How big your build your coop will depend on how many chickens you want to keep and the size of the area you have to keep your coop.

So the 3 tasks and decisions you have to make are:

1. Decide how many chickens you want to keep – perhaps work out how many eggs you want a day!
2. Calculate the size of the area you need per below
3. Check in to ensure your coop size will fit into the area you plan to build your coop.

If the size does not work, then you may need to adjust your size by a few chickens.

As a minimum you should allow at least 3 sq foot per chicken inside the coop and 10 sq foot outside in the chicken run, although I have allowed 4 sq foot per chicken and 10 sq foot in my chicken run. If chickens have the ability to roam outside of a chicken run and scratch around in a garden, they will benefit hugely from this as well. Chickens like space.

Make sure chickens have sufficient room to roost as well. Chickens prefer to roost above ground as this is their natural instinct to avoid predators. They prefer to roost together as it gives them as a sense of security and warmth, so be sure to give them around a foot each on a wooden roost.

These should be kept at the same level otherwise the chickens will jostle for the higher roosts. Chickens do around 50% of their poop at night so be sure to place poop trays under the roosts as this will make it easier to clean and re-use the manure. The roosts themselves should be secured and sufficiently wide enough the chickens don’t fall off at night.

So, once you have worked out how many chickens you want to keep, calculated the size the coop and chicken run should be you will be ready to starting building your coop.

If you have a small backyard and want to build a chicken coop, then a mobile coop would be a good choice.

A mobile coop can easily be lifted and moved around your backyard providing good fertilizer as well. Your chickens would also benefit from the fresh grass and bugs in your garden. Use wire mess under the chicken coop to prevent any pests or predators from digging their way in.

To keep chickens safe at night, lock them up but let them out during the day. They will love foraging around your garden.

Here a few tips for building Nesting Boxes and also how to encourage your chickens to use them as we found ours for a while preferred to nest under bushes.

Here a few tips for building Nesting Boxes and also how to encourage your chickens to use them as we found ours for a while preferred to nest under bushes.

1. You can build your nesting boxes quite simply from an old crate, or even a drawer from an old set of drawers
2. Make sure that you have at least one nesting box per 4 chickens.
3. Ensure that you build your nesting boxes are located in a dark, private corner in your coop
4. Make sure the nesting boxes are comfortable for your chickens to encourage them to lay their eggs. I usually put wood shavings underneath with some straw on top. Make sure the straw is fresh and not dusty.
5. Most chickens lay their eggs firs thing in the morning, so by keeping them confined to their coop and run first thing you will be encouraging your chickens to use the nesting boxes.
6. A reader on this site recommended putting a small roost in front of the nesting box so give it a go!

It is important you try to keep your chicken coop clean not only for the health and happiness of your chickens, but also because a dirty coop will encourage flies and pests such as rats.

How often you clean your coop may depend on your environment, but generally I recommend doing a thorough clean at least once a week and cleaning the feeders and waterers daily to ensure there are no blockages.

A cost effective, economic method I use is to put fresh bedding into my nesting boxes each day.  I then move the old bedding to the chicken coop floor and then finally the compost bin.

Once a month I will use a bleach of a couple of tablespoons in a bucket of water and give the waterers a really good clean.

There are 3 key tips you need to keep in mind to successfully build a chicken coop.  These are:

1. Build a Safe House – This will ensure your chickens are well protected against the elements and safe from local predators.  These will vary depending on your location, so design and build to your location.
2. Keep your coop well ventilated – This will ensure your chickens remain healthy and productive
3. To build a coop that is easy to clean and maintain – this will maximise the investment you have made in your coop as well as ensure your chickens are maintained in a healthy, clean environment.

Keep these tips in mind and you will successfully build a chicken coop that will produce happy, healthy and productive chickens.