Learning how to build a chicken coop is surprisingly easy, especially with some kind of guide, and/or visual schematic to follow. A small coop can be built in under a day, with a larger “hen house” style coop taking no more than 3. Building your own chicken coop is much less expensive than buying a pre-built one, sometimes as much as 50% cheaper! This article explains the basics of how to build a chicken coop, and shows you where to download complete chicken coop plans online.

Types Of Chicken Coops

There are many different types of chicken coops, all with their own PROS and CONS. Choosing the right chicken coop to build will depend on the size of your flock, your geographic location, whether you want a portable chicken coop or not, and what kind of egg yield you want to get.

In this article we’re focusing on a basic a-frame chicken coop (pictured below). See our Chicken Coop Designs article for some other types of chicken coops.The Portable Chicken CoopA-Frame Chicken Coop Building Materials

There really isn’t much to building a chicken coop like this. The basic requirements are:

  • 5 long pieces of timber (for the coop frame).
  • 11 short pieces of timber (for the frame and nesting sections).
  • Some chicken wire (to enclose the frame).
  • Some pieces of chipboard or plywood (to enclose the nesting section).
  • Some sawdust or straw (for the nesting area)
  • Nails, hinges, and other bits and pieces.

For a much more detailed materials list, check out the “Building A Chicken Coop” eBook over at the Chicken Coop Plans section of the site.

Step 1 – Joining The Frame

Nail or screw together the shorter pieces of timber to form 3 separate A-frames, and 1 incomplete A-frame. All you need to do then is join them to the long pieces to form a triangular prism.

Step 2 – Chicken Wire

Cut out appropriately sized pieces of chicken wire and nail them into place, enclosing most of the coop. You can use the image at the top of the page as a guide.

Step 3 – Nesting Area

The nesting area should be totally enclosed with plywood or chipboard. You can use a hinge to have a “flap” that is easily opened to get your eggs. Nesting boxes can be made from cardboard or chipboard if you like. Make sure the entire nesting area is insulated with either straw or sawdust.

This article is only a very basic chicken coop building guide. If you’re serious about learning how to build a chicken coop, check out the Chicken Coop Plans section of the site.