Building a chicken coop – step-by-step guide and tips

Planning

Do you want to build your own chicken coop? The best way to start your planning is to determine the number of chickens you want to keep in your garden. This is important not only in terms of the coop’s location and run/outdoor space, but also for the furnishings.

What regulations do I have to observe when keeping chickens in the garden?

You should get to know the applicable regulations in your area before starting to build your own chicken coop.

• Do I need a building permit for my DIY chicken coop?

We decided on a mobile chicken coop for this DIY project. Please check the animal welfare and building permit regulations valid in your country and make sure you comply with them. Likewise, if you want to build a stationary chicken coop, check with your local building authority first. The regulations for this differ from area to area.

• The Animal Welfare Act

In Germany, the same animal welfare guidelines apply, regardless of whether the chickens are kept in a person’s garden or in battery cages. One square metre is considered sufficient for nine chickens. However, we have based our DIY chicken coop on recommendations for keeping chickens in a more species-appropriate manner, such as those issued by numerous animal welfare organisations. That’s why we offer our chickens a comfortable roost and a cosy nest box for laying eggs, in addition to sufficient outdoor space.

• Vaccination and reporting requirements

Every chicken in Germany must be registered with the competent veterinary office. In addition, registration with the animal disease prevention fund is also required. All chickens must be vaccinated regularly (every three months) against Newcastle disease. However, you don’t have to collect your chickens four times a year and take them to the vet. You can easily administer the necessary vaccination through their drinking water. And it won’t be expensive for you either. You can buy 500 doses for as little as €7, which provides 20 chickens with the necessary vaccination protection for six whole years, for example.

• Noise pollution and local laws concerning the interest of neighbours

You shouldn’t keep a rooster in your DIY chicken coop unless you live in a very remote area. They unfortunately have one major disadvantage – they are extremely noisy, even if they are particularly magnificent and beautiful to look at. A few chickens won’t be a nuisance for your neighbours, especially if there is a tasty egg to share with them at breakfast every now and then, but the mood can change if there is a lot of noise in the early morning. Your hens won’t hold it against you either. It is not uncommon for a rooster’s favourite hens to look a little dishevelled. Anyway, a missing rooster does not affect egg production.

Which chickens are particularly suitable for people just starting out?

You want to build your own chicken coop, as well as decide who moves in, but not all types of chickens are suitable for beginners. We have compiled a list of a few species that are considered particularly easy to care for and are comfortable around humans. Some of them don’t like to fly much either, which makes it easy for them to run around in a fenced-in enclosure. If there are many birds of prey in your region, you should still consider closing off the outdoor run from above.

There are also dwarf varieties of nearly all the chickens listed here. These are much smaller, but usually lay almost as many eggs as their larger counterparts. You can keep chickens of different breeds together, but make sure they are about the same size. Especially large chickens should not be kept together with bantams, for example. The chickens in our list also make great pets for young and old.

How much space does a chicken need?

Chickens don’t need much to be happy: water and food, obviously, but above all a coop that is regularly cleaned and an outdoor run that is big enough.

The rule of thumb is that you should keep a maximum of three animals per square metre of coop space. Naturally, larger species need more space. Also remember that you need to fit the coop with a water trough, feeding station, sand bath and nest boxes. Chickens like to spend their days outdoors, while at night they sleep on roosting bars that are high off the ground. A larger chicken coop should be set up so that you can stand and work in it comfortably. A smaller DIY chicken coop should have a clearance of at least 80 cm.

You should allow five to ten square metres per chicken if you want to give them enough outdoor space in the garden.

Which material is best suited for building my own chicken coop?

Pre-made kits made of all kinds of materials are available in shops. Plastic ones are particularly easy to clean, but they are not very durable.

If you want to use more natural materials, you should opt for a chicken coop made of wood or stone.

And you don’t need much previous knowledge to build a chicken coop out of wood. However, the wood must be treated to better withstand the elements, and it requires regular maintenance so that the coop will last a long time for your chickens. Plywood is particularly interesting if you’re going to build a mobile chicken coop. The structure itself is much lighter than a similar one made of standard wooden beams, which makes it easier to move. If you want your chickens to live outside permanently, however, you must provide good insulation for the winter.

If you want to build a stationary chicken coop, you should use stone. Stone is robust, durable and offers your chickens more protection from the weather and predators. However, you also need to know how to lay bricks, use mortar and lay a concrete foundation, as all of this is necessary for a chicken coop made of stone.

We love to build, craft and hone our DIY skills. Once you’ve finished building your  DIY chicken coop, check out our many other garden projects: Check out our step-by-step guides on how to build  a greenhouse from old windows . Your children will love having their very own tree house, but there are also easier projects, for example, your own colourful DIY garden bench.

Let’s get started – step-by-step instructions

We will explain in the following how to build a mobile chicken coop using plywood board. The exact size, number of windows and all other details should be adapted to the number of chickens.