.
You should use wire mesh (hardware cloth) no larger than ½ inch for at least the bottom three feet of the run. You can, if you wish, use chicken wire higher up.
Raccoons can and will bite through chicken wire to get to your birds; hardware mesh will keep them out.
This applies to all openings, too – windows and vents.
Using anything larger than ½ inch invites weasels and other small critters to visit your girls…not something you want to happen.
Without a doubt, ventilation to the coop is vital. In summer, the vents will allow the warmer air out, keeping the coop cooler, and in winter, it allows the warm, moist stale air out.
Moist air in the coop during the colder months will give your birds frostbite to the combs and wattles, especially breeds with large combs and wattles.
It is the combination of cold and moisture on a warm comb that causes the problem.
As contrary as it might sound, ventilation will release the moisture from the coop.
A well-ventilated coop will reduce problems to an absolute minimum.
How big a vent and where to put it? The vent should be up near the ceiling, well above the heads of your chickens (remember, no drafts).
The general rule of thumb is 1sq.ft of vent per 10sq.ft of floor space in colder climates.
In warmer areas, more is better to maintain an ambient temperature in the coop. At temperatures over 90F, the chickens will start to be stressed, which leads to problems.
A window in the coop will ideally be south facing but can be placed elsewhere except the north side. The window will allow sunlight into the coop and add extra ventilation too.
Access to the coop for you should be a standard-sized door so that you don’t crack your head every time you enter.
Chicken access is via a ‘pop’ door. A pop door is simply a hole cut into the coop about 12 inches tall and 14 inches wide. The extra width allows for two birds to pass in the doorway.
Oftentimes you will have a hen that likes to sit in the doorway, so the extra space allows others to come and go.
Try to take into consideration all the things that might limit the desirability or accessibility of the coop.
Write yourself a list of desirable things for coop location:
Before you start building your coop, visit your site area in the morning, afternoon, and evening and see how the time of day affects the area. Think about it for a few days before deciding if the spot is right for you.
If you live in an urban setting, make sure the zoning laws allow you to put up a coop in your yard and keep chickens.
Sadly, many municipalities do not allow chickens in the town or village or only allow a certain number of hens. There are likely to be rules about where you can place your coop also – such as a minimum of six feet from the neighbors’ fence.
It is your responsibility to check out the rules and regulations. Don’t want to wade through the village by-laws?
Ask your local code enforcement/zoning official; they should be able to help you.
Thankfully, hens don’t require TV, internet access, or most of the things we humans deem necessary. They do need some basic ‘furniture’ though.
A roosting perch is essential for them when they are old enough to perch. This perch provides the sleeping area for the hens. They will snuggle together on the bar in winter and spread out a bit during the warmer months.
Roosting perches should allow for 8-12 inches of space per bird. Chickens sleep ‘flat-footed,’ so the perch should be between 2-4 inches wide for their comfort.
The ideal height from the floor should be 18-24 inches. Any higher and heavier hens run the risk of leg or foot injury when jumping down. Bantams seem to enjoy higher perches since they fly so well.
Think carefully where you will put your roost; birds poop over 70% of the total daily droppings at night. If you plan carefully, you can easily incorporate something like ‘poop boards,’ poop hammock, or other ways to collect and remove the poop mountains.
Tip: don’t place your nest boxes under the roost.
I use old discarded professional baking trays – they are solid metal trays about 18×24 inches that sit under the roosts. They are easy to lift out and empty as necessary.
Nest boxes are the second necessity for hens. The golden rule is one nest box for every 3-4 hens, although they will usually have one favorite box, and all will want to use it!
Standard-sized birds will fit nicely into a 12 x 12-inch box situated about 12 inches off the floor. Nest boxes should be placed in the darkest part of the coop since hens do like a little privacy when laying their eggs. If you have huge birds such as Jersey Giants, the nest box will have to be larger to accommodate the hens. Bantams require much less space – about 6 inches per box, but they can and will use the ‘big girls’ nest boxes.
Of course, you will need feeders and drinkers for your flock. The feeder can be hung in the coop, but leave the drinker outside otherwise;, it will contribute excess moisture to the coop’s air.
If your chickens spend most of their time in confinement, you may want to consider adding a bathtub to their home. And when I say bathtub, I mean a dust bathing area.
Chickens take dust baths to control the oils on their bodies and protect themselves from external parasites. If your birds are in confinement, a dust bath is non-negotiable. Birds that live in enclosures are more susceptible to contracting parasites. Thus they need access to a place to take their daily baths.
If you don’t provide one, they will undoubtedly try to make one, even if it is amongst their droppings.
Dust baths also provide an element of entertainment for your chickens. If you’ve ever seen a chicken bathing themselves, you’ll notice they appear relaxed and content. Think of a dust bath box as a spa for your chickens.
It doesn’t have to be large, and all you need is some dirt, diatomaceous earth, or sand. You can use a mixture of these elements to create a lovely dirt bath for your chickens. They will love it.
Keep the dust bath away from the roost and feed areas to prevent excessive dropping from falling into it.
I Want to Find Chicken Coops That Have:
