What You Need to Know About Building Your Own Chicken Coop

Setting your mind on a chicken coop-building project is not really as simple as taking a hammer and nailing pieces of wood together. You need a game plan to create a functional chicken coop, and one that will last as long as you need it to. Being able to proudly show it off is a bonus, but no matter what it looks like, as long as you made it and it works as it should, you should take pride on it.

To help you along in building your first masterpiece, there are a few elements that you should keep in mind.

1. The design

This will include the size of the coop, as well the functional aspects of the coop like feeding access, insulation, and waste management. You need to keep the chickens safe and accessible and be able to give them proper care but you should also be able to keep predators and harmful elements away. You should likewise consider the aesthetics or how it will look like after you have built it. While it won’t compare to the Sistine Chapel, it would be nice if it would not be an eyesore.

2. Materials

When looking for materials to use for making the chicken coop, you have to think more than just the “essential functions of the job,” which is to keep the chickens inside. You may want to consider toxicity, durability, imperviousness, maintenance requirement, and the safety of the animals inside. Get a few recommendations from people who have built chicken coops regarding the materials to use that will be strong enough to withstand weather and other conditions, as well as keep the chickens safe and sound.

3. Cost and Time

It may not take a master craftsman to build a chicken coop, but it will take some skill as well as time and money. After doing your research, you should be able to tell if you can set aside enough time to do the work, and if you can afford to buy all the materials needed, including the tools that you will require if you don’t have them yet. If there are equipments that you can use in building a chicken coop AND use them for other functions, think about investing in those. They may also come handy for repairs and maintenance.

It’s easy to learn how to make a chicken coop, but you may run into a few snags if you don’t study up on how to build it. There are many online sites that will give you instructions, and it never hurts to ask from someone you know who has actually built their own. There are “kits” available online too that will have everything you need and instructions thrown in with the package so you should look into that as well.