Chicken House Blueprints For Your Backyard Chickens

If you are going to build your very own chicken coop or put one together from a kit, you need to have easy to read and well thought out chicken coop blueprints to make your job as easy as possible.

There are several places online that you can find free chicken coop blueprints to help you out. Some of them are good quality and some of them are not. Most of them are for fairly chicken coop designs.

Building your own chicken coop can be a great project and when you are done it can be very rewarding to watch your chickens cluck and scratch around in the very structure that you built. Raising chickens in your backyard is a great way to get your own eggs and to ensure that your food supply is safe to eat. You can find free chicken coop blueprints online and if you are handy, add your own unique touches to them.

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There are a lot of things you need to take into consideration before you jump in and start hammering away.

One of the most important considerations is how handy are you? Are you a DIY warrior who can build anything you set your mind to or do you not know one end of a hammer from another? If you are a DIY expert, you can get chicken house blueprints and build your own unique chicken coop. If you are not so handy, you will need to either hire someone to build a chicken coop for you or get a ready made kit that is pretty easy to assemble.

Even if you think you are pretty handy, do you have someone to help you construct your chicken coop? Most of the larger pieces are much too large and heavy for one person to handle. You will also need certain tools in order to build your own chicken coop. If you are going to construct a pre-made chicken coop kit, you should only need things like a hammer, a drill and some screw drivers if you don't have a drill to name a few things. Most everything else should be provided.

If you are going to do a DIY chicken house, you will also need things like a hand saw, a skill saw, a table saw, a level, clamps of various sizes and a variety of other tools to make the job easier. You may also need a wheel barrow, a post hole digger, wire cutter, a jig saw, a router and a dremel tool just to name a few other tools. So, unless you have most of the tools you need or you can borrow them, it might get very expensive to have to rent these tools.

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How Many And What Breeds?
The next important consideration is how many chickens are you going to have running around in your backyard? If you are going to order chickens from a chicken hatchery, the minimum number of chicks is usually 24 plus one extra "exotic" thrown in. But, if you can buy them locally, you may consider doing that because you won't have to buy so many new chicks to contend with right off the bat.

But, the bottom line is, the more chickens you are going to have, the larger your chicken coop will have to be. Crowded chickens can cause a lot of problems. The chickens will pick on each other, egg production will drop and they are more prone to getting sick.

The breed of chickens you decide to get will also impact the size of your chicken coop. Some of the chicken breeds, like the Rocks, are very large and stocky which means they will need more room. Other breeds, like Bantams, are small and won't need quite as much space.

If you have the room, it is better to find chicken coop blueprints for a large structure than you think you will need. I know from experience that you usually end up with more chickens than you planned for down the road and it can be a pain to expand an already existing structure. A larger than necessary chicken coop will not harm the chickens, but one that is too small certainly will.

Free Range Or Caged - Do You Need A Fixed Chicken Coop Or A Portable One
Do you intend to allow your chickens to free range or are you going to keep them confined to their chicken coop and chicken run. This is a very important consideration because if you intend to allow your flock to free range, then you can build a fixed chicken coop. But, if you have to keep your flock confined, then you might consider constructing a portable chicken coop and chicken run.

A fixed chicken coop will allow you to construct a larger building. It will also be sturdier and will stand up to the elements a lot better. Because it isn't designed to be moved around, you will have more options available to you than a portable type chicken coop.

A portable chicken coop and chicken run will allow you to move your chickens around every day and allow them access to fresh grass and forage. You will need to pick a chicken coop blueprint that is light weight and easy to move around. There are chicken coop designs that are specifically adapted to be portable.

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Fencing And Predator Control

When constructing a chicken coop and a chicken run, you have to keep in mind that your chickens cannot defend themselves very well. Anything you build will have to be designed with predator control in mind.

There are several types of chicken type wiring that you can use that are easy to work with and provide good protection from predators. You can also use pre-built chain link fence panels to provide an easy to install and sturdy structure to protect your chickens. I have a friend that converted a dog kennel into a chicken run just by adding a cover onto it. And it's portable too! You will also have to keep portability in mind if you have a portable chicken house and chicken run design.

Hen House Access

When you are designing your hen house, keep accessibility in mind. There are a number of reasons that you will need to access your hen house. Cleaning the hen house is a number one priority and you need to plan to put in a door large enough for you to comfortably enter the structure.

You will also need to be able to access the hen house to collect eggs, replace bedding in the nesting box and check that the perches are all still secure.

Your hens will also need easy access into and out of the hen house. If your hens are going to be allow to free range, then you will doors and predator proof fasteners so that you can secure the doors at night. This will help prevent losses due to predators sneaking into the hen house at night and having a midnight snack.

Ventilation is another important consideration because it gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Adequate air flow will allow your hen house to be cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. It will also allow fresh air to enter the structure and provide a healthier environment for your flock.
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Look And Design Of Your Hen House

One of the final considerations is how you want your hen house to look. The beauty of getting several chicken coop blueprints is that you can combine certain design elements that you like and cut out ones that you don't. A wood structure can be painted with colors that you choose. A metal structure can be painted but it may not look at nice and isn't as easily customized.

The overall look of your hen house will also be affected by cost and your budget. Keep in mind that you only have to build a hen house once so if you can afford to spend a little more, you should. It will last for years as long as it is properly maintained. Chickens are not destructive by nature and will not usually deliberately damage your hen house.

I designed this lens to provide general information on chickens and chicken care for anyone looking for it. But, you should know that I do this for a living and this website generates some revenue through affiliate marketing. If you click a link and purchase something from that link, I will make a percentage off that sale.