Small Chicken Coop

Before learning how to build a small chicken coop, here’s a brief history of the chicken coop. In the early days, chickens were fed very little with corn and were left to forage elsewhere, like the fields or forests for the remainder of their food. They didn’t have chicken coops but instead took shelter with other animals on the farm or in the trees or brushes. Chickens were reserved for special events and holidays and rarely were eaten as an everyday meal.

Growing poultry became popular in 19th Century America. During this time, people came up with a lot of different designs for chicken coops. There were fancy palace like coops down to the practical bare bones coops and many of them were featured old poultry journals of the day.

In the 192o’s, the idea of confined housing for chickens began taking shape. Commercial broiler houses were being made to house chickens to use them for food. Broiler houses kept the young chicks with heat until they reached around six weeks old. More and more individuals began keeping chickens in chicken coops on their yard. The coops were built in all kinds of ways that met their needs, limited only by their financial situation or their know-how.

Today, chicken coops are just a more developed style of what they first started out being. The designs has been passed down generations with each generation making improvements or being satisfied with the design and just maintaining. As it was in the beginning chicken coops range from the bare bones style to the elaborate chicken condos.

Advantages of Chicken Coops

Chicken coops offer a multitude of benefits for both the chickens and their keepers.

1. Healthier Chickens: A well-constructed chicken coop provides a safe and relaxed environment for chickens, contributing to their overall health and survival from predators.
2. Quality Eggs: Chickens that are raised in a good environments will lay healthier and tastier eggs.
3. Sustainability: Building a chicken coop is a sustainable practice as it allows for the raising of chickens in a controlled environment.
4. Garden Improvements: Chickens can help improve the overall quality of your garden. They eat bugs and pests and their droppings can be used as fertilizer.
5. Family Involvement: Building and maintaining a chicken coop can be a great family activity, teaching children about responsibility and a look into the chickens’ cycle of life.

Different Kinds of Chicken Coops

There are several types of chicken coops available or that you can build, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

1. Tractor Coops, also is a type of a small chicken coop

Tractor coops are movable rectangular frames with chicken wire over the sides and are usually floor-less. They are great for small numbers of chickens and large spaces.

Advantages:

• Chickens have daily access to fresh grass and can peck around and eat bugs. This is because they can be moved around to new spaces.
• Since the chickens move around to new spaces they avoid getting diseases like coccidiosis and parasites.
• You never have to replace the bedding or clean out the coop, and it never smells bad.

Disadvantages:

• The major downside with the tractor coop is the need to move it to gain the advantages.
• Since it is portable, the coop must be light and easy to move (and therefore small), so it has room only for a few chickens.
• Animals that can dig (such as foxes and dogs) could have easy access to the chickens and eggs.

2. Permanent Coops

Permanent coops are essentially a basic house/shed-like structure, usually with a fenced-in place where the chickens can walk around. They are easy and simple to set up.

Advantages:

• You will never have to move it, and if you use the deep-litter system (this is a method of where you are stacking floor material such as pine shavings or hay on top of the initial covering). By stacking it, this eliminates smell and is a natural means to dealing with feces and you will always have a steady supply of great compost for your garden.
• Since it does not have to be portable, the coop can be more solid to keep out predators and temperature extremes, with sturdy walls and floors.

Disadvantages:

• Permanent coops are built to be in one place and can’t be moved around.
• They require more maintenance and cleaning compared to tractor coops.

3. Plastic Coops

Plastic coops are gaining in popularity because of some of their advantages. Some are made from 100% recyclable material.

Advantages:

• They are lightweight and easy to clean and maintain.
• They are resistant to pests and initially to weather.

Disadvantages:

• They may not provide the same level of insulation as other coops, but some of the newer models are boasting of their insulation capabilities.
• They may not be as sturdy or durable as other coops.
• The weather will over time fade them out and make them brittle.

4. Wooden Coops

Wooden coops are traditional and have numerous designs. Despite the different designs most usually have an exterior nesting box, where the eggs are laid, and a roof above it that can be opened to collect the eggs.

Advantages:

• They provide good insulation from the weather.
• The design can be customized to fit your needs.
• They are sturdy and durable.

Disadvantages:

• They can be heavy and difficult to move.
• They may require regular maintenance to prevent rot
• Wooden coops can have pest infestations.

5. Walk-In Coops

Walk-in coops are larger coops that allow the keeper to walk inside. They offer your chickens an off-the-ground coop, external nesting boxes, and high roosts.

Advantages:

• Walk-in coops tend to provide better airflow and ventilation, making it easier to maintain healthy chickens.
• They offer extra space for your chickens, allowing them more room to spread out.
• Cleaning and maintenance is usually easier as well, since you don’t have to reach into small crevices or corners to clean them out.
• Some coops have a type of floor that is an added level of protection. The ones that don’t can be dug into like the small chicken coop by a dog or fox.

Disadvantages:

• The coop may not be suitable for a smaller yard.
• Since they are bigger, they are more expensive.

The type of chicken coop you choose to buy or build will depend on your specific needs and circumstances. It’s important to consider factors such as the number of chickens you have, the space available, and your personal preferences.

Here are step by step building instructions for a simple small chicken coop. Building a small chicken coop can be a fun and rewarding project for you and the whole family.

Materials You’ll Need:

1. 8 pieces of wood 2″ x 4″ x 4 foot long.
2. 4 pieces of wood 2″ x 4″ x 6 foot long.
3. 1 piece of wood 2″ x 2″ x 4 foot long.
4. 4 pieces of wood 1 foot x 1 foot pieces of plywood.
5. 1 piece of wood 1 foot wide x 4″ high.
6. Wire ties.
7. Chicken wire.
8. A round wooden rod 1″ round or you can use a tree branch. This will be for the roost.
9. A few sheets of metal enough to cover the 4 x 4 foot top opening of the small chicken coop with at least 6″ overhang.

Tools You’ll Need:

1. Screws or nails.
2. Horseshoe nails.
3. Sawzall or hand saw.
4. Hammer, if using nails or drill motor if using screws.
5. Tape measure.
6. A file.
7. A plastic miter box (optional).

Steps to Building a Small Chicken Coop:

1. Start by building the bottom frame. You can take each end of the 2″ x 4″ x 4 foot boards and cut to 90 degrees. If you don’t want to do this you can cut the width of the 2 x 4 off the ends of all these boards. Either way this will give you a 4 foot square. Screw or nail the bottom frame together.

2. Now take the 2″ x 4″ x 6 foot long boards and place them on one corner of the frame and screw or nail them in place. Make sure the boards are flush with the outside of the bottom frame. This make it easier when you begin to wrap it with chicken wire.

3. Let’s go ahead and build the nesting box. It’s easier now then when it’s wrapped later. Take the 4 pieces of 1 foot squared plywood and screw or nail them together like you are trying to make a cube. You notice you will have two pieces missing from it being a complete cube. One open end is will be facing the ground and the other open end will face into the coop. This will be the entrance for the chicken enter and exit. Next screw or nail the 1 foot wide x 4″ high piece of plywood onto the bottom of the entrance. The chicken will have to step over it, but it keeps the hay and eggs in place. Finally screw or nail the nesting box into one of the bottom frame corners.

4. Now build the top frame like the bottom and attach it to the top boards. To finish the top frame you will need to attach the 2″ x 2″ x 4 foot long running in the center. This will be a support for the metal roof.

5. Take the chicken wire and begin wrapping the frame using horseshoe nails to keep it in place and tight.

6. Get the metal sheeting and begin attaching it to the coop’s top frame.

7. Get your round rod or tree limb and put it through the middle of the coop. Secure it with the horseshoe nails by the chicken wire.

8. Now comes time for the door. I like a simple door. Take your wire cutters and cut a square hole in the chicken about 14″ x 14″. Cut this out about middle ways. Take the file and smooth the cut pieces on the coop. (I have been cut by these sharp pieces when reaching in). Take some more chicken wire and cut and 16″ x 16″ piece from the roll. Lay it over the hole and use wire ties to act as hinges for one side. The other side you can use a piece of wire to keep the door closed and secured.

Your small chicken coop is now ready. To make things easier to catch your chickens in this kind of coop make a tool called a chicken catch. The tool looks like the picture below. It works great. Grab them around the legs and pull them to you. Most of the time they don’t struggle. They just kind of go along for the ride as you bring them to you.

Remember, this is a just basic plan. This is what I grew up building for the chickens we had. To learn from a professional click down below. They have many great designs with complete step by step walk throughs and pictures, diagrams and more.