BUILD BRAINSTORM
Plans and inspiration for your hen house design.
Here are some plans and ideas for your hen house
design.
As the chicken-keeping hobby flourishes, creative henhouse plans — free or for a fee — are becoming easier and easier to find. An online search will yield scores of pages that have all sorts of super-cool coop blueprints. Not to be outdone by those rich Internet resources, I thought I’d share my favorite basic how-to plans and drawings. The difference: these plans for hen- houses, furniture pieces, and hides have been tested and approved by our feathered ladies, and my husband and I have had no complaints from them so far!
Building Henhouses
Your girls will need somewhere to live, and that’s what their henhouse is for. If you meet certain basic needs, your chickens can live in just about any structure or enclosure. Here, I’ve included three different henhouses of sorts — an expanding brooder box, a confined pen, and a movable chicken tractor — that can be adjusted to meet the needs of your flock.
Confined Coop
Chickens need to have a safe place to roost at night. In this section, I’ve included a design for a very basic enclosed pen that can be adjusted to fit your yard as needed. It’s modular, so you can easily add, divide, or remove sections as your flock shrinks or expands. You could also modify this as a henhouse for a yard of free-range birds. Remember to include the chicken-coop essentials in your design — nest boxes, perches, food and water stations, and dust-bath spots.
How to Build a Confined Coop
STEP 1: construct the top and bottom frame
Measure, mark, and cut eight pieces of 1x4 lumber, each 48 inches long. Screw four of the pieces together to form a square (alternate inside and outside boards), using two screws at each joint to ensure a solid connection. Then screw the other four pieces together to make an identical square. You now have the top and bottom of your frame.
STEP 2: attach the top and ‘bottom frame
Measure, mark, and cut eight more pieces of 1x4 lumber (again, each 48 inches long) to create the vertical wall pieces. Screw one at each corner and one in the center of each side (at the 24-inch mark) of your top and bottom frames, using two screws at each joint.
STEP 3: frame the top
Cut two more 48-inch lengths of 1x4 pine. Screw these 1x4s to the tops of the center vertical wall pieces so that they cross in the middle of the coop. You should now have a cube-like frame that measures 48 inches on all sides.
STEP 4: wire the sides
When the structure is completely framed, enclose the left half of the front, the left half of the top, and the front half of each side with poultry wire. (The door will occupy the other half of the front, and plywood will cover all other open areas to prevent drafts.
The mesh areas allow air and sunshine to flow into the coop.)
Measure and cut enough wire for each panel to cover the panel with enough excess for staples. Affix the wire inside your frame using your staple gun, placing a staple about every 2 inches to prevent predators from breaking in.
STEP 5: add plywood draft barriers
Measure, mark, and cut three pieces of plywood for the sides and roof that are each 24 inches by 48 inches and one piece for the back that is 48 inches by 48 inches. To attach the plywood to the open sections of the coop, place one screw at each corner and others about every 6 inches in between.
STEP 6: build the door
First, cut five pieces of 1x4: two 48-inch pieces and two 24-inch pieces for the frame, plus one 56-inch piece that will act as a crossbrace. Next, lay the 24-inch pieces on top
of the 48-inch pieces to create a rectangle and screw them together using four 11⁄2-inch screws at each junction.
Then, measure and cut a 24-inch-by-48inch piece of poultry wire and staple it to the back of the door. Screw in your cross-brace from the top left to the bottom right, using two screws at each end. Trim the edges of the brace with your handsaw to match the angle of the door’s frame. Finally, screw your hinges to the door’s frame, attach the door to your coop’s frame, and add your safety latch.
Chicken Tractor
An easily adaptable mobile pen, this A-frame chicken tractor works well for a smaller flock of birds. This design includes handles, so you’ll have to recruit a helper to move it, but you could add wheels if you wanted to. As with the enclosed pen, remember to include all of the essentials, such as waterers and feeders, when you put your pen to use. I’ve included instructions for an easy-to-make portable nesting box for this design.
How to Build a Chicken Tractor
STEP 1: frame the plywood
Similar to the long sides of the brooder project, you’re going to first frame your plywood with 2x4s. Measure, mark, and cut two of the 96-inch 2x4s into four pieces that measure 41 inches each. Lay two of the plywood sheets on the ground and screw 2x4s (long side down) around the edges of each sheet, with the 41-inch pieces inside the four remaining 96-inch pieces, placing a screw at each end and then every 6 inches or so. These frames will strengthen the plywood and give you a way to screw the sheets together.
STEP 2: make the A-frame
Using a helper if needed, carefully lift the two framed plywood boards until they meet at an angle; they should resemble a capital letter A and meet on the inside so that they’re flush at the top. Secure the boards together at the A’s apex using screws drilled in at both ends and roughly every 6 inches in between.
STEP 3: add the base
On one side, temporarily brace the boards with a piece of 1x2 that’s 48 inches long. Screw the 1x2 horizontally across the opening of the A-frame about halfway between the apex and the ground. Next, place a 2x4 across the bottom of the
A-frame’s opening and mark the cuts needed for that 2x4 to fit inside the frame. Do this for both sides. Position the 2x4s in place on each end and screw them in so that they’re flush with the plywood sheets. Remove the 1x2.
STEP 4: create skylights
A few inches in from one side of the A-frame, measure and mark off a square that’s 36 inches per side. Use your drill to make a series of holes at one corner of the square so that you have a starting point for your handsaw. Using your handsaw, cut out the marked area. Repeat these steps on the other side. Cover the squares by stapling a 42-inch-by-42-inch square of mesh over each opening. Place a staple at each corner and roughly every 2 inches in between, making sure no jagged edges are poking out. These skylights will aid in circulation and give the ladies some sunshine.
STEP 5: cover one end
Working on the end of the A-frame nearest your skylights, cover the open end with mesh by measuring the triangle, adding 6 inches to each of the three sides for overlap, and stapling the piece to the structure. Place a staple at each point, and then every 2 inches or so in between, trimming away any jagged edges using your wire cutters.
STEP 6: create a hatch
Now you’ll build the access door for the other end of your A-frame. Measure the opening and cut a piece of plywood to fit the space. Attach the hinges to the base of the door and the structure’s 2x4 with screws, and then attach the hook-and-eye latches at the top, approximately 6 inches down from the A-frame’s apex, one on each side. The door should open from the top, giving you access to the nest box you’ll put inside.
STEP 7: add handles
Placing screws roughly every 6 inches, attach the two 144-inch lengths of 2x4 pine to each long side of the structure’s base, leaving 2 feet hanging out on each end for handles.
STEP 8 make a portable nest box
This removable nest box will simply sit on the ground inside your A-frame. First, cut four 12inch lengths of 1x4 and screw them together, short side down (this creates the “walls” of your box), into a square. Then cut a piece of
plywood to fit the bottom of your nest-box frame and screw it into the 1x4s, placing a screw at each corner and several in between.
Building Hides
If your chicken coop gives your ladies access to the outside world in a large yard or run, they may appreciate some hides and shaded areas to protect them from flying predators, hot sunshine, or drenching rain. Here are two that work great in our chicken yard.
a-Frame hide
This simple design gives your chickens shelter whenever they need it. Depending on your yard, this A-frame can be made as large or as small as you need. This particular design is a simplified version of the Chicken Tractor project.
How to Build an A-Frame Hide
STEP 1:
create a frame
Just as with the Chicken Tractor project, you’re going to first frame the plywood with 2x4s. Lay the two plywood sheets on the ground and screw 2x4s (long side down) around the edges of each sheet, placing a screw at each end and then every 6 inches or so. These frames will strengthen the plywood and give you a way to screw the sheets together.
STEP 2:
make the A-frame
Using a helper if needed, carefully lift the two framed plywood boards until they meet at an angle; they should resemble a capital letter A and meet on the inside so that they’re flush at the top. Secure the boards together at the apex using screws drilled in at both ends and roughly every 6 inches in between.
STEP 3:
add braces
On one side of the A-frame, screw a 48-inch piece of 1x2 into the structure horizontally,
about halfway between the A-frame’s apex and the ground. Do the same on the other side.
Lean-To hide
Sometimes chickens just need a place to chill out. Lean-to hides work well for that application. They provide a place where the ladies can enjoy the warm breezes while being shielded from the sun. This plan is relatively simple to build, and will offer your birds reasonable comfort.
How to Build a Lean-To Hide
STEP 1: create the sides
Measure, mark, and cut the 2x4s into two 18-inch pieces, two 24-inch pieces, and two 30-inch pieces; these will make the two right triangles for the sides of your perch. Make a right angle with the 18-inch piece of wood (vertical) and the 24-inch piece (horizontal).
The 24-inch piece should be outside the 18-inch piece at the bottom of the 18-inch piece. Use a square to make sure that you have
If you don't provide hides, you're chickens will do everything they can to find their own.
a 90-degree angle. Attach the two pieces using four screws through the 24-inch piece and into the 18-inch piece. Do the same thing for the other side of the perch, which should be a mirror image of the first side.
STEP 2: make a triangle
Lay the 30-inch piece of 2x4 on top of one of the right angles you have created to make a complete triangle. On the 30-inch piece, mark the angle where it intersects with the 24-inch piece, and mark the two angles where it intersects the top of the 18-inch piece.
Cut the angles you have marked using a handsaw or circular saw. The bottom angle should be flush with the top of the 24-inch piece at the front of the perch, and the top angles should fit perfectly on the outside of the 18-inch piece at the back of the perch.
Attach the top of the 30-inch piece to the 18-inch piece using four screws through the 30-inch piece; attach the 30-inch piece to the 24-inch piece by sending two screws down through the 30-inch piece and into the 24-inch piece. Repeat all of step two for the other side.
STEP 3: complete the base
Measure, mark and cut three 221⁄2-inch lengths of 2x4 lumber, and then screw them to the insides of the triangles, joining them near each angle using two to four screws apiece.
STEP 4: add the plywood top
Position the piece of plywood on the front of the hide and attach it using screws at each corner and about every 6 inches in between.
Whatever project you decide to build for your chickens, do your research and measure everything first. The old adage, “Measure twice, cut once,” apply here. Before you begin building, be sure you know the demands of your area, the size your flock will be and what will work best in your yard. Happy chicken keeping!
Wendy Bedwell-Wilson is an award-winning writer. She shares her Oregon home with her husband, two cats, a hound mix, a chihuahua, a greyhound and a menagerie of baryard critters, including a dozen hens and a rooster named Zeus.
Building your
own coop is rewarding, and
you'll be glad you took on the task when you see how your flock thrives.