Building a Backyard Chicken Coop

As the economy tumbles, it seems more and more city-dwellers are getting into “urban homesteading”. Zoning rules are being changed in suburbs and cities all over the country to allow for small livestock like goats and chickens. My city allows hens as of this year, but other cities are still debating the topic as urban farming interest surges.

Assuming you’re lucky enough to live in an area that allows you to keep chickens, the first thing you’ll need to do (even before buying the chicks) is build a chicken coop that provides safety and shelter, and adheres to the zoning guidelines in your area.

If saving money is not your primary reason for raising chickens, you might consider something like the Eglu Urban Chicken Coop for the not-so-cheap price of $500.

For the rest of us, building our own backyard chicken coop is the way to go. The “run” or “pen” is easy. Just use a chain link fence and four posts (gate is optional) or one of those pre-fab dog kennels. The hard part is usually building the coop, but below is one way to do it cheaply and easily using an old dog house.

Turning an Old Dog House into a Chicken Coop

The best type of dog house to use is one of the barn-style houses that have a nice, tall Aframe roof. You can usually pick these up at a tractor supply store or large pet store for around $50, or can even make your own using designs of the internet.

Step 1 Option A: File off the tabs or remove the nails that attach the roof to the walls so you can lift the entire roof off of the dog house.
Step 1 Option B: Cut the roof in half right down the middle from front to back and install hinges in the middle. Then perform Step 1 Option A on one side only so that one side of the roof stays attached while the other can be opened up. For clarification click here.

Step 2: Install a 1×2 plank inside the coop to be used as a roost. Attach the roost near the top of the walls. The Aframe will allow for plenty of headroom for the chickens when roosting.

Step 3: Build a roosting room by cutting a small upside-down U-shaped door into a square piece of plywood that is the same size as the inner dimensions of the bottom part of the dog house. Don’t worry about the Aframe portion because this is more of a divider than a “wall”. It’s fine that it doesn’t reach all the way up to the top. Your goal here is to just provide a dark, private space for hens to lay their eggs. This also makes it easier for you to gather eggs by reaching in.

Step 4: Cut out a piece of plywood to use as a hinged flap-style door for the front of the doghouse (err, I mean hen house). You’ll want to put a hook-and-loop style lock on to keep the chickens, or predators, from opening the door at night. Predators can and will try to get at your chickens through the holes in the fence so it’s best to just keep them nice and secure at night.

The doghouse-style chicken coop above is about the simplest type you can build. If you’re feeling more handy and adventurous, you can try some of these chicken coop designs.