Easy Hen House Plans

There are so many plans for hen houses around! It can be really confusing and overwhelming when you really start looking through all the books and info.

How are you supposed to know how many windows they need, or what type of insulation you want, or even what size coop you need? Most of the books that are available give only a general idea and throw a plan at you that you have to interpret based on knowledge that you don't actually have yet! - How frustrating is that?

A couple of things to look for before you choose a plan;

Does it tell you exactly how big your hen house needs to be? (this will depend on how many chickens you have).

How will the coop look when you are finished - this is actually a biggie. I know plenty of guys who have toiled away for days struggling with vague plans and that still end up with ... ummm, let's say shonky and cheap looking hen houses. (Cheap is great, cheap looking isn't so good!) Make sure you can see a picture before you start!

Most importantly - Is it a step by step plan? As in; these are the tools that you will need, length of the timber that you will need, and this is how it goes together step 1, step 2, step 3 etc.

Those hen house plans that have specific instructions will be the easiest to build.

One word - Comfort.

Not just for the chickens, but for you as well.

Where the windows are placed is incredibly important as you need loads of light but without it shining directly on the chooks as they are trying to lay. Also windows can be quite draughty, another thing that a laying chicken hates is having a cold bum! (Can't blame her really!)

Safety is a huge concern. Any hen house plans need to address protection from predators and from the elements. OK, you may have a fence, but these plans should include how deep a fence needs to go to stop critters burrowing under it, and how tall it needs to be to deter them jumping over it. How about safety from owls, hawks and snakes?

Your comfort is also important, so any hen house plan needs to include ease of access for you to collect the eggs and clean the coop out. If you are uncomfortable doing it, you will do it less often or not clean it properly. A dirty coop will lead to unhappy hens.....you won't get eggs.....everyone loses!

These are just really simple examples of just how building the wrong type of hen house for your situation can end up a disaster - but by choosing the right hen house plans you will have a system that works for everyone right from the start :o)

Umm, .....shhh, come closer....most pre-fab hen houses actually do require some assembly.

Aside from that I know that it would be really tempting just to order a hen house in a box but consider the stuff that I said in the modules above.... Your situation is unique, your site is unique, your needs are unique, your chooks are unique and your predators are also unique to your place.

By all means get a pre-built coop if you are sure that it will meet all the criteria above.

If you are not too sure - and you don't have the money to spare - then it is a much better idea to use a plan and build yourself so that you know exactly what you are getting - usually at a much lower price.

This is one of the advantages of having so many hen house plans available. it is far easier to get a plan that will suit your needs.