Guide to Building your own Chicken Coop

Thinking of some new pets that lay you delicious and nutritious eggs? Although our business offers a range of chicken coops, many of our customers elect to build their own coops and we often find ourselves offering advice in our store on how to build the ultimate coop. 

The big risk of not understand what a chicken coop should be made from or how it should be designed in the early stages can lead to a very costly or fatal decision for your new pets.

The first thing to ask yourself is whether you want your chicken coop to be moveable or if you would prefer to be a permanent structure in one location. 

Portable Chicken coops provide the benefit of allowing you to move your new pets on to fresh ground which can not only be a source of enrichment, but also handy to move into vegetable gardens to clean areas after cropping for example.  Smaller mobile coops allows easy maintenance, as you can move it to where you need to clean it. 

Permanent "house style" chicken coops allows something with more structural integrity, which may offer more secure housing for predator proofing.  You can also build something that suits your height, making cleaning a breeze.  

There are several methods to construct a chicken coop, but here are a few things to consider in the planning stage:

1. Location - chickens need plenty of fresh air and sunlight, so make sure you choose a location that is sunny, well ventilated but offers some shade in the hot summer months.  Your chickens will also need a area that they can shelter from the rain and snow.  Many birds will not return to a shelter in the day over the winter months, so tree coverage is helpful.  

Make sure there is also adequate drainage.  Areas that are prone to flooding or      water retention will become problematic in winter and make your chickens not only miserable, but also may impact with health problems if they are located in a wet, soggy area.  Perhaps offer a small paved area or concrete space for them to get their feet out of wet ground if possible if you have limited space that gets waterlogged.

2. Size - the size of your chicken coop will depend on how many chickens you are thinking of keeping.  Bare in mind many people add extra birds to a flock over time to extend their laying periods.  Current RSPCA recommendations are for a minimum of 3 m2 for housing up to 6 bantams or three larger birds.  Additional birds will require a increase in enclosure size of at least 0.4m2 for every standard sized bird or 0.3 m2 for every extra bantam.  However, these recommendations are the BARE minimum.  It is important to know that the more space you offer your chickens the happier and healthier they will be, which will result in better egg laying too !

3. Nesting Boxes - Nesting boxes are required for your new pets to lay their eggs in a convenient and clean area.  We recommend one nesting box per 2 birds, so for example if you have three chickens you will need 2 laying boxes and for 6 chickens you will need 3.  If you have small breeds such as silkies, belgium deculle etc you can offer less nesting boxes per flock members. 

4. Roosting perches - Chickens like to "roost" which means they like a perch to balance on to sleep.  Chicken roosting bars should be around 4cm wide.  Small birds, smaller perches, larger, heavy weight birds may struggle with balancing high so wider lower perches will be required. Each bird will require approximately 25cm in length.  Commercial layers such as hylines often don't want to percha at all. Height is as important as length, as some birds will wish to snuggle with friends but others that are higher up the pecking order will like to roost at a higher level than the birds below them in the pecking order.

5. Predators - In Tasmania we are very lucky that we do not have foxes, however we do have other predators that can cause fatalities in your flock.  Predators are a major factor when considering what type of coop would suit your new pets.  If you back onto bush, you may have quolls or devils.  Rodents, snakes, birds and prey, feral cats and even possums can be predators that will kill your new pets.  It is important that your coop protects your new pets appropriately. Suburban properties obviously will not have the same issues as rural properties.   Ensure your pets are securely enclosed of a night to keep them safe. Cheaper flat pack coops will not stand up to predators such as quolls and devils.  Many chicken owners offer a secure coop and a automated coop door opener to let your chickens in and out each day for free ranging.  Automatic coop door openers are a fantastic addition to any coop, especially for those that may forget to tuck their pets away in bed on the occasion.

Please be aware that quolls and devils will go through thin wire and bird netting.  They can also dig and climb.  many quolls have gained access by digging under the base of a coop run, so if you aware that you have these types of predators in your area, please ensure that you lay a dug foundation of metal sheeting or wire at least a foot around the base of your coops and runs.  

6. Materials - You may use any material to build your new coop, but give careful consideration it is robust and weatherproof.  Once you have decided on a design, its time to start building! 

Good foundation is the key!  The foundation of your chicken coop is crucial, so take your time and ensure it is done right.  Ensuring it is strong and sturdy will set you up for success for many years to come!   Some people will build a chicken coops up off the ground to help with predator proofing and easy cleaning (at hip height) others prefer a walk in type coop.  

Timber choices: Treated pine would be the preferred choice.  Its strong, rot resistant and will last for many years to come.  Compressed fibre boards such as MDF, Formply, plywood allow mites to move inside the centre of the compressed fibres and they become very problematic if not kept thoroughly sprayed regularly.  Each pair of breeding mites can lay up to 80,000 hatchlings a day, so I'm sure you can imagine how hard it is to eradicate such parasites once a outbreak has ocured, soo in our opinion it is best to avoid these types of materials. 

Timber is warm in winter and cool in summer, making the ideal construction material for your new coop.  However it is important ot design it correctly to prevent parasites like mites from taking over and turning your coop into a living nightmare.  The best tips i have for you is: NEVER PUT LINING inside your chicken coop.  Make the outside wall your inside wall (ie no lining to the wall and no wall cavity with a inner lining wall) these areas will be a PERFECT place for mites to hide and breed prolifically. You need to be able to access all timber surfaces and spray them regularly.  This is important for nest box attachment areas also.  Two surfaces screwed or nailed together that you cannot penetrate a parasite prevention product will result in BIG problems down the track.

Old, recycles timbers look cute and quaint, but all those bumps and grooves are a delightful place for mites to live.

MAKE IT EASY TO CLEAN - I cannot emphasise this enough.  The easier it is to clean, the more likely chance you will clean it regularly and this will keep your birds happy and healthy.

Metal Coops - many people will build a timber structure and use colourbond or laser light to wall up the space.  This can work quite well, but be mindful of the coldness over the winter months and adding extra bedding to keep your flock warm.  The size of the construction will also be important especially over summer when it will heat up inside, with the hot summer sun. Ventilation will be vitally important.

7. Ventilation - Make sure your new coop has plenty of ventilation.  Ideally it should be cool in summer and warm in winter.  Correct ventilation is crucial when it comes to temperature regulation.  A good flow of air will keep the coop at an optimal temperature for your flock.  

Don't forget that we offer a great range of chicken coops if the building side of things sounds a little overwhelming for you! A good, well made coop will last you many years of happy chicken keeping so its worth the effort to put in as much planning as you need to, to get it right!