You have decided to adopt chickens to benefit from daily fresh eggs and recycle your household food waste (vegetable peelings, salad, dry bread, etc.).
To welcome them in a cozy cocoon, you want to
build a chicken coop
adapted to their needs.
What are the criteria to take into account before creating your chicken coop?
What materials to use?
To discover
January: what vegetables and fruits are in season?
What size to choose for a chicken coop?
The size of your construction will depend on the number of hens you plan to raise and the space you have to install it.
It is advisable to create a hut with an area of 1.5 to 2 m² per hen (it all depends on the breed of hens: bantam hens, for example, need less space).
Slightly raise the living area and create a ramp, so that the hens suffer less from the humidity.
So that the hens can roam, also provide a chicken coop with grass (like a wire fence) making double the surface of the living space.
If you have 4 pullets or more, be aware that a construction of more than 5 m² requires you to make a prior declaration of work at the town hall.
Read alsoWhy raise chickens in your garden?
Build a chicken coop in 3 zones
In the living area of your chicken coop, create 3 areas for your hens:
A sleeping area
, with straw, for more comfort and to insulate the hens from the cold;
A feeding area
with feeders and clean water.
And
an area for laying eggs
with two nesting boxes and a perch of at least 20 cm in length for two laying hens.
Place this space in height (30-40 cm from the ground), in a calm and bright place.
Make your life easier and create a hatch to collect the eggs.
To clean the inside of the chicken coop, opt for a removable roof.
Read alsoChicken coop and hutch: what regulations?
Predators, parasites: the chicken coop must protect the hens
A hen sticking its neck out of the chicken coop.
Adobe Stock
Your chicken coop must protect the hens from bad weather (wind, sun, rain) but also from any predators who love their eggs (foxes, etc.).
So choose a protected place on your property (under a tree, near a hedge or a wall).
If the gallinaceans are rather resistant, they are also sensitive to drafts: make sure that the nesting boxes are well sheltered.
Also consider creating ventilation inside the chicken coop.
Finally, installing a sandbox allows your hens to rid their feathers of many parasites (red mites, mealworms, etc.) that can bother them on a daily basis.
Read alsoHow to get rid of insects in a chicken coop?
What materials to choose for your chicken coop?
In pet stores, you will mainly find chicken coops made of wood (ecological and durable) or plastic (easy to maintain).
To make your own chicken coop with enclosure, you have the choice between concrete, cinder blocks or a metal or wooden structure.
But we advise you to opt for a wooden construction, an economical material that protects your hens while being an excellent insulator, both thermal and acoustic.
To
build your chicken coop
, you will need:
Planks or wooden pallets to be dismantled for the floor and the walls,
nails and screws,
A screwdriver, a saw and a hammer,
A sheet metal or shingle roof, if possible with a water-repellent coating,
What to create a door so that you can do the maintenance of the chicken coop,
Chicken wire or a wooden fence for the pen.
Follow a detailed plan for the construction of your chicken coop to avoid mistakes: you can easily find them on the internet and it will make your job easier.
