Building your own hen house is a cost effective alternative to buying one. With the right hen house plans, you can construct  a quality, customized hen house within a day or 2, depending on the size. This article provides you with some important hen house tips, and shows you where to download some of the highest quality hen house plans on the internet.

Hen House Sizes

Choosing the right size for your hen house obviously depends on the breed and number of birds in your flock. There are generally 3 options..

  • A large, traditional hen house with an optional chicken run.The Premium Hen HouseThe Chicken Run
  • The simpler, more basic standard chicken house.The Large Chicken House
  • A smaller “chicken coop” style construction. Not exactly a hen house, but it may just be enough.The Medium Chicken Coop

Anything smaller than these 3 designs will not give your hens the required environment to lay eggs at an optimal rate. You can find hen house plans for both of these designs, plus more at the Chicken Coop Plans page of this site.

Hen House Materials

You can build a hen house with many different materials, including:

  • Wood (pine, hardwood, even cedar if you’ve got the cash)
  • Stone (a much older style, but still common in Europe)
  • Metal (usually scrap metal, like iron)

I definitely recommend some kind of hardwood if you want a long-term, solid hen house that looks great. Using scrap metal can lead to a very hot coop, which can stop your chickens from laying or even kill them! Stone is nice, but not exactly practical, especially if you’re building your own hen house.

General Hen House Tips

- Work out the optimum position for your hen house before you start building. Most chicken breeds rely on natural sunlight to keep track of their laying patterns, so try to place it in a sunny spot.

- Include a secure chicken run attached to your hen house. This will give your birds extra space that is also safe from predators.

- Speaking of predators, make sure the entire coop includes security precautions. Foxes, snakes, dogs, and even thieves may pose a threat to your flock.

- Ensure that there is at least some vegetation inside the coop. This will help to keep your hens healthy and happy.

If you’re looking for detailed hen house plans, we highly recommend downloading the “Building A Chicken Coop” ebook, which you can read more about on the Chicken Coop Plans section of this website.