Introduction: Building a chicken coop does not have to be complicated. If you simplify the process and take it step by step it can be way less overwhelming. There are many ways you can customize and make your chicken coop best suited for you and your chickens. Here I have created a simple outline you can follow while building your own chicken coop.

Step 1: Design

1.) Sketch out your chicken coop based on location and amount of chickens you have: Depending on how many chickens you want, you may need to make this plan larger. Generally, 2 to 3 square feet is recommended per chicken that you plan to have inside the chicken coop.

2.) Calculate how many pressure-treated 2x4s and sheets of plywood you will need: I used nine pressure-treated 2x4s and four 4x8 sheets of plywood. If you want a larger or smaller chicken coop you will need to calculate the area to determine how many pressure-treated 2x4s and plywood you will need.

3.) Calculate how much chicken wire and metal roofing you will need. I used 156 square feet of chicken wire. If you want to make your chicken coop a different size, calculate the are of the entire chicken coop and subtract the area of the enclosed box.

Step 2: Materials and Tools

1.) Gather the tools you will need: You will need a chop saw, skills saw, staple gun and power drill with a drill bit that is compatible with the screws you are using. When I bought my screws, they came with a compatible drill bit. If you have never used these tools before, I recommend watching YouTube videos that explain the safety precautions you will need to take. If you are not comfortable operating a saw, you can get your wood cut at Home Depot. The first two cuts are free and the rest are $0.25.

2.) Get the supplies you will need: For my chicken coop I used nine 16’ pressure-treated 2x4s, a 2 lb. bucket of 3” screws, four boards of plywood(4’x8’), four hinges, two door handles, 156 square feet of chicken wire, 4’x12’ area of metal roofing, self-tap roofing screws, door latches, and paint or stain. All of this costed around $300 from my local lumber store.

Step 3: Build the Frame

1.) Cut pressure treated 2x4s: I cut four 12' foot pieces, eight 4' pieces, four 7' pieces and four 3' pieces.

2.) Build the frame: Start by setting out two 12' long pieces of pressure-treated 2x4s parallel toeach other. Set two 4' pressure-treated 2x4s parallel to each other making a box with all four pieces of wood. Use the power drill to screw the 4' 2x4s to the 12' 2x4s. Attach the four 5' pieces to each of the corners of on the box. Build another box on the top of the 5' 2x4s.

Step 4: Build the Enclosed Chicken House

1.) Cut the plywood: Use a chop saw to cut the plywood into five different pieces. Each piece will need to be 4 feet by 4 feet.

2.) Cut out the chicken door and egg door: Use the skill saw to cut out any dimension of egg door you want out of the 4 feet by 4 feet piece on the back side of the chicken coop. This will be how you collect your eggs. Save the cut out piece as you will use that as the door. Cut the chicken door(this is the door the chickens will use to go in and out of their house) to 1 foot buy 1 foot. You can use either saw to do this.

Step 5: Paint or Stain Chicken House

Paint or stain the chicken house: You will need to paint or stain the plywood. If you do not the wood will rot over time. I chose to paint the chicken coop to match my home. You can also stain it if you'd like.

Step 6: Enclose the Chicken Coop

Enclose the chicken coop with chicken wire: I used 156 square feet of chicken wire. Use a staple gun to attach the chicken wire to the chicken coop. Make sure that you stretch the wire as tight as you can get it. Use enough staples to make the wire stable.

Attach Metal Roof: Use self-tap roofing screws to attach the metal roof to the pressure-treated 2x4s.

Step 7: Attach the Doors

1.) Make people door: Frame out a 2'9" by 5" area for the people door. I used the corner of the chicken coop so that I only had to attach one 5' pressure-treated 2x4 to the frame. Cut the plywood door to 5' by 2'5" using the chop saw. Use two hinges and to attach the door to the pressure treated 2x4. Paint door to match and add handle.

2.) Attach egg door: Attach the piece of plywood that you cut out when you built the chicken box. Attach it by using two hinges and the screws that the hinges come with. I had to use sandpaper to sand the edges of the door to make it fit properly. Paint the door and add a handle and latch.