Guide To Erecting A Chicken House

So now you've reached the exciting part - the building of your chicken house. Please note that How To Erect a Chicken House allows you to download your plans as many times as required so there's no worries about their getting lost or soiled. You will need your plans, sander, measuring tape, workbench, power saw, a face mask and leather gloves. The overall general building of a chicken house isn't difficult, but, if you're new to carpentry, then it will obviously take longer.

Make sure all the wood you're using is clean and nail-free. Sand down anything you feel needs it. Cut all the wood pieces down to the required sizes of your chicken house plans and join the bottom frames first followed by the side and then supporting frames. You would use wood glue while assembling the frames to bind the joints together, then drill very small pilot holes for the nails. This will ensure the nails go in straight. Even better, you could use a mitre joint or end lap joint; these are illustrated in the Chicken House DIY plans.

Security is very important. Don't make mistakes early on and you will save yourself many regrets. All kinds of vermin are a major threat; badgers, rats and foxes are all unwelcome visitors. Check all easy access openings are secured with very strong locks. You would be amazed at how persistent a fox can be - they're not called crafty for nothing. If there's a way in, a fox will work it out and don't forget to secure the flap or door you will be using for collecting your eggs. Make security as important as building your Chicken House. Nothing could be worse than being the proud owner of nothing.

When you've finished the chicken house frame, you'll then sort out the sidings (plywood and/or chicken wire) and the roofing material. The doors and windows should be the last sections you work on. Once you're happy with everything and you've done your last inspection, plug all the joints and seams with your insulation material. This will prevent cold and draughts entering the chicken house. Now give it a good coat of paint and remember it's important to keep your Chicken House in tip top condition always so regular maintenance is a must.

How To Erect A Chicken House

If you've decided on free-range chicken raising, then to keep costs down choose a corner area. That way you've already covered two of the required walls of the free-range site. Set the fence posts a minimum of 30cm in the ground and make sure you use 25mm x 25mm x 2mm wire meshing. This should provide the strength and protection you will need against predators. You could use corrugated plastic or tin sheeting for the roof, but be sure the fence reaches the roof level and that the edges of the roof extend over the fence line.

Your chickens will need perches to rest and sleep on during the night so make sure there are enough and, in the centre of your Chicken House, you should have at least a couple of 100 watt light sockets. Chickens do not like being cold so, during the winter time and rainy nights, tarpaulin or some kind of plastic covering for the wall would be good.

You will need to allocate 4 Chickens per waterer and feeder. Chickens are naturally great foragers so, if you've allowed them plenty of space, they will be able to help themselves to all the goodies that will be available within their confines The grass and greenery, worms, insects, etc all make up part of their diet, but it is important that they have a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and vitamins, even more so if your chickens aren't 100% free-range. You can acquire specially prepared food.

How To Erect A Chicken House

It's best to build your nest boxes at the same time as you're building your Chicken House. Again, you will need one nesting box per 4 chickens. The chickens will take it in turns laying. Straw, shredded paper and dust-free wood shavings are all good. What you must NEVER do is use hay. Mould can develop and cause serious health problems for your chickens. A good TIP here is make a flap or a door opening at the start of your chicken house DIY near the nesting box. This will make it much easier for you to collect all those freshly laid eggs. Always try to position your chicken house so that it will receive the correct amount of sunlight, but NOT directly in the wind. Your chickens won't be happy in wet and windy conditions so always bear this in mind. For further information and enquiries please go to

How To Erect A Chicken House

Sky News presenter Kay Burley, who has more than 30 years' experience in journalism, has confirmed a growing trend by joining the green set. She admits that it's tough, but, to accompany her vegetable patch, she has now added a chicken run. After carrying out the obligatory Google search for some real information, Kay approached her local council which advised against having a cockerel. Fair play really as she considered her neighbours' likely reaction to being woken up early every morning.

Undoubtedly, that wouldn't have gone down too well even if she'd taken a little tip from a gentleman from Environmental Health who recommended that dropping off a few freshly laid eggs to the neighbours every now and again might stand her in good stead. Kay confesses she found it hard to watch the hens sort out their pecking order and had an even more unpleasant ordeal when she added six former battery hens to her existing brood. It just wasn't nice. She says the "new additions looked more like oven-ready birds than Rhode Island Reds and were shell-shocked by their experience." It seems they were totally "overwhelmed" when seeing the sky and feeling the rain for the first time as she introduced them to their new way of life. Kay is still learning in her bid for a greener lifestyle, but she's loving every moment of it.

Building your own chicken house could be one of the best investments you could make and, although it's not as simple as hammering a few nails into wood and mesh, you can't take away that wonderful "I made that" feeling as you stand proudly back admiring your work along with the huge benefit it has had on your pocket. No-one could deny the pleasure it must give to gather freshly laid free-range eggs in a morning and, if you've never tasted fresh free-range eggs, you are in for a real treat. There is absolutely no comparison, not even with supermarkets' so-called free-range. Bill Keene's ebook, Building A Chicken Coop, is new, up-to-date, well-written and has easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions that will guide you every stage of the way to building your very own perfect chicken coop. There is also all the info you will need on how to easily breed chickens yourself and take care of the baby chicks so you have a self-sustaining flock. Along with the plans are bonuses aplenty and the course comes with a Risk-Free Guarantee. For further information please go to

How To Erect A Chicken House

If you would like to read some information on looking after, and the Health & Safety care of baby chicks CLICK HERE Caring For Baby Chicks

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How To Erect A Chicken House