Developing Your Materials List for Constructing Your Chicken Coop

Look, let's convey it like it is; there are choices out there that do not require you to construct your chicken coop. Pre-built chicken houses of all types from any number of companies are available for purchase in the marketplace. When you think on it though this new-found hobby of caring for chickens was your personal decision, and with that decision, the desire to get directly involved in the venture from the ground level up. After all, there is a certain feeling of gratification in getting involved at that level. And when you glimpse at the whole picture and begin to focus in on the yield of your self-gratification efforts -- a regular batch of freshly laid organic eggs -- you just may wish to reduce your project costs where you can and start looking at materials for constructing the project yourself.

In mulling over the list of chicken coop materials needed for your project, don't discount what you may already have leftover from past undertakings. More so than you could imagine, coops of all types have been put together from a hodgepodge of odd materials which is a part of the allurement of getting into this past time.

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However, should you find yourself without of the blessing of having leftovers, it's time to bite the bullet and go on over to your local Lowes. And in so doing here is where you need to be mindful in putting together your list. Undoubtedly your plan is to construct an inexpensive chicken coop, however resist the temptation of buying inferior materials. Speak to any seasoned veteran and they will advise you -- take the cheap route and you're going to be back there in short order purchasing replacement pieces.

Let's glance at the materials for your list:

Board Lumber/Plywood: Board lumber, 2x4 or 2x3, are your best bets for framing up your undertaking. For flooring joists, boards that are 2x6 are recommended, and if you wish to raise your project off the ground, corner posts that are 4x4 are recommended. And whenever it's time to trim, 1x4s will conclude your framing. Plywood, treated for water proofing as will all of your wood selections, will serve as wall material for your undertaking as well as the ground material of your roofing to which shingles will be affixed.

Wire for Fencing: Wire fencing affixed between posts will make the circumference of your chickens' yard. This is referred to as a "run", their outdoor place to bask in the sunshine and suck up fresh air. It also serves as their fortification from the advances of predators, therefore selecting the right grade of fencing is crucial. Of the many choices, the general consensus is that a heavy grade mesh is the best selection in protection against the broad array of marauder types. And it would be a really sound suggestion to take the added time and effort to string the mesh across the top to protect against those that climb and those that soar.

Windows: The advice is to frame in a minimum of one window, one foot square, for each ten feet square of coop area. Windows are important for bringing natural light into your hen house as well as allowing a source of refreshing air flow for your birds.

Insulation: It will get hot in your hen house in the months of summertime and bitterly frigid in the dead of winter. Your chickens' body will respond most effectively in between 40 and 85 degrees, hence temperature control in their house is no minor matter. Construct into your undertaking sufficient insulation for keeping your flock healthy year round.

Well, that ought to provide you a roadmap for getting your materials list together. Remember, you are going to require a plan, an easy to follow guidebook, to assist you in keeping your project moving onward and on course.

Developing Your Materials List for Constructing Your Chicken Coop

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Tips For Chicken Coop Building Plans

Before you actually sit down and construct a home for your chickens, it's a very good idea to have a set of chicken coop building plans that you've either made yourself or received from a reputable source.

Here is a list of commonly used materials:

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* 2" x 4" planks. These make great planks for making sturdy walls for your coop to keep predators out, and can also serve as roosts for your birds to sleep on. 2" x 2" planks or thick wooden dowels are also good materials to use for roosting.

* Large sheets of plywood or some other similarly weighted wood. These sheets makes excellent floors, ceilings, and can serve as the basic layer for the walls of your coop. However, it is not a good idea to have them as the only thing in your walls, because they are not particularly sturdy and may not be predator-proof.

* Chicken wire or a similar commercial-grade wire. You will need a lot of this, as it will keep your chicken run enclosed and safe from any wild animals that might wish to harm your birds. However, make sure that the holes are not large enough for your chickens to escape from! Chicken wire does not make a good wall for the coop itself, as birds like to have something to hide in and feel safe.

Of course, you will also need nails, and other common construction materials to actually put your chicken coop building plans into action, as well as any paint that you want for cosmetic purposes. Make sure you don't paint the inside of your coop though, nor finish it with anything that will be harmful to your birds. A natural (unfinished) surface is better to avoid having your chickens accidentally inhale chemicals from finished woods. Painting the outside is okay.

After you have a good workable set of chicken coop building plans, you'll want to go about procuring the materials to use when actually building it. Hardware stores like Lowes or Home Improvement are obviously a great place to start looking. Make sure you know exactly how much you need of each material before you go shopping around, as this will save you time and keep your expenses low. If you're not sure how to figure out what you'll need, make an educated estimate.

But don't feel that you absolutely have to go to a commercial store to get your materials. In many cases, it's possible to build a coop entirely for free. That's right, free! How you do this is by looking around at garbage dumps, furniture stores, or on the sides of the street after people have put out their garbage. People will often throw out perfectly good construction materials that you can use to complete your chicken coop building plans.

In addition, you can often make parts of your chicken coops out of discarded furniture or other items. Old lockers can make great nesting boxes, since they are already the right size. Just make sure, again, to remove any paint from their insides, or to cover the metal up with wood inside in addition to bedding material. Other great "second-hand coop" materials include chests of drawers for nesting boxes, wooden clothes hangers for roosts, and cat doors for easy entry flaps. You're limited only by your imagination and the sturdiness of the materials.

Tips For Chicken Coop Building Plans

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How to Build a Simple Backyard Chicken Coop

If your local township, city, or county ordinances allow for people to keep chickens as pets in their back yards, then you are in luck. But you probably would not be allowed to just let your chickens roam around free in your yard. You would need to know how to build a simple backyard chicken coop for these fine, feathered friends to have a place to live, eat, play, and lay eggs.

Fortunately, building a simple backyard chicken coop isn't altogether very complicated. If you have some basic carpentry skills, this is something you should be able to accomplish for a relatively low cost and relatively quickly. It's like building a dog house for your dog, a bird house for your bird, or a tool shed for your tools. The only difference is that you have some custom specifications that you need to adhere to, in order to meet the needs of your chickens.

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First and foremost, how many chickens do you intend to keep? You need to allow at least 4.5 square feet of space per chicken within the cook. You need to provide space for nests. You also should allow for at least 9 inches of perch length per chicken, since they obviously love to perch, being that they are birds. You would need to give them space to get access to food and water. You need to ensure that the coop provides security from predatory animals.

You need to ensure that the coop protects your chickens from the weather, while at the same time providing adequate ventilation. Also very important is the fact that you need to ensure that you, as the owner, have easy access to get into the coop to clean up their mess such as feathers, poop droppings, and such, to replenish their food and water supply, and to collect their eggs. Also you need to ensure that the birds have a door to let themselves in and out of the coop into the fenced-in outer areas of the coop, so that they can get some fresh air and exercise.

How to build a simple backyard chicken coop is easy. You can find all of the parts that you need at your local hardware store, like a Home Depot, or a Lowes. Once you have the layout figured out, it is a matter of building the floor, the walls, cutting out doors and windows, and then constructing the roof.

How to Build a Simple Backyard Chicken Coop

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