Is it difficult to build your own chicken coop in your backyard? If you are good with hand tools and able to read a building plans, it is actually quite easy.

You have the perfect spot selected and the size according to the number of birds that you wish to raise. Now it’s time to put a building together that will create an atmosphere of happy, healthy chickens. It’s time to do some shopping in the hardware store for a chicken housing kit.

Here are 5 important elements of the best chicken coop kits:

1) Flooring Possibilities

The least expensive type of flooring material for your chicken coop plan is plain old dirt. While economical, however, it will not protect your chickens from rodents or insulate your coop during the winter months.

Most beginner chicken hobbyists will choose a wooden floor, which is better than dirt but not waterproof. They are also not rodent-proof and tend to rot over time.

The perfect solution, and most expensive, is concrete. Easy to clean, sanitary and a great protection against rodents, a concrete floor is the best selection.

2) Insulating for Warmth and Cooling

No form of insulation makes for a cold drafty winter and a hot smoldering summer. The best insulating material is 1.5 inch of Styrofoam. The Styrofoam sheets provide the perfect form of insulation when used in the ceiling and walls.

A roofing material of aluminum that is painted white will also help in the hot summer months in reflecting heat away from the coop. You can also place bales of hay along this exterior side can cut a northerly wind in the winter back. The hay can also be used as litter.

Another option is to plant tall vegetation around the outside of the coop area. Not only will it make the area more attractive but will give relief of heat during the summer months.

3) The Importance of Ventilation

You want your chickens to be warm with a well-insulated coop but fumes can easily build up to a toxic level if there is no type of ventilation. Your chicken coop needs some vents.

Placing vents on the south or east walls of your chicken coop can help create airflow while protecting your chickens from a cold draft.

Another option is to drill large holes on the north and south sides where the roof meets the walls. Cover with mesh screens to keep outside birds from coming in to roost.

4) Building a Cozy Chicken Nest

Your chickens will become accustomed to their new nests when presented as a safe haven for their nesting. Build your nests approximately twelve by fifteen inches long and thirteen inches deep.

Use a soft type of nesting material for the floor, like litter, to keep the eggs from rolling around and cracking. Start by placing the nests on the floor in a dark area away from activity to let your chickens get used to them.

Gradually, maybe two weeks later, raise the chicken nests eighteen inches up from floor level. If your chickens are really shy, place a burlap flap over the opening.

5) Food and water dispenser

This is no time to find out if only the strong will survive. Don’t skimp on feeders and waterers.

Make sure that all of the chickens are adequately fed and watered and not having to fight over space. They will all get used to their designated areas without having to fight over their nourishment.

Present your new flock with all of the amenities that you would any other pet and they will produce and bring your lots of pleasure in years ahead.

I hope the 5 tips above is useful when you are shopping for the best chicken coop kit.

When it comes to chicken coops, there are many different plans you can make. After all, you wouldn’t believe the complexity that goes into the designing of one of these feathery houses.

You can of course go to a local store and purchase a pre-made chicken coop, and this would be perfectly acceptable. But then you would miss all the fun of designing your own coop, and naturally, there are needs your chickens need met, that you might not be able to meet with the mass produced models.

For instance, what happens if you have an injured chicken?

You may need to separate that chicken from the others to make sure that it does not sustain an injury from the other, stronger chickens.

You probably will not have this type of accommodation in a factory chicken coop. For this reason, you will find that DIY chicken coop plans are the way to go.

Simple Chicken Coop

The best part about using a homemade chicken coop plan is that you can improve upon it at will.

For instance, you might need an outside door that leads to the chicken roosts so that you can collect the eggs. It would be very hard to add this into a factory built coop, but when you are using a DIY coop, you can build it in as you go.

Keeping Your Chicken Safe

There are many other things you can do to make your DIY chicken coop project a success. Most importantly however, you can add things into your coop to make it a little safer.

Let’s face it, the standard chicken coops may not be built…shall we say…intelligently.

If you have ever owned chickens before then you know they have a habit of jumping. The problem with this is that chickens have very long necks, and if you have a low ceiling then the chicken has a chance of breaking its neck.

When you make your DIY chicken coop with a proper plan, you can make the ceiling as high as you want it to be within reason.

You will also want to make sure that you stay away from coops that have rafters, because these also cause major issues for chickens.

At some point, you’ll need to clean the coop, therefore you will want to make sure you can actually get in and out easily. A good DIY plan will allow you to get in and out very easily, meaning that scooping out the waste and bedding will be a cinch.

Homemade Chicken Coop Plan

So where do you find a good DIY chicken housing plan?

You can search online for hundreds of great plans. Some are free while the better construction plans will cost some money. The investment is very small though.

You wouldn’t believe the homemade items you can use to fill out your chicken coop. From pop bottles to pie pans, the options are nearly limitless.

With a DIY bantam coop plan, you’ll be able to outfit your entire coop without breaking the bank.

So go to your favorite search engine and look for “DIY Chicken Coops”, or variations on those words and you’re going to find some rather amazing things.

You can either follow the instructions to the letter, or you can make your own improvements. It’s up to you, and the ceiling is the limit!

If you are looking for easy to follow and inexpensive chicken coop plan, check out Building a Chicken Coop plans by Bill Keene.

Bill is a chicken farmer with more than 15 years of experience. His chicken coop blueprint will show you step-by-step how to build a chicken housing with relatively low budget.

==> Click here to read more on Building a Chicken Coop!

1) Automatic waterer.

Just like any pets, chicken needs lots of water. This is particularly important during hot summer months.

A coop hen house design should have automatic waterer. Use a watering system that waste less water, take up little space in the coop and doesn’t fill up with dirt, feathers, shavings, leave etc easily.

2) Good lighting.

Putting lighting in a chicken house is a special trick that poultry farmers use.

The light will encourage the hen to lay eggs and brood chicks all year round. Make sure you have proper supply of electricity into the chicken coop.

3) Automate the chicken feeder.

Use an automatic chicken feeder. Sometimes we tend to forget to feed the chicken. Or it might be too troublesome to constantly filling the feeder container.

The best option is to use a feeder with a large container that will dispense the chicken feeds automatically.

4) Have wire fencing.

If you want to have lots of organic eggs and chicks, make sure the chicken coop is fenced up.

Due to their small size, chicks are very susceptible to urban predators such as cats, dogs, large rats, raccoons etc.

Consider their safety and use a fence around the chicken housing when you are making the design.

5) Protection from the environment.

A good chick coop design should protect the brooding hen from the environment.

The hen should be kept away from extreme cold or heat.

Make sure the coop is well ventilated in the summer and a heating source during cold winter period.

6) Food reserve.

If you do not want to use an automatic feed dispenser, you can feed the chicken manually instead.

When you are designing the coop, make sure the food storage is relatively near.

A simple solution is to use a bin or a metal trash can with a lid placed near the chicken housing.

7) Bedding.

To encourage the hen to brood, provide them clean and dry bedding. Fresh dried straw or wood chippings in a chicken nesting box will do just fine.

8) Easy excess to tools.

When you are designing the hen house, allocate some space to keep some tools.

You’ll need space to keep a rake or broom nearby to clean the inside of the hen house.

Easy Chicken Coop Design Plans

Are you looking for an easy to building chicken coop design blueprint? If you are, check out the Building a Chicken Coop guide by Bill Keene.

Bill is an seasoned chicken farmer with more than 15 years experience. His manual will show you step-by-step how to build a functional chicken house.

==> Click here to read more about Building a Chicken Coop now!

Related web pages:
1) Homemade Mobile Chicken Coop Video

2) Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens: Care / Feeding / Facilities (Paperback) – Click here