How to Build a Chicken Coop

Prior to moving to our 11 acres, we had chickens. My husband built that cute little coop (above) for my kids that were raising chickens for 4-H. I think we had about 10 chickens back then, including a rooster. Sadly, a bear got all of them back in 2017. We sold the house that same year to start our new journey on our current farm. Therefore, I was so focused on building the new house from 2017-last year that I didn’t even think about getting more chickens. I sure have missed them and am happy to have a new flock now. I’m excited to show y’all how to build a chicken coop.

Chicken Coop Must-Haves

I wanted this coop to have a lot of function and be easy to maintain. I loved my previous coop but we really didn’t spend a lot of time planning it. Meanwhile, the kids needed a coop quick for their 4-H chickens so Bill just kinda created something haha.

Storage Area – The coop is nowhere near our barn so I knew that would get old real quick walking down there to get feed all the time. It also holds a shovel, rake, poultry books, tools and my garden accessories for now.
Solid Exterior Coop Door – I also wanted a solid door on the coop part. We don’t have a lot of predators here but I didn’t want to take the chance. However, we get a lot of rain during the summer, and having a screen door on the coop would mean my storage area would get wet all the time. I actually turned a vintage door into a Dutch door. I’ll be sharing the instructions on how I made it on a later post.
Automatic Chicken Run Door – I love the door I have and it’s just added security. If I’m out of town, the door will open so whoever is watching them doesn’t have to rush out there in the mornings or put them away at night. Super convenient.
Roost and Poop Board – Let’s be honest. Chickens are gross. Not chickens themself, but all the poop. It’s a lot of work keeping a coop clean and well, I’m busy. I learned from our last coop that I needed something functional and easy to clean. We didn’t even have a roost in the coop. I built two removable roosting bars and a poop collector system below. I’ll be adding a separate post showing more details on how I did that.

Materials I Used

I did purchase new wood for the structure. Materials are expensive right now so I tried to use what we had on hand. I used pressure-treated posts for the coop floor and the run. The coop interior is framed of 2×4 pine boards and osb (oriented strand board). The siding is cypress. It will eventually weather out and create that rustic look I’m going for.

I did splurge on the metal roof. We have a supplier that cut it exactly to the size I needed to make it easier to install. Things I had on hand leftover from our house build were paint, hardware, lathing for an accent wall, screws and of course, we have all the tools (we’re in construction).

I found my windows for $3.00 each in an Amish community in TN. The front door to the coop was found at a local antique shop. The interior coop door is actually an antique gate door that I’ve had for about 20 years. It had just been sitting around and I thought it would be perfect for inside.

Look in your barn or garage. You never know what you may have laying around that you could use.

Chicken Coop Design

I wanted the chicken coop to look somewhat pleasing yet rustic, especially since it’s in my garden and near my home. Having a mini replica of my farmhouse would be cute. However, I knew I didn’t have a lot of help since this is our busy season with work. My husband is busy as well as my kids (they work for us) so I was on my own or wait until next year. Being the stubborn hard-headed lady that I am lol, I had my nephew come down and help me with the structure. I had never framed before so I learned a lot.

I told him to just get the structure up, trusses, and run. I’ve taken it from there. I’m not a builder (my husband is) but I’ve been around construction since I was little. I’ve watched enough that I thought, “How hard could it be?”

I started searching online to see if I could find plans. I was hoping that it would make the structure go quicker. Well, I’m happy to say that I found a set of plans on Etsy and they were so helpful! Subsequently, I changed the run up and just did a flat roof but I love the design. I bought them HERE.

I added poultry netting
to the interior walls.

WATCH VIDEO

Follow Along

I did a Chicken Coop Building Series over on Instagram if you’d like to follow along. As I get this finished up, I’ll add additional posts for things like, how I made and installed the doors, the windows, accent walls, the run, etc. If you go to my profile on Instagram, you can click on the “Guide Tab” above my photos (looks like a little book). Then, you’ll click on the folder that says “Chicken Coop”. I’ve added every step in that guide folder. I still have the hardware cloth and the door to make on the run, but the coop is all finished.

I hope you feel inspired to use some power tools ladies! Don’t be scared of them. Watching YouTube videos came in handy. I had never done anything like this before but I was up for the challenge. I use a skill saw often and a drill so I really thought I could handle this.

Tools I Used

This is the sprayer that I used to paint the entire coop. It would have taken me weeks to have painted this entire coop if I hadn’t had it. The paint went on smooth and it has great coverage.

Enter my code: SIMPLE for 25% off your order plus you’ll receive a FREE Painter’s Kit.

Order your Paint Zoom Paint Sprayer HERE.