If you’re serious about raising chickens in your backyard or small farm, learning how to build a hen house will save you a heap of cash. A hen house is arguably the highest quality chicken coop you can get, especially if coupled with a premium chicken run. This article gives you the basic steps in building a hen house and run, and shows you where to download an eBook containing high quality building schematics.

The Traditional Hen House

This style of hen house has many advantages. Because it is basically one giant, enclosed, insulated nest, egg yields will be very high because your flock will have plenty of stress free space. The premium chicken run will give your birds even more free, open space, which is the optimal environment for hens. To check out other types of chicken coops, go to the Chicken Coop Designs page.The Premium Hen HouseBuilding Requirements For A Hen House

A traditional style, premium hen house like the one above requires the following materials:

  • 4×4 timber for the exterior skids.
  • 2×4 timber for the exterior floor joists and boundary joists.
  • 4×4 timber for the corner studs.
  • 2×4 timber for the framing walls and roof.
  • 2×3 timber for the perches and perch support.
  • 2×2 timber for the nesting perch.
  • 4′x8′ plywood sheets for the exterior flooring, wall cladding and parts of nesting boxes.
  • 1×4 timber for the exterior cladding battens, door stop and parts of the nesting boxes.
  • 1×12 timber for the exterior parts of the nesting boxes.
  • 1×6 timber for the exterior roofing boards and litter board.
  • Tar paper, breather type building paper or similar roofing underlay.

As you can see, the list of materials to build a hen house is reasonably moderate. You can pick everything you need up from your local hardware store for around $100. Keep in mind that you can customize your project by modifying elements of the hen house plans.

Constructing The Hen House

Learning how to build a hen house will take time. You’re far better off following a highly detailed building plan. You can find high quality building plans inside the “Building A Chicken Coop” eBook, which you can read about on the Chicken Coop Plans page on this website.

Modernizing Your Hen House

There are plenty of ways in which you can give your newly built hen house a contemporary appeal. Here are a few hen house design ideas:

  • You’ll be surprised how far a fresh coat of paint will go.
  • Apart from a basic coat of paint, you might consider painting a mural.
  • Consider planting some flowers in your chicken run
  • Place some garden ornaments inside, like a gnome!

This is only a basic guide on how to build a hen house. We highly recommend downloading the high quality “Building A Chicken Coop” ebook, which you can read more about on the Chicken Coop Plans section of this website.