How to Build a Chicken Coop. A chicken coop provides shelter for your chickens and gives
them a place where they can lay their eggs. This coop comfortably fits 4 chickens. You
will need 2 6-ft. 2x2 pre-drilled boards 6 3-ft. 2x2 PD boards 6 4-ft. 2x2 PD boards
2 2-ft. 2x2 PD boards 2 3-ft. 2x4 PD boards 2 8-ft. 2x4 PD boards 8x4-ft. plywood 9x4-ft.
siding Scrap wood Screws 2 barrel bolts Drill Staples Staple gun Circular saw Chicken wire
or metal mesh Plastic roofing and 6 hinges. Step 1. Build a 6-by-3-foot base for the coop
by constructing a frame. Screw 2 3-foot 2-by-4 boards across the ends of 2 parallel 8-foot
2-by-4s, about a foot in from the ends. Mount the outside roost to the support on the front
wall, attaching the other end to the hen house frame. Step 2. Construct a frame for the side
wall by screwing 2 4-foot 2-by-2s perpendicularly to the ends of the base frame, a foot in from
the front and back. Screw in a third 4-foot 2-by-2 between the first 2, 4 feet behind
the front post. Now screw a 6-foot 2-by-2 across the tops of the posts to finish off
the wall. Build another identical frame for the opposite wall of the coop. Step 3. Construct
a front and back wall by screwing 3-foot 2-by-2s across the tops of both side walls, at the
front and back. Screw another 3-foot 2-by-2 across the center of the front wall; this
will be the outside roost support. Step 4. Wrap and staple chicken wire to the front
wall, as well as to the front 4-foot sections of the side walls. Step 5. At the same height
that you attached the roost support to the front wall, construct a square frame within
the unwired, back area of the coop by screwing 3-foot 2-by-2s across the insides of the rear
upright boards, and across the insides of the upright boards that will frame the front
wall of the hen house. Screw 2-foot 2-by-2s across the insides of the 2 unwired side walls,
in line with the other boards you just attached. If you need to make the coop larger, consider
how many chickens you plan to house. A good method is to add 3 to 6 square feet per chicken.
Step 6. Use the plywood to make a floor for the hen house across the square frame, screwing
the plywood to the frame. Construct an identical rectangular ring of boards at the top of the
upright 2-by-2s -- this will support the roof of the hen house. Step 7. Build a nesting
box using the remaining plywood; the box should about 1 cubic foot. Leave the front side open,
and place the box so that the open side faces and rests up against one wall of the hen house.
At a raised level, mount a 2-by-2 or piece of scrap wood across the center of the hen
house to serve as an indoor roost. Step 8. Use the circular saw to cut a piece of siding
to completely cover the wall opposite the nesting box. Cut the section in half vertically,
then make another vertical cut 1 ½ inches in from the edges of each half to make a hinge
line on each side. Step 9. Screw 2 hinges across the left hinge line and 2 across the
right hinge line, about 5 inches from the bottoms and tops of the doors. On the back
of the right door, screw a door catch to the inside edge, shorter than the length of the
door, so that it sticks out about an inch. Screw the double doors to the coop frame;
on the top and bottom of the right door, attach barrel bolts, screwing the bolt catches to
the frame. Step 10. Cut a piece of siding to fit the wall adjacent to the nesting box.
Make cuts for a rectangular egg door in the middle of the siding, starting 8 inches in
from each side and 4 inches from the top. Remove the door piece, flip the doorframe
over, and screw door catches around the inside edges of the door hole so that they stick
out about 1/2 inch Step 11. Replace the door piece in the hole and screw 2 hinges across
the hinge line on one side of the door. Then screw a barrel bolt onto the other side of
the door, attaching the bolt catch to the door panel. Screw the egg door wall to the
coop frame. Step 12. Cut and attach to the frame a piece of siding to fit the back wall,
running from the ground to the roof. Cut a section of siding to cover the wall facing
the open-air area of the coop. Cut a square-foot hole to serve as an entrance into the hen
house. Using extra plywood or scrap wood, attach a ramp that will run from the entrance
to the ground. Step 13. Wire and staple the top of the coop, as well as the area underneath
the hen house without siding. Attach the plastic roofing over the hen house, making sure you
place it at a slant so that water will run off toward the back. You’ll be eating fresh
eggs for breakfast in no time! Did you know Modern chickens are believed to have descended
from the red jungle fowl of Southeast Asia.