Chook Me!

How to build chicken coops.?

I am looking for plans to build a shelter for my hens.

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1. A chicken coop is accompanied by a run, which is the chickens' outside area. The scope of the run can vary greatly depending on local conditions. This chicken coop should comfortably house at least eight chickens and generously allows for: 4.5 sq ft of space per chicken 3 nests shared between 8 chickens 9" of perch length for each chicken The design also allows for: a bit of a storage area, chicken hatchway (i.e. entrance hole), ample ventilation, ample light and a door that opens inwards and is big enough to enable easy access and cleaning of the chicken coop. The floor is designed to take "deep litter" which is at least a (3") covering of wood shavings or similar. NOTE: There is no design or allowance for any feeder system, water container or supply system. Although some people make their own, most people find it easier to purchase a feeder system /water container from the appropriate store. Materials list Excludes hardware and any feeder or water supply materials. Stock Size/ Material Used For Amount 4x4 Suitable for exterior use Skids 2 pieces at 72" 2x4 Suitable for exterior use Floor Joists and boundary joists 36 lineal ft 4x4 Corner studs 4 pieces at 72" 2x4 All framing walls and roof 150 lineal ft 2x3 Perch and perch support 8 lineal ft 2x2 Nesting perch 40" 4'x8' plywood sheets 3/4" thick suitable for exterior use Flooring, wall cladding and parts of nesting boxes 7 sheets 1x4 suitable for exterior use Cladding battens, door stop and part of nesting boxes 120 lineal ft 1x12 suitable for exterior use Part of nesting boxes 9 lineal ft 1x6 suitable for exterior use Roofing boards and litter board 200 lineal ft Tar paper, breather type building paper or similar roofing underlay. Under roofing boards 40 sq ft You will also need an assortment of hardware including nails, hinges, door latches, door bolts, window catches, Perspex/Plexiglas or similar clear acrylic sheet for use as window panes, galvanized flashings for openings where required as well as for roof ridge cap, and mesh/wire cloth/chicken wire for any permanent openings or air vents.
2. http://www.the-coop.org/cgi-bin/UBB/ultimatebb.cgi
3. My husband was trying to find designs for chicken coops too! He found the coolest and easiest how to. Take a look David filmed a short clip showing our chicken coop and then how you can design your own. Hope this helps. http://pinurl.com/to7 If you're looking for how to build a chicken coop, there are some important things that you must consider before doing so. Lots of people just jump right into the building process without using Chicken House Plans and end up neglecting certain aspects which really cost them a lot of time and money in the long run. If my husband had these plans to start with, he would have done a few things differently than when he built my first chicken coop. Now our chickens are happy again, and so am I! I am able to have beautiful gardens, and fresh eggs! There are some things that you need to know before you build your chicken coop: o How many chickens do you have or want? You want to make sure your chicken coop is large enough. For example you would not want to put 12 chickens in a chicken coop that you built for 2 chickens. o What is the weather like? That was a major consideration for us since we live in hot West Texas. What type of temperatures do you typically experience both summer and winter? Also, how much rain do you get? The first winter we had chickens, I put a heat lamp out in the pen to keep them warm. As we got a little more experience under our belts, we quickly learned that most chickens don't mind the cold at all, and I was cooking my chickens! It's the heat they can't stand. Makes sense huh? We should have known feathers make for good insulation? o Where are you going to build your chicken coop? Do you want a permanent chicken coop, or a movable chicken coop. I think I will have my husband build a movable chicken coop next. It would be great to control where they do their duty. It makes great fertilizer and chickens are the best exterminators for bugs you can find. No hiding from a hungry chicken! What if you put closer to the kitchen? Eggs could not get any fresher. o What is your budget? When you use these chicken house plans there are different things you can do to keep your costs low if you are on a limited budget. In some cases, if you know a few quick and easy tricks you might even be able to build a chicken coop for free.
4. Hi Phil B, Check out these great chicken coop plans here http://ncane.com/ceu . You get everything to build a great coop for your hens. Good luck
5. The best Chicken Coop Plans in my opinion are the ones written by Bill Keene. They are thorough and cover everything you need to know for preparation, how to care for chickens and how to build a chicken coop from 3 different sized sets of chicken coop plans. For a video review that I have done, check out the link in my source. Hope this helps and good luck building a chicken coop
6. http://www.monkeysee.com/play/10774-how-to-build-a-chicken-coop